by Stone, Layla
Rannn’s voice penetrated his thoughts. “He used alloric metal. It’ll hold up against acid and radiation.”
“Sci connected with Karr’s mind?” Pax asked from the other side of the table.
“No, he connected with his second in command, Marcus. Karr was down in the city, and it was too far for Sci’s telepathy to reach. But he verified that Karr was pleased to have the people down there because he needed citizens to work in the community.”
“So, they’re being used as slaves again?” Yon didn’t like that, and Rannn better not either.
“No, they’re working. They get paid, and they live in one solid community. I made sure to get verification from Sci that it wasn’t a slave thing,” Rannn answered.
Pax reclined in his chair before adding, “I wonder if Karr would be pissed if we took a stroll down there.”
“Security is tight. You wouldn’t get down without being noticed,” Rannn said.
Yon had to admit that living in a private community would be good for the Flourgs. And the fact that they were security-protected was smart, too. But he hated the idea that they were on the worst planet in Federation space. They deserved better.
“I’m Kirca, I know how to be sneaky,” Pax joked.
Yon snorted. Adaamas Demons hated the Kirca. It was one of the many reasons Yon hadn’t originally liked Pax. Pax always acted like he was so damn special because he was from the origin planet. From Yon’s experiences, the Kircas were the biggest bastards on the planet.
The door opened, and Sands walked in.
Pax made a sound, almost like a groan. “I have a feeling this isn’t going to be good.”
Sands made a face at him. “Your mate not hugging you enough? It’s probably because you’re getting fat.”
Yon didn’t necessarily like Sands on principle. He wasn’t a Federation cyborg, so no one could verify his programming. But…he enjoyed watching him give Pax a hard time. Mostly because Pax did the same thing to him.
Pax responded. “It’s called muscle. But you wouldn’t know anything about that because you’re a metal bot wrapped in a flesh suit.”
Sands pointed at his chest. “This is what a body looks like when he actually uses his muscles all day instead of pumping a few bars of weights for an hour.”
Rannn called out, “Children, if you’re going to fight, take it out of my office.”
Sands looked at the Minky table. Yellow letters flitted across his irises, and then the table turned to another projection. In the middle was a diagram of the galaxies. “I’ve been looking through the pirate ship’s navigation charts. I’ve plotted their flight paths.” Instantly, there were several green squiggly lines and flight paths displayed between the galaxies.
Yon analyzed what he was looking at, noticing several lines that returned to the same three places. The map was so wide, he couldn’t identify where they stopped outside of Federation space. But he noticed something in those lines. “Looks like there’s something special in the Banton system.”
More yellow words moved across Sands’ eyes before the Minky projection changed again, focusing on the Banton system. Sands told him, “The ship’s records trace back to these three planets. None of them are documented.”
Rannn tapped on the screen, and several yellow lines appeared. Yon knew those lines because he used them for every flight. Rannn sounded just as perplexed as Yon felt, observing the oddities. “And, according to this, the ship does not fly Federation routes. Not even close. Which is unheard of because the routes are in place to keep people from running into random debris when flying faster than the speed of light.”
Yon rubbed the spot below his chin, wondering what kind of pilot didn’t fly Federation routes.
“Do you have a list of all the Federation planets where the ship landed?” Pax asked.
Sands’ eyes flickered yellow and a list and the dates they were there appeared on the side of the projection. Then the male said, “I’ve counted six hundred and forty-three stops in the past two hundred and fifty years that this ship has been in operation.”
Pax said, “Maybe we should send a scout team to the main three planets.”
“I agree,” Rannn said.
“Meet-up spot? Or something else, like a Numan lab?” Yon guessed.
“Why would a Numan have three labs?” Rannn asked. Yon didn’t know, but if it were him… “I personally always keep backups in case something happens.”
“You would.” Pax smiled.
Yon ignored that and wondered if they were looking at the data all wrong. Curiously, he asked, “Can you see if the ship stopped at the Allus planet? If you can check the timestamp, it might be the ship that picked up Yelena.”
Sands stood there, and his eyes looked as if they were crunching numbers. When the yellow was gone, he said, “It stopped there fifty-two years ago.”
Rannn held up his hand. “Ansel told me that it would have taken Veeda a while to make that many Flourgs. Two years sounds reasonable, right?”
Yon had no idea, but it sounded good. More importantly… “If this ship did go to Allus and was the ship that picked her up, then we are looking at a vessel that worked for Calum and Veeda. That data would be skewed between each of their interests.”
Rannn covered his mouth and stared at the map. After several moments, he dropped his hand. “I’m going to send Sci and Sasha out to scout the three planets.” Yon didn’t bother to hide his frustration.
“Your Cerebral may be useful, but he’s not Federation-trained. And neither is the Kooyan. If they find the labs, they won’t know what procedures to take? Pax or I should be with them.”
Rannn turned in his chair, his hands over his chest interlaced. “Ansel will go with them. He knows Federation rules and Numan tendencies.”
True. But that didn’t alleviate Yon’s desire to be on that ship to find the Numan who had taken so many lives. “Ansel doesn’t fight,” Yon challenged.
