“What?” Argoza asked.
“The quantum discrepancies the Miracle’s engines produce look a lot like red holes, and it makes sense to hide the Ra’xon near a red hole. We’ve got big enough engines and powerful enough shields to keep us steady near an event horizon. The resulting spatial anomalies would keep us hidden from all sensors.”
There was silence. The Captain leaned forward. “Your assessment is correct. That is, it would make sense for the Ra’xon to be searching for such an anomaly.”
“But aren’t the resistance’s sensor sweeps simply going to detect red holes?” Argoza pointed out through a terse breath.
“Sure they are. We’ll just have to cross reference data we get against the Miracle’s likely positions, and pick the best fit. If we get sensor data back suggesting there’s a red hole in the middle of a prominent transport route, we’re gonna know it’s the Miracle.”
Again there was silence.
I felt Shepherd turn to stare at me. I could tell the quality of his gaze was searching.
“This is nothing more than a revenge mission,” Argoza suddenly pointed out.
I stiffened at that.
“We appreciate your experiences at the hand of the Farsight Program. But we cannot allow your desire for revenge to derail the resistance,” Argoza said.
I took a choked breath. “If I wanted revenge, Argoza,” I said, deliberately dropping her honorific title, “I would march into the brig and pull the implants out of F’val, one after the other,” I said as I drummed my fingers one after the other on the desk. “I haven’t done that. Because what I want is to stop the Star Forces. And the only way we’re going to do that, is by taking away what they need. They need the Miracle,” my lips stiffened around every word. “Taking it down will be a crippling blow for the Star Forces. It’s also going to be the hook we need to get more people to join the resistance. I don’t doubt that the Lieutenant Commander and J’lax here can try to convince the pirate factions to join us. But if we want their wholesale support, we’re going to need to show them that we are worth the risk.”
My words punched around the room, echoing off the walls.
They brought with them a thoughtful silence.
“You have a point,” Shepherd conceded.
“We can’t risk the Ra’xon,” Argoza began, shooting Shepherd a surprised look.
“Nor can we hold onto her like a treasured jewel,” the Captain warned. “The very last thing we should do is protect the Ra’xon at the detriment of our goal. We must use her, or there is no point.”
Lady Argoza now looked embattled. She glanced at Nathan again for support, but I could tell he turned towards me once more.
“Is this really possible? Do you honestly think we have any chance whatsoever of taking on the Miracle? Wouldn’t she be protected by other ships?” Shepherd continued, oblivious to Argoza’s pleading stare.
“We’re going to have to set up a trap. We’ll have the advantage. The Star Forces’ prime weakness is their arrogance. And if there’s one person who’s more arrogant than the rest, it’s Professor Axis. He’ll never believe anyone could have the hubris to attack the Miracle. Once we find out where it is, we’ll use long-range scans to assess the situation, and then we’ll come up with a plan of attack.”
“This is suicide,” Argoza protested.
“Standing still and doing nothing is worse,” I commented immediately. “But if you don’t want to believe my assessment, ask Williams. She’s been on that ship too. She won’t know as much as I do as I… had the displeasure of seeing more of it for a longer time. But she’ll be able to tell you whether we’ve got a shot.”
Again silence met my words.
Everyone turned to the Captain.
She was staring at the table, then slowly she let her searching gaze lock on each of us in turn. “This is a critically important decision.”
I nodded.
“If this gamble pays off, we will have dealt a critical blow to the Star Forces. It will also increase support for the resistance. However, if we fail….”
“We’ll all die. We’re all going to die anyway,” I pointed out. “But I’d rather go out fighting for the right thing then cowering in fear.”
“Alyssa,” Nathan suddenly asked in a soft tone from my side.
I turned to him.
“Aren’t you… scared though?”
“… Scared?” I pretended I didn’t know what he was talking about.
“That this fails, and they take you back,” he said, voice so quiet it could barely travel.
I stared at him, and it took a long time before I wrenched my gaze free and swallowed. With wide-open eyes I stared at the center of the table. “I’m sick of running away from them. I’m sick of wasting the only opportunities I have to fight back.”
He held my gaze. It wasn’t the tenderest moment I’d ever had, but it was close. There was something about the quality of his attention.
Slowly he nodded. “That’s good enough for me. Captain,” he nodded at the Captain, “if Williams concurs, and you’re behind it, I support this plan.”
“We must consult with the rest of the resistance,” Argoza objected.
“If news that we’re going after the Miracle spreads, our attack will turn into a trap,” I countered immediately. “Speaking of which, we need to institute a complete communications lockdown. We don’t know if there are spies aboard the Ra’xon,” I said bluntly, “and considering how well F’val fooled everyone, I think it’s safe to admit there are. If it were me, Captain, I would disable our communications relay and ensure that we only send messages if both you and the Chief are present.”
The Captain considered my words.
Argoza scoffed.
The Captain put up a hand. “You have a point, Ensign.”
“About that, I never passed my training,” I muttered. “I was plucked out of the Academy before I had the chance.”
“Well, in that case, I will have to assess your skills based on what I’ve seen. A rank of lieutenant is fitting.”
