Escape Velocity

by Jess Anastasi

  Cassidy came over to join them, holding a hand out for Ace to pass on the water.

  “How are you holding up, Commander?”

  Kai scowled at the nurse. Like he was some green soldier who was going to lose his Cheerios over a few war wounds? “Fine. I’m sure there’s a dozen other people who need you asking them more than me.”

  Cassidy didn’t seem fazed by his abruptness, instead glancing around at the makeshift triage. “Any sign of Sacha?”

  Kai shook his head and swallowed over the instant lump that blocked his throat at the mention of her name.

  “She’s probably busy helping people and doesn’t even have a clue we’re worried about her. I’m sure she and the baby are just fine.”

  Kai’s hand shot out and grabbed the nurse’s forearm in a bruising hold. “The what?”

  Cassidy blanched. “The baby. Her pregnancy. She just found out this morning. Last time I saw her, she was on her way up to the command center so she could tell you.”

  Kai’s grasp loosened of its own accord, his limbs going weak as he dropped to sit heavily on the hard ground. The land beneath him seemed to lurch and he sucked in a panicked breath. Sacha had disappeared and possibly gotten caught in the second explosion, her and the precious new life they’d unknowingly created. His eyes stung, making his lungs seize on a pained breath. Dear god…Sacha.

  “Oh my god, she hadn’t told you yet, had she?” Cassidy swore like a hardened soldier and then launched into a stuttered apology.

  “It’s not your fault. We need to find her. Now.” Kai wiped a rough hand over his face and then looked up at the nurse.

  “I’ll get right on it and see if I can’t snag a few others to help me.”

  As Cassidy grabbed Ace and hurried off, Kai lurched unsteadily to his feet and studied the chaotic buzz of medicos around him, looking for the familiar gleam of bronze-spun hair.

  A commotion a few meters over snagged his attention. A couple of young cadets had armed themselves and were arguing with soldiers not much older. Though his emotional weariness left him with exactly no patience to deal with some hot-headed toddlers, he hauled his sorry carcass over to the group.

  “What’s going on here?”

  The soldiers snapped to attention, while the armed cadets made only the slightest half-hearted gesture at acknowledging him.

  “Commander Yang, sir, these cadets have unconfirmed reports that the CSS have infiltrated the compound. They plan to go on a search and destroy within command perimeter, sir,” one of the soldiers reported.

  “Unconfirmed my ass,” an armed cadet argued back. “I saw the ship with my own eyes. It was looking to touch down on the other side of the building.”

  Cold rage pounded through Kai like furious waves breaking down a seawall. He held a hand out toward the young cadet. “Give me that gun, cadet.”

  The young recruit sent the soldier a thwarted glare as he handed the weapon over, but Kai ignored him to turn to the other soldiers and cadets who’d gathered nearby. To hell with Emmanuel’s orders. Would the commander really expect him to send a bunch of young, green recruits after CS Soldiers who’d managed to blow up supposedly the most secure complex on Ilari?

  “I want every able-bodied person armed up and headed for the other side of this building like yesterday. Move out people!”

  His yell was met by a chorus of, “Sir, yes sir!” and then the orderly movement of troops falling back on their training routines.

  Kai motioned for the cadets and soldiers who were already armed to follow him and then set out at a jog toward the next building over, mostly untouched by the explosions apart from the busted out windows. He might be risking another explosion, but he wasn’t about to waste the precious minutes it would take to go around by the perimeter fence if it meant catching the CSS a-holes responsible for this mess.

  The pounding echo of boot steps accompanied them as they ran through the empty building. It must have taken less than a minute, but the run through the eerily deserted, jumbled offices seemed to take too long.

  At last they emerged on the opposite end. Even as Kai shouldered through the doors with his purloined gun at the ready, his mind was taking in the scene and assessing every angle.

