by M. M. Perry
“Brian is he… are you okay?” Jeremy quickly interrupted, hoping Jamil wouldn’t probe any further.
“Yes. I mean, I am, I guess. Thanks for asking. But Brian went to counseling not long after your friend.”
“You know about Maria?” Jeremy asked, genuinely shocked.
Jamil froze, mouth agape, unsure what to say next.
“I… I do. I checked up on you when you transferred out of Family so suddenly. I was worried something happened. You’d been in a leisure unit your friend Todd reserved the night before you transferred. I talked to him. Jeremy, I’m truly sorry about that. It’s not something that should happen to anybody.”
“And I’m sorry for Brian. You holding up?”
Jamil looked uncomfortable as he spoke.
“I… I think I made peace a long time ago with the idea I’d lose Brian to counseling someday. A lot has happened since you lived with us all those years ago. We had some long-term unitmates before you transferred in. They got a little too close to one of the kids. Became possessive of him. Talked about him as if he was their child. We tried to tell them that wasn’t safe, but it all came to a head so fast. The teachers reported he was acting out, talking about things that hadn’t been taught in lessons. He was transferred to another Family unit. The couple didn’t take it well. Brian didn’t take it well when they were counseled. He’s been having trouble coping ever since, just barely keeping it together. I’d hoped he would get better when you two moved in. Very briefly he was. But then we got in a fight the morning after he mentioned the mission. He didn’t realize how close you and Naomi were until then. After he saw how you reacted to the mere thought of her going to the Tereshkova he screamed at me. Said he couldn’t watch another friend turn into a ghost again. I had to let him go.”
Jeremy was stunned. It was more than he’d expected Jamil to share by a longshot.
“You… Naomi isn’t dead, is she?”
Jeremy gripped the table, unable to hide his fear.
“Don’t draw attention, Jeremy. I’m not asking. There’s no way you’d be this functional if Naomi had died. It was plain to me when I saw you at the party last night. If I was going to report you to Command, I’d have done it already. I work for them. Not with them. Do you understand?” Jamil said quietly.
Jeremy’s eyebrows knit together.
“What’re you saying?”
“A while ago I noticed an aberrant transmission to the Tereshkova. It was an unscheduled call. I listened in and I heard Naomi. I didn’t know who she was at the time, but I checked on her while I listened. The conversation was innocuous. I saw she was an engineer working with the Tereshkova. She wasn’t a threat to anyone on the ship, but I went through and scrubbed every other log of her talks with the Tereshkova anyway. It wasn’t that she was doing anything wrong. In fact, that’s the problem. She was just making a friend. But, we’re not supposed to allow that. I knew what it meant if she was caught. I continued erasing her logs. It wasn’t until later I realized she was in a lot more hot water than she could even imagine.
“I found out my superiors wanted Naomi out of the picture well before she went to the Tereshkova. When Alphea said she wanted a second engineer on the team, Naomi was marked. Alphea has been a thorn in the side of Command for years. Normally, Alphea is cautious. She’s never favored anyone before and put them in Command’s spotlight.”
Jamil paused and locked eyes with Jeremy, his voice sincere.
“I never told them she’d been transferred to my unit. Alphea covered up as much about Naomi as she could before she brought her onto the team. Including her recent transfer. When I looked up Naomi she was listed as rooming with three people I’d never heard of. When they found out after Brian’s outburst that she was in my unit, they were furious I hadn’t told them. I played dumb. Told them they hadn’t kept me in the loop, which they hadn’t. Though I’d done some snooping, so I knew more than they thought.
“But I had to tell them what Brian said that morning in Family, even though I knew what that would mean for Brian. There was just no way it wasn’t going to get back to them. And I know you might not trust me because I did that, but know that I kept how important you were to her from them. Giving them Brian was proof I was a good, obedient soldier. They’re including me in their plans now, in case I might remember anything else that might be of use.”
