Close Proximity - An Aeon14 Space Opera Adventure (Perilous Alliance)

by Chris J. Pike

  “That’s not what’s going on here, and you know that!” Kylie rose from her chair at the same moment Winter did.

  “Maybe you’ve just forgotten who we are. We’re junkers. We work in the fringe, Kylie. We don’t save people. We take what we want when we need it. Right now, we need that damn girl to save one of our own.”

  “Is that all we are? Is that how you really feel?” Kylie asked.

  Winter nodded. “I’m just surprised it’s not obvious to you. If you go along with this plan, if you bring Lana to the SA and screw Nadine in the process, then I’m done with you. Done with this ship. Just drop me off at the closest spaceport.” He paused to look at Rogers. “And you should think about getting off, too. Won’t be long before she trades us all in on some damn crusade to save the galaxy.”

  He stormed off, slamming his fist on the entryway as he did, and Kylie sunk back into her seat. Rogers hadn’t moved or spoken during the exchange, and Kylie couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking.

  “Who peed in his organic craft cereal, huh?” the pilot finally said with a wan smile.

  Kylie snorted out a laugh. “Do you agree with him? Do you think I’m going soft?”

  “Me and Winter, we’re not exactly cut from the same cloth, you know?” Rogers leaned back. “He cares only about what’s right in front of him. Next big score. Sure, it’s fun, but what we’re talking about here…This bounty hunter, whoever he represents, they can’t get their hands on this tech, Kylie.”

  “So we’re off to save the galaxy. Here I thought I was done with that.”

  “Maybe you were. Maybe it’s the galaxy that wasn’t done with you yet.”

  Well, that made Kylie feel out of control of her own destiny. Something she hated. “Jason left me a data dead-drop on a comm relay satellite. I’ll send him a message and tell him we have everything he needs and we’ll send a data sample. For now, let’s set a course for the SSF base near Freemont. I’ll have Grayson arrange a transfer.”

  Rogers stood from the table and left the galley. Kylie leaned back in her chair. Even though they had a plan, she didn’t feel good about it. Rogers was right; Kylie had to protect the tech and Lana. Winter had been a good friend, most of the time, and a better shipmate, but if he couldn’t see that…

  Nothing was going the way Kylie expected.

  Now, if she could just keep Lana alive long enough to get her help, Kylie would consider it a full-fledged victory.

  As she stepped out of the galley, Grayson ran by. “What’s going on?” Kylie asked.

  “It’s Lana,” he said, his voice raised in panic, “she’s crashing!”

  * * * * *

  Kylie followed Grayson down to the medbay. Grayson’s simple words were correct: Lana was in full cardiac arrest, and she was seizing. “You left her alone?” Kylie asked angrily.

  “I had to grab something. I’m not medically trained and the equipment you have here…”

  “Okay, okay. Let’s stop fighting and figure out what the hell we’re going to do,”

 

  Kylie grabbed it. She peeled back the sheet they had placed on Lana and stuck it over her heart.

 

  Kylie stepped back as the defibrillator shocked Lana’s body with an electrical charge. She didn’t know if it was working; Lana was still spasming.

  Grayson was studying the vitals display and tapped it with his finger. “It didn’t help. Her blood pressure too is high, and her heart can’t establish a normal rhythm.”

  What could they do? By the stars, what if rescuing Lana killed her?

  Winter entered and pushed her to the side. He glanced at the vitals and sighed. “What the hell are you guys doing?”

  “Trying to save her,” Grayson said defensively.

  Winter opened one of the cabinets and pulled out a vial. He squirted two drops beneath Lana’s tongue with a dropper. Immediately she started to squirm and he held her mouth closed. She fought against him, but a moment later, she was still again.

  “That was risky,” Kylie said.

  “Had to do something, right? Save the lady everyone cares so damn much for.” Winter left just as quickly as he arrived, muttering something under his breath.

  Kylie stared after him, and Grayson did a double take. “Should I ask what that’s about?”

  “You really don’t want to know.”

  Grayson let her comment lie and inspected the monitor. “Her vitals are returning to normal. Her heart is still erratic but we’ve bought her some time.”

  “Do you think we’ll reach the SSF base before…it gets bad?” Kylie asked.

  “I don’t know,” Grayson said softly and glanced back at Lana. “I’m afraid I really can’t say.”

  “Then I’ll stay with her,” Kylie said and stepped closer to the bed. “If anything goes wrong, she shouldn’t be alone.”

  Grayson placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s possible the nano will finish restructuring her to handle its…whatever…and she’ll simply wake up. Be unstoppable.” There was more concern in his voice than was necessary. Than usual.

  “You think she’ll hurt me?”

  “Maybe.” Grayson rose his eyebrows. “To get away from General Samuel, anything is possible. You should know.”

  That she should.

  ANOTHER DOUBLE-CROSS

  STELLAR DATE: 08.46.8947 (Adjusted Years)

  LOCATION: Salvage ship Dauntless, near Perseverance

  REGION: Scattered Disk, Gedri System, Silstrand Alliance

  Jason asked.

  Winter said.

  The bounty hunter sent a smug expression across the Link.