  One small CSS ship on the ground, three CS Soldiers armed to the teeth, and Sacha caught in the middle. His insides iced as his mind kicked into combative action. The soldiers and cadets with him fanned out into formation, flanking him and making up a solid line of reinforcement. But even with over a dozen soldiers, albeit green recruits as backup, a cold sweat bloomed on his lower back. His arms trembled as he fought to keep the weapon steady and trained on the enemy.

  “Stand down. Drop your weapons. Do not make a run at that ship or we will open fire!” His yell echoed a harsh warning across the tight open space where the ship perched, sounding every bit as convincing as he needed it to be. But inside, his guts were pinching like this was his first tour of duty. Neither he nor his men would open fire, they couldn’t, not with Sacha standing in the direct line of site.

  Sacha, pregnant with my baby.

  The three CS Soldiers turned toward him, and another wave of disbelief punched him as he recognized the soldier from the ship, still wearing a UEF uniform, but with a patch on his chest claiming his true allegiance. Son of a bitch.

  “I said stand down!” For a long second, utter stillness descended over the scene. Behind the three men, Sacha dropped to the ground and started belly-crawling her way out of range.

  One of the CS Soldiers said something, impossible to hear at the distance he stood from them. But the manner of the three men changed, and he knew what was coming, even as the CS Soldiers set their line and opened with guns blazing, sending everyone ducking for cover. Everyone except him. Kai froze. Utterly lost contact with his limbs. Move…move you moron. He was an easy target, especially since all the other soldiers and cadets had used their good-god-given sense and found shelter.

  Even knowing he’d be dead any second, his legs stayed rooted to the ground, so he did the only thing he could do. He couldn’t risk letting off a spray of ammo, which would have been the quickest and easiest way to take the three out—Sacha wasn’t fully out of range yet. Instead, he lined up one of the CS Soldiers and squeezed off a single round. The guy dropped, but Kai had gone on to autopilot and had already moved on to the second soldier. And then the third. And then there was no one else standing on the grass except him.

  Mind still in automatic combat mode, he turned and lined up the battered shuttle, popping a couple of rounds into the hull. This caliber weapon from this distance wouldn’t do much except send a message that anyone who tried to step off the ship would be greeted by a round of weapon fire to the head.

  The ship lifted off with a backlash of whirling air, gaining altitude and clearing the buildings in the blink of an eye.

  In the aftermath of the ship leaving, silence fell. Some of the cadets and soldiers started coming up from behind their cover to stare at him with wide eyes, varying expressions of awe and amazement on their faces.

  Kai let the gun fall from his numb hands. A cold shudder ripped through him and he couldn’t take his eyes off the CS Soldiers he’d dropped with three single rounds. With his whole body shaking so bad, how had he even lined them up, let alone hit them with three pot-luck shots? Pot-luck. Nothing but chance.

  A warm hand closed around his bicep and he dragged his gaze up to find Sacha staring at him, her eyes wary.

  “Kai, are you with me?”

  Her touch, her voice, the slight hint of acacia and summer he got over the acrid stench of smoke, snapped something inside him and sensation came back at him in a dizzying rush.

  …

  Kai grabbed Sacha’s shoulders and hauled her closer, tipping her off balance.

  “You’re pregnant?” His hoarse demand, shouted near the top of his voice, made her wince. Oh no. She’d been prepared to deal with a lot of reactions from him, but outright fury hadn’t been one of them. />
  Tears welled in her eyes as she braced her hands against his chest to get her balance. “I’m sorry. I was planning to tell you when I got the comm about the explosion. Please, don’t be angry, I know it’s a shock but we can—”

  “You’re pregnant and you came down here, putting yourself and my baby in danger? Frigging Jesus, Sacha! I thought you’d gotten blown up. And then Cassidy told me I’m going to be a father. Do you know what I felt in that moment?”

  Relief drained her anxiety away. He wasn’t angry about the baby. And he didn’t need to tell her what he’d felt, because she could see the shadows of utter desolation in his eyes.