“Why would you tell me all this?” Jeremy asked. “Why protect Naomi? You didn’t even know her.”
Jamil leaned back in his chair, looking around the emptying cafeteria.
“I’ve been spying on the other ships in the fleet ever since I left lessons. I’ve seen logs, if they can be believed, that both terrify and amaze me. One thing I picked up - our way isn’t the only way, and it’s certainly not the best way. Our conformity might be the highest, but what we’ve sacrificed to get there… The first time I saw somebody counseled I was nineteen. Ever since that day I’ve been taking every opportunity I can to undermine them. I want to take these people down. But I’m just one person. I can’t do much alone. I’m hoping the fact that you’ve managed to hide Naomi away means something is about to happen. I want to help.”
Jeremy sat quietly, uncertain of what to do. It all seemed too convenient. He knew Alphea would certainly think so.
“I can tell you’re not sure about me. I might be lying. That’s good. You should be cautious,” Jamil said. “Tell you what, you go to Alphea and tell her I told you I deleted those logs between Naomi and Carrie. I hope that’s enough to convince her to let me help.”
“Okay,” Jeremy said finally. “How can I contact you when we need help?”
Naomi waited with her hands folded in her lap, making furtive eye contact with the three soldiers sharing the table with her, waiting for a fourth to show up. Mike was making tea in an electric kettle. The soldiers would occasionally look Naomi over with curiosity, but they were disciplined and wouldn’t ask any questions until Mike was ready. Naomi remembered these soldiers’ names because they were odd: Mack, Cheese and Lamby. Naomi couldn’t figure out for the life of her why they’d been given those nicknames.
Mack was short, for a soldier, small of build as well. His short, curly, brown hair framed his light blue eyes. Cheese, on the other hand, was huge. He looked a lot like a soldier she had seen earlier that day named Cannonball. His brown skin and dark hair were offset by the large smile he flashed at her when he first met her. That was the main difference between Cheese and Cannonball; where Cheese was cheerful, Cannonball was angry. Lamby was large, too, but his bald head and bushy mustache guaranteed he stood out. Naomi was having trouble keeping from staring at his shiny head.
A solid knock rattled the door.
“Enter,” Mike called out.
A tall, black woman came into the room. She had a muscular build and was quite pretty. She was taller than all the men in the room.
“Sticks,” Mike said, gesturing for her to sit.
She, at least, Naomi thought, has a nickname that fits.
Sticks noticed Naomi and frowned.
“We’re working with a civilian on this mission?” she asked irritably.
“Not just one,” Mike said, “all of them.”
Naomi readied herself for the next part. The day had been long and exhausting already. She just wanted to curl up and go to sleep, but she knew that wasn’t possible, so she straightened her back and got ready to do what needed to be done.
She listened as Mike gave them the same impassioned speech she’d heard a half-dozen times already.
“I know you’re all wondering why you’re here. I know you all have your suspicions. Ever since the day Command spaced those kids, we’ve all had to quash the rumblings of a rebellion. Maybe because we worried for our charges. Maybe because we didn’t think the time was right. Maybe because we thought Command must know what it was doing. We’re good, obedient soldiers, and sometimes that comes back to bite us in the ass.”
Mike paused to meet each person’s eye
s around the table.
“I don’t think I’m the only one who was issued orders to carry out a mission that made me sick to my stomach, that made me unable to sleep for weeks. I know I’m not the only one who was also ordered to keep it secret.”
The commanders at the table each looked away, unable to meet Mike’s eyes, confirming his suggestion.
“I thought so. I brought you here to tell you, I can’t do it anymore. It’s time to stop being ashamed of the work we do.”
“I’m with you, Eagle Eye. I’ve been ready for a while now,” Cheese said.
Mike waited for the others to speak up. He’d expected one dissenter. There was always one. But when Sticks crossed her arms defensively and Mack’s jaw clenched in silence, he realized he might need to pull out all the stops to convince the other three. He placed his hand on Naomi’s shoulder, tagging her in.
