He walked up to her calmly. She had obviously taken a blow to the side of her face and her cheek and eye were already starting to swell.
She seemed to not even notice he was there. He carefully stepped into her field of vision and looked into her frantic eyes. He held her gaze until he saw that she started to register his presence. He just nodded at her and said, “It’s ok. It’s over.”
CHAPTER 42
The Hermes brig consisted of a row of jail cells with honeycomb shaped graphene bars. Jon didn’t have much reason to visit it before now, other than routine inspection of the ship. He studied the room intently, looking for vulnerabilities. Anything that could help Tallos escape.
It didn’t look promising for the Diakan. The brig was well designed. The graphene bars were unbreakable, and he knew the walls of each cell were reinforced. Marines stood guard at the entrance and two more were stationed inside.
The room itself was monitored by a security AI which also kept track of all the Diakans’ movements and vital signs. Any change in their body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, or anything else would trigger an immediate response. There would be no breaking out by force.
And to think that Tallos intended to put Jon in here. Even with his abilities, Jon knew there was no chance of escape. The Diakans would have had him and Kevin in here and that would have been the end of it. They would have been prisoners on their own ship, with the Diakans running the show.
He also knew that no one would’ve stood up for him back home either. The Diakans would have made sure of that. The human puppets at Space Force would do as they were told, handing Jon over to the Diakans, never to be seen again.
But it didn’t end up that way.
Humans one. Diakans zero. His hardened features relaxed and a smile formed on his scarred face. This was a new game now, with new rules.
He stared at Tallos who looked back from inside of his cell. Aliens had been making the rules for centuries. First the Juttari and then the Diakans. He wondered if Tallos realized just how much things had changed.
“You have made a tragic mistake, Captain. You and your crew will be charged with mutiny the moment you return to Sol. I will ensure you and your officers are executed for your actions.”
“Be careful Tallos. If my symbiont gets its way, it will have you all executed.”
“Diakus will not stand for this, Captain. You have sealed your fate. Regardless of what you do to us, you and your crew are now fugitives.”
Tallos was right. Now that they had killed Diakans, and imprisoned the rest, Diakus would never allow Jon or any of his crew to walk free. They would demand the death penalty and those boot lickers in the government would do nothing to prevent them from getting their pound of flesh.
That really was the sickest of all sick things. Their own people would side with the Diakans against them. No, returning to Sol was not an option. What were their options?
“This is not Diakus. Diakus has no power here. And neither does Sol. You know something Tallos? You’ve convinced me. Neither Diakus nor Sol will stand for us, so we will stand for ourselves. You’re right, we are fugitives now.”
“If you release me and relinquish command of the Hermes, I will argue for leniency, Captain. You have my word.”
He considered recent events. If not for Commander Wolfe’s actions he would likely be in that brig right now instead of Tallos. And after all that had happened, he didn’t think Tallos would take it easy on him once he had control of the ship.
“I don’t give a shit about your word, Tallos. You’re staying right where you are. And the Hermes isn’t returning to Sol. I suggest you get comfortable, because you’re not going anywhere for a long time.”
Tallos didn’t say a word. Jon could swear that he saw a hint of fear in that expressionless face of his. Fear of the unknown, perhaps.
Diakans were not used to this sort of thing. They weren’t used to not being in control. They weren’t used to uncalculated actions. Certainly, they weren’t used to humans besting them. Like it or not, he was coming along for the ride.
They were going on a ride. Of that he had no doubt. He knew that their only option was to push ahead.
They had burned the boats. There would be no returning to Sol now. Not so long as Diakus was in control, and he knew that wasn’t changing anytime soon.
They were fugitives now. Surprisingly, he liked the idea. For the first time in his life he felt free. Where others would feel doomed, for him it was like heavy shackles had been removed. Like he could finally breathe. The Kemmar called the Reiver system lawless. How fitting.
He sensed contentment coming from the creature as well. He realized that it felt just as trapped as he did. Now they were both free of their masters.
They would just have to figure out how to get along with each other. He didn’t know if that could happen, but today was a day of new beginnings, so why not there as well. He felt the creature’s agreement. If they both gave it a shot it just might work out.
He turned and headed for the exit. He had wasted enough time on Tallos. Approaching the exit the Marine on duty saluted and opened the door for him.
Walking out of the brig he smiled again. He remembered the stories he heard as a child of his father’s and grandfather’s exploits. They were fugitives too. He was in good company.
CHAPTER 43
“This will help heal your injuries,” the Doctor said, approaching Breeah with a syringe.
“What is it?” Breeah asked, jerking her arm backward, still tense and adversarial from her battle with the Diakan.
The Doctor gave her an understanding look. “Microscopic biobots. They will help repair your injuries. You have torn ligaments in your knee, a fractured jaw and cheekbone. It’s a wonder you were able to keep fighting.”
The Doctor’s words reminded her of the pain in her knee and face. She could feel the severity of her injuries and let Ellerbeck administer the syringe.