I frowned. “Sorry?”
“As I am no longer encumbered by Star Forces protocol, I can use my own discretion to promote you. You are now a lieutenant.”
I couldn’t quite believe what she was saying. Me, a lieutenant?
Nathan gave a soft laugh. “It’s not that scary, trust me,” he said so quietly only I picked it up.
“Captain,” Argoza began, “you can’t seriously be considering her suggestion.”
“I am. And, to be honest, I had already been considering something like it before. We must, as Alyssa has said, face the fact that there are probably still spies aboard the Ra’xon. We must limit our communications. While we have overhauled our security system, it is still feasible that a well-trained operative would be able to get a message off. That is why I have already asked the Chief to look into a method for stopping all non-essential ship-wide communications. If the Ra’xon is to send a communication, we will need to activate the communications rig and wait for it to reboot.”
“Isn’t that a massive risk?” Argoza shifted forward, her hands pressing so hard into the table that I could see her knuckles pushing tight against her skin. “What if we need to get off a message in a hurry?”
“We will not be able to. This is the only method I see to ensure that the spies amongst our ranks – if they exist – will not be able to undermine our mission.”
“What about portable communications rigs?” Shepherd questioned.
“We will jam all frequencies. The jamming controls will be locked to both myself and the Chief.”
“I still believe this isn’t necessary,” Argoza protested.
“I appreciate your opinion, Lady,” the Captain replied with a low respectful nod, “but please appreciate that I understand the operation of this ship better than you.”
Lady Argoza dwindled into silence. Every now and then, however, she jerked her gaze towards me.
She was clearly sus
picious of me. Well that didn’t matter – because I was now starting to get suspicious of her.
Could she be a spy? Or was she simply not used to being ignored?
“Lieutenant Nightingale, you will work closely with Lieutenant Commander Shepherd and Williams to organize a plan of attack,” the Captain began.
I didn’t face her, as honestly I didn’t realize she was speaking to me.
Shepherd cleared his throat and nudged me slightly with his elbow. “That’s you.”
I jolted. “Sorry. I’m not used to being called lieutenant yet,” I admitted awkwardly.
“Well get used to it,” the Captain said through a half smile. “I expect you to complete your initial plan within the next 24 hours. Understood?”
I nodded firmly.
“Very well, dismissed.” The Captain rose.
We all rose with her.
I… hadn’t been expecting that. To be honest, when I heard I’d been called to this briefing, I thought I’d face the firing squad. I’d thought the Captain was going to tell me that I was too much of a risk to be trusted. Well now I was a lieutenant, and I was in charge of coming up with a plan to attack the Miracle.
….
Nathan cleared his throat next to me. “Congratulations,” he said through a grin.
I turned to him. I was actually smiling.
This made him laugh. “You know, we should celebrate,” he started, but coughed towards the end, shooting me an embarrassed smile as he patted his hair down.
“Do we have time?” I asked. As strange as it sounded, I wanted to take him up on his offer. Celebrate. For the first time in years. I wanted to forget my troubles and rejoice over my first scrap of good fortune.
“We can make the time,” he said.
“Sorry to interrupt, but shouldn’t you be, ah, I don’t know, planning the most impossible mission in the universe?” J’lax said as he crossed his arms, his muscles pushing tight against his slim body armor.
“It won’t be impossible,” I said in a soft voice, “just hard.”
He stopped. “You’re talking about taking on the most powerful ship in the Star Forces. You really are a hellcat, aren’t you, Lieutenant Nightingale?” He grinned. “Anyhow, you guys need any help planning an attack, let me know. I used to run sorties against Star Forces Security with the pirates. It was a lot of fun,” he commented as he turned around with a wave.
Nathan laughed.
… They were friends already.
It reminded me how quickly things could change.
Nathan turned back to me, and there was a different look in his eyes. It made my stomach shift.
He opened his mouth.
And the Lady Argoza appeared at his shoulder. “Lieutenant Commander, may I have a word? It’s urgent,” she said as Nathan paused.
“Okay,” he said through a sigh. “I’ll catch you around, Lieutenant.” He grinned at me.
I brought a hand up for some goddamn reason and waved.
Realizing how weird that was, I let my hand fall as I shook my head.
Then I watched the two of them exit the room. As they neared the doors, Lady Argoza looked over her shoulder and glanced at me.
There was a challenge playing in her gaze.
I narrowed my eyes.
Maybe she wasn’t a spy, but I got the sudden feeling she was hiding something.
I would find out what it was.
And I would also take this fight to the Star Forces.
For the first time in my life, I was ready and willing to attack.
…
Lieutenant Commander Nathan Shepherd
“What’s this about?” I asked as Argoza took me inside an empty room.
She had a flighty look about her, as if she were expecting attack. Her brow was slicked with a fine layer of sweat, and I could tell from every quick inhale that she was nervous.
I frowned, crossing my arms tightly in front of my chest. “What’s wrong?”
She finally looked up at me, her gaze darting and quick. She also took a snapped step towards me. “We need to be careful, Lieutenant Commander… Nathan,” she corrected quickly, “there’s too much at stake.”