Naomi took a deep breath. She recounted the morning with Maria, explaining what it was like to discover someone you loved had been counseled. As she finished, she wiped her eyes, emotionally drained from telling the story so often. Her hands shook with weariness.
The commanders were quietly respectful, making it difficult for Naomi to gauge how close to joining them they were.
“Tell me, civilian,” Sticks said. “If we tear down Command, and don’t get me wrong, I believe you. What they’ve done is indeed atrocious, but if we get rid of them, what would you replace them with? What kind of governing body do you envision should guide us to Mission’s End?”
Mike gave Naomi a sympathetic expression, knowing she wasn’t expecting to be questioned so soon after spilling her heart. She stifled the desire to defer to Mike, knowing that would look bad. For better or worse, Naomi knew she was being made the voice of their rebellion.
“I would want to be led by people who wouldn’t allow people who did harm to go unpunished, who would help us reach our full potential as we approach Mission’s End. And could trust us with our feelings. Leaders who wouldn’t punish us pre-emptively for crimes we never even imagined committing. Leaders who would allow us to live our lives as we wanted so long as it harmed nobody. That’s all I’d want.”
Stick’s eyes bored into Naomi as if they were capable of sussing out any shred of deceit. Satisfied, she turned to Mike.
“You don’t need to make this poor girl go over her story again, Mike. My squads will follow me. They’ll understand when I say it must be done. That’s eighteen more men and women on your side. You don’t need to call anyone else in to hear your horror stories.”
“You’ve got my twelve as well,” Lamby said.
“You already had my twelve,” Cheese said.
Mack looked at the table as he mentally tallied his men’s loyalties.
“I’ll give you what I can. I’ve got twenty-eight under me, but it’s a large group, Mike. Half of them would jump at the opportunity. But the other half…” Mack looked embarrassed. “A lot of my guys were friendly with Casings. They took the news that he turned on you hard. Word is you’re lying about it. I know that’s bullshit. I never liked Casings. I told you as much. Part of the reason we were never particularly close… still, I’m sorry you had to find out that way.”
“Thank you, Mack.”
Mack nodded.
“I’ll tell the ones I know are fed up with Command. I think I can bring fourteen to your cause. Hopefully it’ll be enough.”
“Thank you,” Mike said. “All of you. I’ll try to keep you updated, but everything will probably happen fast. When the moment comes, you’ll know.”
They broke up and left separately, spreading their departures out. Mike closed his door behind the last of them and leaned on it wearily.
“Book thinks that should be enough. That the rest will come over with the influential commanders we’ve got on our side. I think that’s the last time you have to tell that story.”
Naomi took a deep breath.
“I could go back to the module bay tonight during lights out, if you think that would be better,” Naomi said, relieved her part of the coup was done.
“You miss Jeremy,” he said, letting his head rest against the door’s cool steel as he let the day’s exhaustion drain from him.
“Yes. But that isn’t what I meant. I thought you might like some distance. The intensity of the situation might make things confusing for you. How you feel about me. It’s why I haven’t offered you comfort. You’re struggling. I didn’t want to make that worse. I want you to be sure what you want.”
“Appreciate it,” Mike said. “I wish I had an answer. At least I think I wish it. A lot’s going on. I’ve never… it’s not a situation I’m familiar with enough to know I could handle it. Or maybe I’d be totally fine with it. I just don’t know if now is the time for me to explore the boundaries of what I might find I’d enjoy.”
“I’ll be your friend no matter what you decide. I’m ready to go down either path. I understand that for you it’s different. I’ll wait until you’re ready to explore, if that’s what you’d like.”
“I might,” Mike said, “but…”
He hesitated, thinking about what he wanted to say and drawing a blank. He decided to start fresh.