  “I’m sorry, Kai. I didn’t think. I’d only just found out the news myself and then I got the message about the explosion. I snapped into doctor mode.” And she had, too. The thought of the little person inside her hadn’t crossed her mind when she’d walked onto the shuttle to come down here. Sharp, delayed shock sliced through her, bringing a fresh wave of nausea, this one laced with bitter anxiety. What if she’d gotten injured and lost the baby? “Oh god, you’re right, I should have thought about the baby first. I’d never have forgiven myself if something happened. It’s going to take a while to get used to the idea of being a mommy.”

  His shoulders dropped and he blew out a long breath as the tension within him seemed to wind down a few notches. He leaned down to gently set his forehead against hers.

  “So, you want to be a mommy? I mean, I know you want to be, but with me?”

  Her heart lurched right up into her throat, bringing on the urge to sob all over him. Had to be the pregnancy hormones.

  “I know it was the last thing either of us were thinking about or wanting. But yes, the idea of having this baby with you… Nothing could make me happier.” Her voice wavered on the last word.

  Kai caught her mouth in a deep kiss, fraught with emotion that made the tears welling in her eyes spill over and down her cheeks.

  After a moment, he pulled back to look at her, using his thumbs to wipe away her tears.

  “What about your new posting on Earth?” She couldn’t get the words out at much more than a whisper, the lump in her throat making it hard to talk.

  Kai shook his head. “They’ll have to find someone else to fill it, because there’s no way in hell I’m leaving the Knox. Wherever you and the baby are, that’s where I belong. I know I still have problems to work through, but trust me, Sacha, I can conquer anything if I’ve got you. Tell me you believe that.”

  “I believe that.” The heavy sensation that had been dragging down her soul these past weeks lifted, buoyed by swift relief, as he pressed another kiss to her mouth.

  “Are you sure about this? Because you don’t look so happy.”

  She sniffed and gave a watery laugh. “Yes, it’s just been a long day.”

  “Tell me about it.” He hugged her hard against him, kissing the top of her head. “Come on, they’ve already started transferring the injured back up to the Knox. Let’s catch a ride.”

  He wrapped a firm arm around her waist and she smiled up at him. He frowned at her in return.

  “FYI, I’m not letting go of you for at least a week. And then I’m definitely not letting you out of my sight.”

  “That’s going to make things in the bathroom a bit awkward.” Though it was easy enough to make a joke, the weight of everything that had happened between them hung in the air. They still had more than a few issues to talk through, but the wall between them had collapsed, leaving her with the feeling that they could get through anything, as long as they did it together.

  Before he could say anything in reply to her attempt at a jest, two of the cadets stepped into their path, followed by a couple of soldiers, until a large group of young people stood in front of them, all staring at Kai.

  She looked up at him and caught the fleeting flash of panic in his gaze before he clamped his lips together and made his expression distant.

  “What is it, soldier?” He directed the question at the nearest recruit.

  The young man jerked a salute. “Commander, sir, it was an honor to witness you in live action and see that none of the stories we’ve heard of you were exaggerated, sir.”

  His entire body tensed against her, every muscle flexing until he became like a rock standing next to her. “I was just doing my duty, soldier, the same as any man. Now let’s get back to the rescue efforts.”

  “No, it was more than that,” one of the younger cadets piped up, earning a murmur of agreement from the others. “I’ve never seen anything like it in my life! When those CSS bastards started shooting, you just stood there as if you had ice water in your veins, calm as anything, and picked them off. You were invincible!”

  A clamor of excited chatter broke out as each soldier started relaying what they’d seen from their vantage point, but Sacha felt the slight tremble of Kai’s taut body. The anxious gleam returned to his gaze. Whatever had or hadn’t happened, he had reached the end of his endurance. He didn’t seem to have a response for the crowd in front of him, just stood there staring at them all, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles were white.

  Sacha let him go to step forward and then edged in front of him, planting her hands on her hips. “You heard Commander Yang. Are you going to make him repeat himself? There are injured men who still need rescuing and debris that needs clearing to help with the search effort. Why are you all standing around here yakking? Move it, recruits!”