“Why would there be fighting on a scouting mission?” Pax asked.
“Anything can happen, and you know that,” Yon shot back.
“I know you’re itching to get back in the pilot seat. I also know that’s not your job anymore. Your responsibility is to this ship.”
No, what Rannn wanted was for Yon to take care of the mundane messages and complaints from the crew. “I didn’t ask for this job.”
Rannn smirked, but it wasn’t out of humor. He waved his hand at Sands, excusing him. The cyborg turned and left without a word.
Directing his disappointment in his direction, Rannn said, “No, but I gave it to you because you earned it. You were my best pilot, one of the best fighters, and I know I can depend on you to get the job done. That job is to keep this crew together and make them stronger. Because as you’ve noticed, we’re not in a battleship anymore. We’re not guarding the borders. We are in the largest ship in the Federation, going after the cruelest predators.”
“I know what we are up against, and I think I would be of better use as a pilot.”
Rannn sat up and pulled up Yon’s and Sasha’s records on the Minky table. Yon felt his jaw tighten as he read the results.
Pax whistled, and Yon restrained himself from getting up and knocking him out for being an irritating tarq.
Rannn continued. “Those scores make it pretty clear who the best pilot is. And that’s not you anymore. Sasha has outscored you in every training exercise.”
“She has no experience beyond training,” he contended.
“She has skills and experience. I’ve seen her handle herself in new situations and keep everyone on board safe. I suggest you find a way to deal with this because you and I both know you can’t stay top pilot forever.”
The emotions reared up, hot and fast. No one told him he couldn’t do something. All of his life he’d had to prove himself to every teacher who doubted him, every officer, every commander. Even his mother didn’t think he would amount to anything.
And now the captain was telling him
that his time had passed? No. Rannn was wrong. Yon was in his prime. “Those tests show she’s faster, good for her. But she lacks the skills I’ve honed. She has never been in a space fight, and she’s never had to fight hand-to-hand like me—and that was before we crash-landed. What is she going to do when she’s in trouble? Let her Cerebral husband fix it? What if he’s hurt, too? What then?”
Rannn cut the air with his hand. “You want to know who’s going to be there for her if she gets in a bind? We are. Because we’re on the same damn side. And we promised that we would never let anything happen to our crew like the last time. As my executive officer, your job is to take care of the ship and the crew. That means you have to talk to them and support them in what they need to get their jobs done. My job is to take care of everything outside the ship, such as the council admirals, the specialized missions, and everything else that can happen like being attacked.” Rannn sat forward. “I don’t need you to like it, but if you are still the honorable commander I know, then you will tell me right now if you can’t follow my lead.”
Rannn waited.
Yon let the moment linger before he responded. “You can snap at me for not liking my new position, but I also know that if you were promoted to admiral, you’d feel the same way I do right now.” He stood up and pushed the chair into place. “I know you weren’t trying to piss me off when you promoted me, so I don’t hold that against you. But I have enough honor to tell you the truth. And the truth is, I liked my job. I was good at it, and I didn’t want to leave.”
“But it was time you moved on,” Rannn said.
“You mean, move aside. Because you and I both know the admirals are never going to make me captain, not after being exiled from Yunkin.” Yon added, “You asked if I could follow you. I can. But you get to hear my opinion whenever you do something that I disagree with.”
One of Rannn’s white eyebrows rose. “Sounds like a quality I would expect in an executive officer. So I can see options and not just my own.”
Yon snorted, but he heard those words, and they slipped into his skin.
Did Rannn promote him because he earned it? Or because Rannn needed him to be at his side, dissecting the situation in the cold, calculating way he always did?
When neither spoke, Pax added, “I don’t always agree with you. I’d be a great high commander.”
“Shut it, Pax,” Rannn said without looking his way.
“Just saying.”
Yon was done. He left the office but shuffled all the new facts around in his brain. Part of him was still pissed at Yelena, the part that wondered about the outbreaks and if it was a feasible way to find Calum. Another part was coming up with several scenarios regarding what could happen on a scouting mission. And the last part of him wondered if Rannn had just given him the biggest compliment of his life.
Yon didn’t let others’ opinions affect him. But Rannn had done a good job right then. Begrudgingly, Yon also admitted that Yelena had given him a decent compliment the other night, too.
On the way to the elevator, his Minky pad pinged. He pulled the device out of his pocket and checked his messages. It was a courtesy copy of a room-request change. Selecting the report, Yon saw it had been created by Shady and signed off by Sands, who was the lead over in engineering.
Yon’s first thought was: probably for the best. His second thought: Shady is a bastard, too.
Yon exited from the message and put the Minky back into his pocket, then stepped into the elevator and selected level eight. He watched the doors close.
On level eight, he headed to his office. He activated his Minky screen and opened the long list of messages and requests.
The first one Yon read made him wish he was back with the pilots. Personnel issues weren’t exactly his area of expertise.