“I felt nothing during the fight. All I cared about was saving Anki. Nothing else mattered.” She could barely open her mouth to speak. The fractures restricted her jaw’s movement and there was a searing pain that accompanied each word as she spoke.
“You succeeded. Anki didn’t suffer any injuries.”
Breeah looked over at her daughter who had fallen asleep on one of the beds. She lay on her back with her arms stretched out above her head. To look at her you would think nothing had happened. Her face the picture of serenity. Hopefully, she wouldn’t wake up anytime soon. The poor thing needed the rest.
“What happens now, Doctor?”
“What do you mean?”
“You have told me that the Diakans are human allies. That they liberated Earth. Yet they turned against the Captain and tried to seize the ship. Now some are dead and others imprisoned. What will happen now?”
Ellerbeck frowned. “I’m afraid I don’t know, Breeah. Only the Captain can answer that question.”
What would be the Captain’s answer? She had caused a lot of trouble for him. If the Captain never found her and Anki, he would not have tried to fight the Kemmar, and the Diakans would not have tried to take over the ship.
They had used her and Anki as leverage against him. This had exposed a vulnerability. Would he be comfortable with her and Anki around now? What of his officers? How did they feel? The Captain’s weakness was their weakness. Would they be as tolerant?
And yet, a part of her hoped they were his weakness. The feeling was more than her just wanting a future on this ship. Secretly she hoped for a future with the Captain. She knew he felt something for her. It was there every time he looked at her. He obviously cared for her daughter. He had lost his wife, and she her husband. Why not start anew?
A sharp pain knifed through her jaw, much worse than anything she felt until now, and her hand instinctively came up and gripped the side of her face. Her eyes clenched tight and nausea swept through her.
“What you’re feeling is the biobots going to wo
rk. They have traveled through your blood stream and reached your facial injuries. They are now beginning to repair them.” Ellerbeck produced another syringe. “This will help you sleep. The biobots can create a fair bit of pain, especially at the start. And you need some rest.” The Doctor injected Breeah and coaxed her to lie down.
Her head sunk into the pillow and drowsiness immediately set in. Looking up at the Doctor with heavy eyes she said, “I am afraid that neither of us can go home now.” Her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.
CHAPTER 44
Standing in front of the entrance to the Captain’s ready room, Commander Wolfe took a deep breath. She felt like roots had grown out of the soles of her feet, planting her firmly in place.
She knew the eyes of the bridge crew were on her. They had witnessed everything. Her actions against Tallos. Her disobeying a direct order from the Captain. All of it.
Now they knew it was time to answer for her actions. Hesitating now wouldn’t look good, so she pushed herself to get it over with.
The doors slid open and she walked in. The Captain was working on something and stared at his display, not acknowledging her. She walked up to his desk, stood at attention, and waited.
The Captain didn’t look up. Didn’t let her off the hook. So she stood, back rigid, eyes forward.
Seconds passed, then minutes, and still nothing. Soon she began to lose track of time entirely. She couldn’t remember the last time she had to stand at attention this long. Perhaps it was boot camp. How long ago was that?
She remembered one particularly hellish experience during their orbital training. She and the other officer candidates were ordered to stand at attention and not move a muscle no matter what happened.
Then they turned off the gravity.
She and all the other candidates floated around, bumping into each other. Then they hit the bulkheads. There was equipment in there with them and it struck them as well. Still they had to stay ramrod straight, eyes forward, unflinching.
Most couldn’t do it. At least not the first time out. But she made it. She was determined. Dedicated. Nothing was going to stand in her way, especially not a few bumps and bruises.
Standing at attention was almost like meditation for her. Rather than fight it and focus on all the things that made it difficult, she tried instead to find her center.
She let the little things go and focused on her breathing. Inhale. Exhale. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. She imagined arrows sailing down into her diaphragm, gently filling it like a balloon, and then leaving, rising back up through her airways and escaping.
Still nothing. How much time had passed? It had to be at least a half hour now and still the Captain hadn’t even looked at her.
He was good. It had to require a considerable amount of effort to ignore her so perfectly. She wondered what else was in store for her. This had to be a prelude to something worse. A warm up exercise. Things didn’t look good.
Why should they? She disobeyed a direct order. She didn’t think he would throw her in the brig with the Diakans, otherwise he would have done it already. No, her punishment wouldn’t be that harsh.
He could demote her. That was entirely possible. She could lose her position as XO. Surely he couldn’t trust her anymore. How could he? Could she trust someone who disobeyed her orders?
No.
So that was it. Demotion. Who would become the new XO then? Maybe Chief St. Clair. Yes, it had to be St. Clair. They were friends after all. The Chief wouldn’t disobey his orders. The Captain could trust him.
But what would happen to her? Which post would he assign her to? And what of the person already at that post?
After about an hour the Captain spoke. “Why haven’t you moved, Commander?” he asked, still not looking up from his display.