 

  The bounty hunter sent a short vid to Winter. Nadine sat in a private room on what looked like a comfortable bed. There was a window overlooking a planet—Chiras if his guess was right—and she wore a new blue and white dress. It was more fitting for a woman of her stature than the one she wore that day she went into Maverick’s club.

 

  Winter thought it over. How much information was too much information?

 

  Didn’t Jason know the nano was in her blood? Well, that was interesting. Winter peered around the corner onto the bridge. Rogers was by himself.

  Good.

  The bounty hunter cut the signal as Winter stepped onto the bridge. He took a deep breath as he came up upon Rogers. He had always been a friend—a buddy. Winter couldn’t say that about a lot of people.

  Rogers’ chair floated in the center of the bridge, as he casually piloted the Dauntless. “Hey, bro, you have that cooling off period you needed?” he asked without turning his head as Winter’s heavy footfalls approached.

  “Yeah, I did.” Winter gripped the top of Nadine’s chair with one hand, while his other raised his sidearm. “Everything’s a lot clearer now.”

  “Great,” Rogers said, still looking ahead into the void. “I’d hate to lose you. I mean, except for Grayson, you’re the meanest cook we have onboard.”

  “I’d hate for you to lose that.” Winter gripped his handgun with both hands, and it was only then Rogers turned around and let out a gasp.

  “What the hell—”

  Spinning the weapon in his hand, Winter slammed the butt of the pi
stol right between Rogers’s eyes. The pilot slumped in his seat and Winter imagined he would get a nasty welt. Winter felt a moment of remorse but knew that this was the best way forward, even if no one could see that but him.

  He hefted Rogers up over his shoulder. After a double-check that no one was around, he stepped into the passageway and stowed Rogers’s body in a supply closet. Winter locked the door, and then smashed the mechanism to make certain Rogers wouldn’t be able to break up his little party.

  “Sorry, friend,” Winter muttered to himself.

  Rogers might hate him and have one hell of a headache, but at least he’d survive. In the end, who knew, maybe everyone would even thank Winter for what he was about to do. If Kylie couldn’t make the right choice for the crew, then he’d have to do it for her.

  He’d consider asking for forgiveness later.

  OVERWATCH

  STELLAR DATE: 08.47.8947 (Adjusted Years)

  LOCATION: Salvage ship Dauntless, en route to Freemont

  REGION: Scattered Disk, Gedri System, Silstrand Alliance

  Kylie yawned as she stretched her arms overhead. Seated on a stool beside Lana’s bed, she waited for a sign that the girl might wake up. Or be okay. Or not. Something.

  So far, Lana was sleeping peacefully, and that was better than pain and convulsions. But the worry was still there. There was so much worry.

  “I’m going to grab a cup of that horrible coffee you have. You want some?” Grayson asked from where he leaned against one of the counters.

  She nodded. “Please. And thanks.”

  “Thank you—for being so reasonable about all this. I know it isn’t an easy decision.”

  “It’s always hard for me to do the right thing. You should know that,” Kylie said with a wry smirk.

  “Can we try not to fight for just a few hours?”

  “Sorry. Really. I wasn’t trying to fight. I was trying to be funny.”

  Grayson’s sour expression just proved that Kylie’s humor had been off the mark. Had she ever really been funny?

  “Coffee sounds nice,” Kylie tried to sound as demure as possible, but she wasn’t sure it really worked. She wasn’t sure if Grayson cared much for her humor or when she was trying to be kind. Now the idea of her, the memory of her, that was a different story. But the reality of who they were? Funny thing about ideas, they often shifted and changed—sometimes until they morphed into dreams.

  He left the room without a word, and Kylie’s mind wandered, worrying about what the future would hold.

  “You guys married or something?” Lana’s soft voice asked.

  Kylie’s eyes widened as she realized that Lana was conscious. “Oh my, you’re awake! How are you feeling?”

  “Run through. Tired but…better. Hungry.” Lana struggled to sit up, and Kylie helped her.

  “We’ll get you something,” Kylie said. She reached out to Grayson.

 

  His happiness was infectious, and Kylie found herself smiling. “I wasn’t sure if you were going to survive.”

  “Neither was I, to be honest. My AI, she’s slowly coming back to me now. Thank you. I think she was always there, but I couldn’t hear her.” Lana shook her head and gazed around the room. “Is this your ship?”

  Kylie nodded. “Not much, I know.”

  “It’s okay. It’s fine. Anywhere is better than where I was. Guess we’re on our way back to the SA now, huh? To see my dad.”

  “You’ll have some explaining to do, but he’ll be happy to see you.”

  “Sure, he will.” Lana’s tongue clicked firmly into place. “He’ll want to open me up. Get this stuff out of me just as much as the GFF did. I know my father.”

  “Lana…” Kylie said softly. “We all have issues with our fathers, trust me, but they do still love us. If there’s a way for the SA to get the nano out of you safely, I’m sure they’ll do it.”

  “You don’t know. You’re not me, so you just don’t know.” Lana lay down on the bed, rolled over to face the wall, and crossed her arms.