I frowned, the move etching its way down my chin. “We know that, I know that,” I said slowly and clearly. “What’s this really about?”
She seemed to hesitate before she made a decision. “You can’t trust her.”
I didn’t need to ask who the Lady Argoza was referring to.
I felt myself stiffen. It was involuntary at first, marching its way up my back, then I let it settle. I made no attempt to control my expression. “She’s been through a hell of a lot. None of us have suffered at the hands of the Star Forces like she has. I think we owe it to her to trust her,” I said, emphasizing the word owe with a shake of my voice.
Lady Argoza took a quick step back, her delicate shoes pressing hard against the smooth polished floor. A particular look flashed in her gaze, and I didn’t need to be a genius to realize what it meant.
She thought I didn’t trust her. And she was right, at least about this. Still, she was a valued friend, and I couldn’t afford to lose her, so I took a step forward of my own. “It’s okay. I realize a lot has happened in a short time.”
Her gaze flashed with defiance. “You’re right, Nathan, too much. So much has been happening that none of us have had a chance to truly analyze what’s going on. Don’t you think that’s dangerous?”
I wanted to dismiss her words. I couldn’t. She had a point. And yet I knew that despite that point we could trust Alyssa. That knowledge bypassed my brain and sank deep into the center of my chest. It enabled me to take a firm breath. “We can trust her,” I said firmly, voice rattling with the authority of command. “And we need her. Especially if we’re going to take on the Miracle.”
“Which is suicide. Nathan, we don’t have a chance against that ship.”
“If you’d asked me a day ago, I would have assumed you’re right. But now…” I trailed off as I looked down at my hands briefly. What was I trying to say? Now what? What exactly had changed? The Star Forces were still after Alyssa, and they were still going to do everything they could to crush the resistance.
So why did I feel as if everything had changed? As if we now had a chance?
As I trailed off into a long silence, she swallowed uncomfortably. “Even if you’re right,” she appeared to say reluctantly, gaze dropping to the floor before darting up to me, those startling blue eyes widening with attentiveness, “can’t you see how dangerous this is? She’s after revenge.”
“I honestly think it’s more complicated than that. I think she’s right, and the resistance has to start attacking the Star Forces where it hurts the most. Especially now we’re on the run. Especially now the Star Forces know we’re a threat. I know how my father operates, and I know he’s going to be relentless from this point onwards. We need to take any opportunity that arises. Or this resistance will count for nothing. We’ll be remembered as little more than a ragtag band of traitors who didn’t have the gumption to fight when they had the chance.”
She looked into my eyes for a few seconds before shaking her head bitterly. “You’re allowing yourself to be carried away, can’t you see that? Can’t you see how risky this is? Not only will we be delivering the Ra’xon back to the Star Forces, but we’ll be taking Alyssa back with it. Haven’t you thought of that? What will happen not if we fail, but when?”
I stiffened, every muscle locking into place down my back and into my feet. I couldn’t even breathe.
“Tell me I don’t have a point?” She looked entreatingly up into my eyes.
… I couldn’t. She did have a point. And yet, at the same time, I knew Alyssa was right. We had to do something now, no matter the odds. Because there wouldn’t be a tomorrow to regroup and retry. The Star Forces were now intent on crushing us.
I took another step forward until we were close enough that I could see every startling detail of those crystal
-clear eyes. “Lady Argoza, I can’t give you the answer you seek. All I ask is that you trust us. This is the right thing to do.”
She didn’t appear capable of speaking. She just stared at me. Then finally, after a few heart-pulsing seconds, she closed her eyes. “Fine, Nathan,” she said quietly, her voice sounding as if it were far off, “you win. But I’m warning you… be careful about trusting her.” Her eyes opened in a snap. “We don’t know anything about her.”
Though they shouldn’t have, her words sliced right through me like a blade cutting me from head to foot.
I swallowed uncomfortably, hiding the move with a cough. “We can trust her,” I said, hating the fact my voice had a slight waver.
The Lady Argoza said nothing more. She nodded her head, placing her hands neatly in front of herself as she turned and walked out.
She left me with a cold uncomfortable sweat prickling up my shoulders and collecting down my back.
I could trust Alyssa.
… Right?
…
Lieutenant Commander Nathan Shepherd
After my unsettling discussion with Lady Argoza, I soon found myself in the primary mess hall eating with Williams.
It was the first quiet moment I’d had in what felt like weeks, if not months.
The food wasn’t fantastic, but I still ate it with relish.
Williams, however, seemed slow for some reason.
I looked up at her a few times, checking on her. That’s when I noticed.
Her hand was shaking. I frowned as I glanced at it. “Are you okay?”
She forced a smile as she grabbed her spoon and piled more food into her mouth. “Fine,” she said around a mouthful.
She brought her hand down. Even though I could tell she was trying to control it, it shivered again.
I frowned harder. “Williams, are you sure you’re okay? Have you gone to the medical bay for scans?”
She tried to ignore me, concentrating on her meal instead.
“Annabelle?”
The Crucible- The Complete Series Page 38