He still called her Commander. That was a good sign. “It is my duty to stand at attention, until you tell me otherwise, Sir.”
“You’ve been standing there for over an hour. Don’t you have work to do?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Then why are you standing there? Surely you could be doing something more productive.”
She still looked straight ahead, but could tell that he was looking up at her now.
“I have not been dismissed, Sir.”
“Does that make any sense?”
“It is not for me to say, Sir.”
“But it was for you to say earlier, when you disobeyed my direct orders.”
“With all due respect, Sir, I am not obligated to follow your orders if those orders are given under duress.”
“But Tallos had an official command chip. You didn’t just disobey me, you disobeyed Space Force Command.”
“Tallos’s actions were illegal. The mission had not been compromised and the command chip certainly did not give him authority to take hostages.”
“Was that your decision to make?”
“Yes, Sir, I believe it was.”
“At ease Commander.”
She relaxed and looked at the Captain for the first time since she walked in. To her surprise he was smiling at her. She didn’t remember seeing the Captain smile before. This day just kept getting stranger.
“Tell me, Commander, did you aspire to becoming a fugitive?”
“I beg your pardon, Sir?”
“A fugitive. You know, a criminal. Did you aspire to becoming one?”
“No, Sir.”
“No, I wouldn’t think so. You might as well get used to the idea, though, because that is what you are now. That is what we all are.”
“I’m sorry, Sir, I don’t understand. The only fugitives on board are the Diakans. They’re the ones who acted illegally.”
“Don’t be naive, Commander. Do you honestly think that Space Force will stand up to Diakus to save our asses? Had you allowed them to take me into custody it would be only my head on the chopping block. But now… now all our asses are on the line.”
The Captain’s words hit her like an avalanche. She hadn’t considered the politics of the situation, but she knew he was right.
Diakans were killed. The rest imprisoned. By humans. They couldn’t let something like that go. They wouldn’t turn on their own. How would it look to the other members of the Galactic Accord?
It didn’t matter who was right. If they went back to Sol they would all be brought up on charges and convicted of treason. They would all be executed.
What had she done? Her career with Space Force meant everything to her, and now, with one decision, she had destroyed it all.
Her thoughts seemed to float in front of her, unanchored and unreal. It was all adrift now. Everything cut loose. They were alone in the blackness, with nothing to ground them.
“Why don’t you sit down, Commander.”
The Captain must have noticed her uneasiness. She dropped into one of the chairs still trying to come to terms with her new situation.
“I know this is going to be difficult, especially for a career officer like yourself, but I believe this is an opportunity.”
His words stunned her. “How is this an opportunity, Sir? If we return home, we will be court martialed. Our careers are over. Not to mention our lives.”
“I have no intention of returning to Sol, Commander. As far as I’m concerned, we have a mission to complete. We are still looking for the lost colonies. And from what I’ve seen there could be many lost human colonies out here. They may need our help. We still have the Hermes, and we still have the jump system. Let’s carry out our mission.”
“But Sir, if we are fugitives, we have no mission.”
“Nonsense, we still need a purpose. We can’t very well become pirates, can we? Regardless, the crew needs a purpose more than we do. We can’t just tell them that we’re all fucked now, can we? If we continue with the mission nothing changes for the crew. I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of watching aliens beat up on humans. We can make a change out here without having to worry about what
the bloody Diakans think.”
She let the Captain’s words sink in. He did have a point. The mission they were on could take years to complete. They knew that going in.
The Captain was right. There was no Space Force or Diakus out here. They were in the wilderness looking for humans. That was their mission, and they would carry it out. The Captain would lead them.
She looked up at the Captain and saw that he was waiting for her response, so she gave it to him.
“Yes, Sir. Let’s carry out our mission.”
The Captain smiled for a second time, and she sank back into her chair, wondering where she was headed.
CHAPTER 45
Kevin listened to the Captain’s words. The idea of not returning to Sol didn’t bother him much. He had nobody left on Earth. All he had was memories, and he could take those with him. More importantly, the Diakans had betrayed his trust.
He had never bought into all the ‘Sol shall rise’ bullshit he heard every now and then. He always thought that humanity should be grateful for all the Diakans had done for them.
As part of the Galactic Accord, Sol had much needed security. It is more important to be a small part of something big than a big part of something small. Romantic ideas of a human empire were nothing more than dreams. Why mess with something that worked?
Sure, humans had to take direction from the Diakans from time to time, but wasn’t that to be expected? Humans were slaves not too long ago. Why not be thankful and happy to be alive?
At least that was how he had thought before. Now, things had changed. The Diakans had attacked him and did so unprovoked. They took civilian hostages. They tried to take over the ship and throw the Captain, his friend, in the brig.
They were going to kill the little girl.
The Captain was right. If they returned to Sol, Diakus would come after all of them. Most back home believed the same as he had, that Sol was lucky that the Diakans had helped them. If Diakus wanted their heads, nobody would argue.
The Pike Chronicles - Books 1 - 10 Page 17