  The disorderly bunch of young soldiers and cadets hastily saluted and then started back toward the building they’d come through. Sacha rolled her eyes and then used her fingers to affect an ear-splitting whistle.

  When the recruits paused and looked back, she pointed at the perimeter fence.

  “Go around the buildings. And stay out of them until they’ve been cleared by the bomb team. I don’t want to have to patch up any more of you because you were dumb enough to go inside and get caught in a third explosion.”

  A mumble of “Sorry, ma’am,” rumbled from the crowd before the youngsters all jogged off toward the fence and then disappeared around the edge of the building.

  She took a deep breath and then turned to look at Kai, but he had his gaze focused on the three dead CS Soldiers. His head moved slowly as he turned his attention to the gun he’d dropped on the grass.

  “Kai, whatever’s going on—”

  All of a sudden he moved, stalking over to snatch up the gun from the ground. Her heart screamed to a stop and horror sliced through her chest.

  What was he going to do?

  She started forward, bitter cold dread propelling her to him. But before she could reach him, he disengaged the power clip from the weapon and put his whole body behind throwing it into the depths of the nearby garden. After that, he took the long nozzle of the gun and turned to smash it against a tree trunk over and over. A guttural, pained yell ripped from him, and then he hurled the damaged weapon the same way as the energy pack.

  With a hand braced against the tree, his chin dropped to his chest and he slid down to his knees in a slow decent. His shoulders were heaving, but she didn’t think he was crying. No, more like trying to get a hold of himself.

  Sacha ran over and knelt down next to him, but didn’t give in to the urge to touch him. He’d come to her when he was ready.

  “I’m not a hero. I’m an idiot. A coward.” The words came out choppy and broken over his uneven breath.

  “I don’t know what happened. I didn’t see. I was too busy trying to get away. But whatever the recruits saw, it will be all over the Knox by shift’s end today.”

  He covered his face with one hand as his head shook back and forth. “They think I bravely stood there and took down those CSS. But I froze.”

  His head jerked up and he looked at her. Tears wet his face, but he looked pissed, not upset. “Everyone else went for cover and I froze. Just stood there like a moron. The only reason I didn’t get shot is because the CS Soldiers had lousy aim. I should be de
ad. I’m not fit for active duty. What if I’d died? What if you’d died? You and the baby?”

  He started shuddering again, and she could see the panic digging deep claws into him. Sacha gave up on allowing him space and caught his face in her palms.

  “It’s all right, Kai. None of that happened. You might have had a second of hesitation, but then you acted and saved us all. It doesn’t matter what everyone else thinks. All that matters is we survived and we’re together.”

  He blew out a long tattered breath and wrapped both arms around her to drag her into his chest. He buried his wet face against her neck and she smoothed a comforting hand over his hair.

  “If you’re not fit for active duty today, it doesn’t matter. Maybe you will be next week, or next month, or next year. Maybe you’ll never go back into live action. It doesn’t make a difference to me. We’ll work things out one day at a time.”

  He laughed a sad, but relieved sound. “God, I love you.”

  She pulled back and urged his head up so she could look into his glistening, topaz gaze. “I love you too, Kai. I always have and I always will.”

  Epilogue

  Sacha moved her fork half a millimeter to the left and then stepped back to admire her handiwork. She wasn’t some domestic goddess, not by far. Heck, she could barely cook eggs. Tonight’s dinner hadn’t come from spending hours slaving in a kitchen. Actually, someone had slaved in a kitchen, but it hadn’t been her. She’d simply commed one of the nicer takeaway restaurants and ordered up a meal for two.

  But her table setting, well, that was damn fine.

  The door to the apartment whooshed open and she skirted the table to walk into the sitting area. Kai had stopped by the hall table to shrug out of his uniform jacket. He ran a hand through his hair as he turned to her.

  “How did it go?” She’d never been a hand-wringing type of person, but right then she was twisting the hem of her shirt into a mess.