  Kylie thought to say something but then decided maybe Lana needed space, and she stepped out into the hall. When Grayson approached, he was almost bouncing with excitement.

  “Afraid I forgot your coffee. Why are you out here in the hall? Is Lana…”

  She held up her hand to stop his mad dash of questions and statements. “She’s fine. I think she wants to be alone. College girl ‘I need my space’ sort of alone.”

  “Ohhh…” Grayson said, and Kylie had a feeling he had no idea what she meant by that. “I’ll just drop off her food. Maybe you should get some rest.”

  Kylie shook her head. “I think rest is the last thing I can get right now.” She paced the hallway and waited for Grayson to rejoin her. When he did, they fell into a natural walking rhythm together, and the comfortable silence they shared said everything, and nothing, all at the same time.

  “Does her being awake and stable change anything for you?” Grayson asked tepidly. “If you’ve changed your mind about going to the SSF…”

  “It occurred to me, I admit, but just because she’s stable, doesn’t mean she’s okay. And now that I’ve talked to her…”

  Grayson smirked. “You care. The great Kylie Rhoads actually cares about someone.”

  “I care about a lot, Grayson. That’s not fair. Once upon a time…I still care.” She cared about the Dauntless, her crew, and in a passive sort of way she cared about what happened to Silstrand and Gedri. She cared about Lana and Grayson, too…it just made choices harder.

  Not easier.

  Kylie opened the door to her quarters. “If you want to come in for a minute…we haven’t really had a chance to talk.”

  Grayson’s eyebrow rose. “To talk? I think we’ve talked about a lot of things.”

  “We’ve needled and argued but we haven’t really talked.” Kylie took a deep breath and felt the reluctant truth she had been thinking about when not running for her life. “Not about that kiss, we haven’t.” Kylie stepped inside her quarters and Grayson followed behind. She sealed the door, and Grayson leaned up against the small table in her room.

  His hands shoved deep into his pockets. “It was out of line. I know that, but I wasn’t sure…wasn’t sure if I’d ever see you again.”

  “Better than the last time we said goodbye, I guess. More fun anyhow.” Kylie stepped up close to him and resisted putting her hands on his shoulders. “But I’m with Nadine. She’s being held against her will and now isn’t the time….”

  “It’s never been a good time, has it?”

  Kylie shook her head. Maybe once it had been. When she had been a bright, naïve cadet just earning her bars from the SSF. “I have to focus on rescuing Nadine.”

  Grayson swallowed hard. “I wasn’t trying to confuse your mission. I wasn’t trying to do much of anything, to be honest. I just…reacted without thinking.”

  Well, wasn’t that something? Who knew Grayson was capable of such snap decisions? “So, we’ll deliver Lana to the SSF and then your mission is done. You can get off the Dauntless. I won’t hold you to helping me rescue Nadine. Your part will be done and you’ll have what you wanted…your duty is to the SA.”

  “I stay on until the mission is done. Far as I’m concerned, that extends to rescuing Nadine just as much as Lana. She was lost, after all, during our mission. The one I was supposed to stay in charge of, and it went sideways. That means rescuing Nadine falls under my purview. And when we get to the SSF base at Freemont, that’s exactly what I’ll tell Samuel.”

  He was so different than he used to be. His words, his conviction, it almost knocked Kylie over. “Thank you,” she said quietly, humbly. “When I first saw you standing outside my cell, I said you hadn’t changed, but that’s not true. You’ve changed a lot, Gray.”

  Grayson grunted. “Maybe I grew up. Or maybe time apart from you taught me a thing
or two I had to learn.”

  “Like what?” Kylie asked, even though she knew she shouldn’t. Even though she should’ve kicked him out of her room before the heat intensified between them. But she couldn’t look away, and she couldn’t ask him to leave.

  “Sometimes people have to find their own way. Maybe they need to stumble and fall, and none of it can be helped. I couldn’t force you to do the things I wanted to do just because it’s what I wanted you to do. And the truth is…we don’t work.” Grayson said. “Everyone’s told me that from the very beginning. I thought they were wrong, but they weren’t.”

  His eyes didn’t seem to agree with what he said. Neither did his hand, as it stroked her hair away from her face and Kylie’s heart pounded in her chest. It was wrong. None of what they were doing was right.

  “Still,” Grayson said mournfully, “I never thought I’d see you again. And if I did, I never expected…to feel the way I do. That’s why I kissed you.”

  Grayson leaned in to kiss her again, his hands already on her waist, ready to take it to the next step.

  Kylie thought she’d let him, too. She thought she might even follow him into bed if he asked. Luckily for her, Marge barged in.

  Only Kylie heard it. She put her finger to Grayson’s lips to stop him and he scowled just a centimeter from her face.

 

  That wasn’t just a slight variation. That was huge.

  “What’s wrong?” Grayson asked.

  “We’re off course. We’re headed in the complete opposite direction.” Kylie went to the door, and when it didn’t open, she swiped her hand against the console.

  Nothing happened. Well, that wasn’t right. Kylie tried it again with the same result.

  “Doesn’t anything work on this ship?” Grayson asked.

  “Ha, ha,” Kylie said. “Marge, find out what’s going on.”