“I’m very career driven. I’ve never stopped to spend a lot of time thinking about being with a woman as more than some fun in a bunk. And even then, that’s rare for me. There just isn’t time. But somehow I find myself making time for you, and I know that means something. I just don’t know if it means something because of everything that’s going on. And if it’s deeper than that, I don’t want to mess it up.”
“Then when you think it’s safe,” Naomi said, “I’ll sneak back to the module bay with Chef.”
“I’ll send her a message now,” Mike said.
He pushed away from the door and took a seat at his workstation, beginning to type a message. He could see in the glossy reflection of the screen that Naomi had stretched out in the bed to rest.
“Naomi?” he asked without looking away from the screen.
“Yes?”
“There’s nothing more I’d like to do right now than give you comfort as well. Help you feel better about everything, after today. Whatever that might entail. I just wanted you to know, I do want to. I don’t want you to think…”
Mike’s finger hovered over the send button on the screen.
“I know, Mike.”
He hit send. As Mike proceeded to review the rest of the day’s logs, Naomi napped.
Chef peered around a corner to see if the coast was clear.
“You done good, Patches. Almost back to your safe, little hidey hole, just in time for tomorrow’s attack.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” Chef said, pulling Naomi along by her hand. “Looks that way. Book’s caught some com chatter. Command’s noticed all the people visiting Mike’s room. It’s good, though. I think we’re ready. Well, almost.”
“Almost?” Naomi asked as they approached the darkened area just ahead of the module bay.
“Book thinks we could use proof that power has never changed hands on the ship. That the same people who decided to space those kids are still in Command. He thinks that would bring the rest of the military over. Most of them anyway.”
Two members of the Tereshkova military appeared in front of the module bay, guns drawn.
“Chef. And Naomi. Just returning her,” Chef said tersely as the men looked them over.
When the soldiers waved them through, Chef squeezed Naomi’s hand.
“I’ll leave you here. I gotta get back before they notice I’m not in my bunk. At this point any infraction will be dealt with more harshly than usual, seeing as they must know I’m part of whatever Mike’s planning. Oh, one more thing.”
Chef fished into her pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper.
“In case things get crazy. If any of these soldiers come to you, any of them say they’re with us and that you’re safe with them, don’t believe it. Kitch is positive these
guys are loyal to Command,” she said.
“Why would anyone come for me? In the middle of a battle for the ship?”
Chef looked uncomfortable.
“It might have been mentioned in some of the chatter that they think what turned the boss was a strong emotional response to a certain woman who died on the Tereshkova. That he might be trying to take revenge on those who caused her death. If they find out you’re alive, I’d be willing to put money on them thinking they could use you to hurt him. Maybe get us to surrender.”
“He’s a soldier, the ship is…”
Chef held up her hand.
“Don’t do that, Patches. You’re smart. I’m smart. Come on.”
Naomi clutched the piece of paper and nodded.
“Good. Stay safe. If I do make it through all this in one piece, it’s going to be hard not to get too bored on this ship. We’re going to have to discover new trouble to get into together.”
Chef darted back down the hall. Naomi waited until Chef disappeared around the corner to enter the module bay. The lights were set low - just a few glowing strips led to the central area where the conference table was set up. She heard the occasional snore, letting her know the refugees from the Tereshkova were asleep. Naomi had no idea where to go or who to ask about her sleeping arrangements.
She followed the glowing strips which led her to the conference table. Four people huddled over a screen at the far end of the table, and she could dimly make out a tall figure at the near end, leaning on his elbow.
“Jeremy?” she whispered.
Jeremy glanced up languidly. When he realized it was Naomi calling to him he bolted out of his chair and rushed to her.
“Naomi,” he said, “why are you back? Is something wrong?”
“It’s fine. Kind of. We got a lot of soldiers on our side. But, I think our cover is blown.”
“Yeah. That’s what they’ve been saying,” he whispered, leading her to the other end of the table where the group considering the screen was mumbling.
As she got closer, Naomi made out Alphea, Alsophea, Bullseye and Cadmus.
