by John Walker
“Hopefully on the ground,” Dennis replied. He set course back for the ship, glad to be heading home. He’d had enough excitement for one trip … or even a lifetime if he was to be honest. The rest of the ship likely agreed. Time to get back and find out.
Epilogue
Damage to the Gnosis was minor and they were able to put some temporary repairs in place to make the trip back. Desmond met with Chief Webber about the hyperdrive and found that Brexan had performed a proper and solid upgrade to their system. Thayne and Harper both looked it over and approved.
I guess they thought they’d be adding our ship to their fleet so why not?
The prisoner was sequestered from others at Dulain’s insistence. He wanted Pahxin intelligence to be involved in the interrogation process back on Earth. Until then, they simply made sure he was safe and secure, especially since some of the civilians on board wanted a go at him.
He hadn’t made any friends when he rushed out of the research lab.
Cassie, Heat and Gil proved to be fine but none of them had much of a chance to talk before they grabbed Zach and Salina, disappearing into one of the tech labs. There, they used the star charts to identify where the other Orbs were. Intelligence would have to gather more data about those areas though they believed the Pahxin would likely already know.
Once they returned home, they’d share the information and make a plan as to how to retrieve them.
The Pahxin escorts sent half their number ahead to secure Sol while the others remained behind for the Gnosis to finish their repairs. The Stalwart would be the last ship out of the system to ensure everyone got out okay. Desmond appreciated Ulian’s style and felt as if they had a great deal in common.
His experience outweighs mine but we approach this from a similar place.
After they identified the location of two of the Orbs, Gil and Thayne were able to state why the two held by the Tol’An didn’t show up. Each device had the capacity to go dark, essentially hiding from the others. They couldn’t explain why they had such a function but it made sense.
Unfortunately, that meant they couldn’t assault the main headquarters of the terrorists right away but Harper offered a theory that four of the Orbs together may be enough to identify the last two regardless of if they were defying search. This made retrieving the final ones all the more important.
Earth and Pahxin authorities would make them a top priority.
A course was set for Earth and this time, the optimization suggested they would be there in less than ten hours. It staggered Desmond that the calculations were so much better, that they had the capacity for such efficiency the whole time but hadn’t tapped into it. They would need to speak to their allies about any other adjustments which could be made.
Especially considering time was of the essence.
Desmond arrived on the bridge, waiting for all stations to report ready for hyperspace. They would be home soon and when they arrived, their next mission would likely already be planned. He figured the next time out would be far more eventful, which was saying a lot when he thought about all they faced on what should’ve been a boring flight.
Space proved to be far more of an adventure than even he anticipated when he first signed up to command the Gnosis. He wondered how much different things would be when they defeated the Tol’An and were able to get to the whole point of the ship in the first place: exploration.
Would it be boring by comparison? Something told him it would never be slow. There would always be challenges but hopefully, they wouldn’t be trying to shoot him. That much he could trade in and never look back.
***
Heat met with Captain Gabriel after he finished being interrogated by the scientists about the device that would let them interface with the Orb. He thought he might’ve gotten a pass when he woke up but instead, they immediately took him in to identify star systems and work on drawing up schematics.
Then the captain called him into his office and he figured he’d have even more to do.
“Sir.” Heat snapped off a clean salute but his body wanted nothing more than to relax. He felt exhausted from his time in the Orb. Emotional fatigue fell over him from the strange memory he relived and once again, he missed his friend. The opportunity to work with him again, even in a dream, was bittersweet.
“Have a seat, Gunny.” Gabriel gestured and waited for him to sit down. “I’ve read the report from Agent Alexander and Doctor Vaedra. Sounds like you three had quite the experience in there. I wanted to ask you point-blank and in person if you’re okay. How do you feel about the events you experienced?”
Heat thought about his answer for several moments before letting out a sigh. “I think it was a cruel joke that I was picked for it. Doesn’t make a lot of sense to me beyond the whole genetic disposition nonsense. Still got the work done, I guess but … I don’t know. There had to be other people on the ship capable of doing it.”
“Yes, I’ve been wondering why it picked you specifically. Hell, it could’ve ignored the people those scientists wanted in there, but it didn’t.” Gabriel hummed. “Well, I suppose if you’re okay, then it doesn’t really matter. Good job in there. I know you weren’t awake for it, but I’m sorry I busted your chops.”
“Sir?” Heat tilted his head.
“I was shocked you hadn’t finished vetting those people and went in to give you a piece of my mind. That’s when I found you unconscious.”
“Happened when they engaged the experiment,” Heat replied. “Knocked me right out. I thought I was having a damn stroke or something.”
“I notice you mention that your dream was that mission to retrieve data from those terrorists,” Gabriel said. “Pretty hush hush affair all around. I’m glad you didn’t mention specific locations. High command probably would’ve been unhappy. I wasn’t aware that Sergeant Gorman went on that mission with you.”
Heat nodded. “He and I were part of a team since I was a corporal when he first joined up. We’d been friends ever since and I … to be honest, I pulled strings to keep us in the same unit. We worked well together and didn’t want to break up the band. God’s honest truth is he didn’t even think about joining the Gnosis, but I pushed him.”