Commander Yon,
My name is Petty Officer Gensa, and I’m officially reporting a grievance for an incoming transfer. His name is Officer Spelee. Currently, I’m acting lead for the quantum units. Spelee has requested a transfer to the ship to be the lead. He and I worked together on a planet-side station on Yerg. He and I were in a relationship, but he cheated on me with another female in our division. We do not work well together, and it would be disastrous if you allowed him on this ship. He’s not trustworthy or a hard worker. With that said, I’m asking that his transfer be terminated.
Petty Officer Gensa
Yon ran his fingers through his long, white hair. One of his knuckles snagged on a knot. Pulling out his hand, he grabbed a nearby band and used it to pull back his thick mane. He used that time to mentally form a response. A second later, he tapped out his reply.
Petty Officer,
Get over it. Resolve your issues, or transfer to another ship. We are short-staffed and need to fill up the vacant positions. We can replace you in seconds.
Commander Yon
He hit transmit and moved the message into a file labeled Crew Complaints.
11
Cerebral’s Help
A sensor had gone out during the third shift. One that she didn’t work considering she was the only employee assigned to ecosystems. The alarm was beeping loud and fast when Yelena walked into her division. She powered on the Minky screen for the room and acknowledged the outage and read the report. Two stations had been flagged. Level seven had a heating and air unit that’d stopped working. Level five showed a reduction in airflow in an air vent.
Yelena sent the report to her Minky pad and opened up the small cage with the division tools. She used a hover holder to stack up all the tools she might need and then exited the division.
Seven hours later, she had finished the heating and air unit issue and was checking the clogged vent in the docking bay.
“I saw the room-change request.”
Yelena looked up to see Vivra standing over her. Yelena continued snaking the pipe, watching the airflow meter. “It’s nice. I still get a room to myself. I was also able to put both beds together so I have a bigger bed now.”
“Do you know who requested it?” Vivra asked.
“Shady did,” Yelena answered as she saw the meter jump. The clog, whatever it was, had been cleared. She touched the electronic snake and flipped the drill into reverse.
“Oh, so you know. Well, I can put in a waiver for you if you’d like?”
“No, it’s okay, I like my new bed.” The long metal snake retracted, and she saw that the ends had snagged a Federation jacket. She pulled it out and held it out to Vivra. “Should I turn this in to someone?”
“No…you should burn that.”
Yelena walked the jacket to the nearest ejection tube and shot it out. When she returned, she decided to tell Vivra about the illumia. “I have an appointment with Ansel today.”
“For what?”
“To check my illumia.”
Vivra’s eyebrows pulled together. “I have no idea what that is.”
Yelena cleaned up the mess, refastened the vent cover, and packed up her tools. “I’ll explain in my office. If you’re hungry, I still have a few bula pasta packages.” Vivra had been kind enough to share several packages of food when Yelena had first arrived. Yelena had a hard time getting the food down and was pleased when she was able to eat galley food or nutrient packages.
“Yelena, I’m always hungry for bula.”
Vivra followed her back to her office. Once they were settled, Yelena told Vivra about everything, starting with leaving the bar on Lotus Adaamas with Clalls, then being left by him and subsequently being rescued by Yon.”
“Wow,” Vivra admitted. “You had a busy night.”
Yelena confessed, “That wasn’t all that happened.” She recounted the back and forth between Yon and dock security, plus Ansel and his offer. She left out that Yon had escorted her back to the cabin to watch a training video with her.
Vivra asked, “Do you want me to stay in medical with you during the procedure?”
It was something Yelena hadn’t even thought about, nor would she
have thought to have someone watch her while she was being operated on. No, that was wrong. She would have expected Cami to be with her, but that was because they were so close.
Vivra added, “And I will have your back on whether you want your illumia back or not.”
Yelena felt her heart warm. So much so, it almost hurt. “Really?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you.” Once Vivra was finished eating, they left Yelena’s office. She had sent a message to Sands, letting him know she would be taking time out to see Ansel after she’d finished the two issues.
“But just because I’m interested, are you going to keep your illumia or not?”
“It wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Yeah, well, that’s obvious. But there are no rules prohibiting it. And it’s natural for you.”
“I know.”
The double doors spread wide when they stepped into the medical division. Yelena saw the captain talking to Ansel when they walked in. Seeing them engaged in a hushed conversation, Yelena tried to grab Vivra’s arm to turn them around. Vivra pulled her arm from her grasp and continued walking forward.
Ansel stopped talking when he saw Vivra. Captain Rannn turned, as well.
Vivra spoke. “Hello.”
Both males nodded in greeting.
A long, green-scaled arm moved in her direction, complete with a single finger pointing at her. “Yelena is here to get that thing back you promised her. But she’s scared, so I’m going to stay with her.”
Her stomach plummeted at the way the captain watched her. Instantly, her head fell forward, and she began to back up. “Um, no. I’m not…it’s okay. You’re busy. We don’t need to do—forget it.”
She spun around and got in two steps before Rannn called out. “Stop.”
She did.
“Turn around.”
She did.
“Eyes on me.”
That…was harder.
Rannn had piercing blue eyes and a harsh scar over his left eye. He had the same skin as Yon, but he didn’t emit the same warmness she felt around Yon. When their eyes met, it only lasted a few seconds. He told her, “I’ll stay, too.”