“Yeah?”
“It came with a promotion for both of us and a pay increase as well. Besides, it sounded like we were going to be explorers. I kind of thought we could both do with a break from constant ops. We were out in the field nearly every other week, you know? I couldn’t remember the last time I took leave.”
“We all guessed wrong about the Gnosis project.” Gabriel sighed. “I know we already talked about Gorman before but I’d like to say it again. He was a great soldier, a good man and I liked him. When we get back to Earth, you are more than welcome to take some time if you need it. I can arrange to get you off this ship for the next mission.”
“No way.” Heat shook his head. “I’m ready to do this. There’s no chance I’m going to walk away when we’re so close to putting it all to bed. Gorman would scoff at me if he were around to hear I needed to some leave over his death. Believe me, we were more about getting the job done than most of our comrades.”
“If you’re sure, then I won’t stand in the way.” Gabriel extended his hand. “I’m glad to have you on the team, Geoff. You’re a damn fine soldier.”
“Thank you, sir.” Heat shook his hand. “Um … sir? Permission to speak freely?”
“Go for it.”
“I’d really like to get some sleep before we get home,” Heat said. “Would you mind if I took myself off roster until then?”
Gabriel chuckled. “Consider it done, son. I’ll take care of the forms myself. Get out of here now. I think we’ve all taken up enough of your time.”
Heat headed out and went to his room, collapsing on the bed. He was grateful to have such an understanding CO, a man who got it far better than most people of his stature. Gabriel had been honed in combat though. He wasn’t the typical academy officer. That made
him easy to follow.
And a man I can definitely respect. Heat drew a deep breath and looked forward to some genuine sleep. Okay brain, no crazy dreams. I’ve had enough of those to last me quite a while. In fact, a trip to the Caribbean would be nice. A little sunshine … a couple girls … some drinking … God, I do need a vacation. When this is done … I’ll take one.
***
Cassie checked on Christina who had been admitted to the medical bay. She’d been cut during her fight with Brexan but apparently the wounds were mostly superficial. After chasing the guy down, the brawl in the elevator must’ve been intense but she came out on top. She proved to be quite the scrapper.
Christina sat on the bed, peering at her tablet. They let her change into casual clothes, a black blouse and a loose-fitting pair of jeans. She looked up as Cassie approached and smiled, looking tired. “Welcome to the invalid club, Agent Alexander. We’re all down here recovering from bumps, scrapes, cuts and a few more nasty injuries. How’re you?”
“I’m doing well,” Cassie replied. “I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable and didn’t need anything.”
“Maybe you can restrict Dulain from visiting me again?” Christina winked. “He’s been down here every half hour making sure I’m okay. It’s getting a little annoying.”
Cassie chuckled. “I didn’t know he cared so much.”
“I don’t know what his deal is.” Christina shrugged, earning herself a wince. “Ouch. That bastard got me on the shoulder with his little knife. It stings like a bitch. I guess they trained him pretty well. Thank God, I happened to be better. That elevator could’ve been a scary way to end it all.”
“I bet.” Cassie smiled. “If you need anything, reach out through the com. I’ll bring it to you right away, okay?”
“Thanks.” Christina narrowed her eyes. “Hey, are you and Commander Bowman an item?”
“What?” Cassie’s eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. “Why … Why would you ask?”
“I’ve heard some things.” Christina’s grin widened. “Have you two … you know …”
“I don’t know … and I don’t think so.” Cassie cleared her throat. “I really should go, Agent Dawson.”
“Ooh, we’re going to use formal address, huh? Is that what gets you guys moving?”
“Lord, you’re incorrigible! I’m out.”
“See you later, Cassie! Thanks for stopping by!”
Cassie headed for the bridge but paused halfway down the hall. She wasn’t on any duty roster and any work she needed to accomplish was already done. Technically, she could relax during their trip home, a concept that dramatically appealed to her after the ordeal she’d been through with the Orb.
Checking her tablet, she noted that Vincent happened to be off for another two hours. She went to his quarters and knocked on the door, clasping her hands behind her back. Movement from within made her smile. She couldn’t wait to see him in private. Alone time didn’t exist for the first couple hours after she woke up from the Orb.
Attempting the experiment terrified her. When it worked, the sheer disassociation from the present added a new layer to fear. After they got through their respective security dream, things leveled out and she felt confident they finally knew what they were doing but getting there represented the greatest stress of her life.
The door opened and Vincent’s face lit up. He stepped forward and drew her into a hug and she melted into him, enjoying the embrace. Her body ached, her mind felt heavy with fatigue but in that moment, relaxing into a moment of affection, she realized she’d found the one thing she needed to conclude the assignment.
A little human interaction, the simplicity of such a basic human desire, fulfilled her. The job gave her purpose, the assignments they tackled challenged her but this, holding Vincent and knowing he was there for her, made all the other activities worth it. As they drew back and he let her into the room, she looked forward to a little quiet time with him.
After all, they’d likely be thrown right back into action again. They needed to take advantage of any downtime that came along.
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