“Me? Don’t worry about me. I heard about what happened.”
“Did you? That was quick.”
“You’re a hero, Ace,” she said.
“I don’t feel like one. Rudolph’s gone, so’s her Marine. My ship is gone. Tabi… Cash.” Ace averted his eyes, not wanting Oliv to see him like this. “Charles,” he croaked out the android’s name.
“Collins made it back,” she said, as if this made up for the deaths. “Barkley says, considering the losses on the enemy’s end, we were lucky.”
Ace could see how the captain would feel that way. “We don’t even know if the virus worked.”
“It worked. Wren’s sure of it,” Oliv said.
“When did you have time to learn all this?” Ace asked.
“Right place at the right time.” Oliv smiled at him, and Ace couldn’t help but smile back at her.
He wished he hadn’t had the coffee. Every inch of him was fatigued. The galley suddenly filled up, people streaming toward the bar.
“I’ll take a beer!” a man shouted, everyone around him cheering.
“What’s that all about?” Ace asked quietly.
“They’re celebrating,” Oliv said. “We won. You guys set out to destroy the Watchers, and you did. You should be celebrating too.”
Ace wanted to shout. He’d seen the ships escape before they’d lowered through the atmosphere. There were plenty more Watchers out there. And if their theory was correct, that wasn’t really the Watchers’ world. Things might just be getting started. “Let them have it.” Ace ran a hand over his face, trying to hide when he heard someone shout his name.
“Ace! Ace!” People in the galley were cheering him, and Ace decided to put on a brave face. They were going to need everyone here in the coming war, and many wouldn’t make it. Ace would let them have this, even if he didn’t feel any of their enthusiasm.
He stood and accepted an offered drink from a young woman in uniform.
Flint
Flint woke to a light flashing by his bedside. “Off,” he said, and the alarm ceased. He was glad to have the few hours of rest. Barkley had contacted him, letting him know the meeting was happening at twenty-two hundred.
Flint swung his feet down to the floor, feeling the cool, smooth surface on his toes. He’d gone to bed wishing he could tuck his tail between his legs and go back to the colony world Fairbanks had stayed on. The full day of assaults and infiltrations was enough for him to remember why he’d hated the Fleet. Now, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he felt recharged and ready for what was coming.
He showered, dressed, even put on a black uniform, and made for Barkley’s quarters. It was the first time he’d been invited there, and wondered why she’d chosen there instead of the boardroom or bridge.
When he arrived, the door slid open, and he found the room to be dimly lit. Four figures were huddled around a table, a hologram casting a green glow over their faces.
“Glad you could join us,” Wren said with a slight smile. She had changed, but Flint could tell by the bags under her eyes that she hadn’t slept. He suddenly felt guilty for no reason.
“I thought I was right on time,” he said, moving toward them.
Ace was there beside Captain Heather Barkley, and Harry Tsang rounded out the small group. “What are we looking at?”
“The Rift,” Barkley said. “We Shifted halfway there, but I’m hesitant to go farther now.”
“Why’s that?” Flint asked, though he already knew the answer.
“The ships that left. We think they might have headed for the Rift,” Tsang answered for the captain.
Flint shook his head. “Doubt it. We still have over five months before the thing opens up. They only had a handful of ships when we arrived. They’re probably regrouping. If anything, they won’t show up until it’s time for the Rift to open.”
“You don’t know how many ships left before you showed up.” Tsang crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn’t wrong.
“What’s Benson saying?” Wren asked, mirroring Flint’s own thoughts.
“He’s in rough shape. We’re going to give him some time in medical before grilling him. If he wasn’t so purple and blue, I’d give him one right in the eye myself,” Barkley said, and Wren nodded.
“You and me both,” she said.
“Ace, what do you think?” Barkley asked the young man.
“I think it’s not done yet. Whether we show up at the rendezvous and get attacked, or whether they arrive as the Rift opens, we have a fight coming to us,” Ace said.
“I agree,” Flint said, looking at the 3D map of the region where they were going to meet up with the Pilgrim.
“Captain Hawk and the Pilgrim won’t be arriving for three months. What do we do in the meantime?” Wren asked, directing the question at the captain.
“We wait to hear what Benson has to say, and we practice more. Ace, you’ll be working with the pilots on simulations. You have a little more experience now, and we have some actual Watcher fighters now. That will help us prepare. I also have a few ideas utilizing the Distractor technology from the colony world. Tomas thinks he can make the thermonuclear devices into warship-ending Destroyers. It’s a work in progress.” Barkley actually cracked a smile, and Flint liked the sound of that.
“What about Charles?” Ace asked.
“I’m not sure what you want us to do, son,” Tsang said. “He’s too far gone.”
Barkley looked over at Ace. “You’ve done so much for us. We’ll do everything we can to get him back, that’s a promise.”
Flint glanced over to Wren and noticed her eyes welling up. Out of everyone, she’d been the closest with the brave android, and she’d give anything to have him back.
“Good. We have a lot to think about. Are we staying put here for now?” Flint asked.
Barkley nodded. “Yes. They shouldn’t be able to find us. We’re a needle in a haystack out here.”
“One more thing,” Flint said.
The captain met his gaze. “Anything, Flint.”
“Can we have a couple days off?” Flint asked.
Benson
Benson woke with a painful gasp. The agony subsided quickly, and he blinked his eyes open. Only one obeyed. Everything flashed back to him as he looked around the medical room. Machines beeped beside him, and he wished they’d stop making so much noise. Lines stuck into his arms, liquid dripping from bags hanging beside the bed.
He found a button on the side of the bed, and he pressed it. “Doctor!”
No one came for a minute. He kept pressing and shouting until his throat burned, and finally, the door to his small private room opened. Dr. Wren Sando stepped in, followed by Flint, the door sliding shut behind him.
“Well, Benson, you’re awake.” Flint walked over to the side of the bed, and Benson saw him look over the machines giving his pulmonary, cardiac, and other readouts. “You’re in pretty bad shape.”
Benson tried to clear his throat. “Water,” he urged.
“Sure. We’ll get to that.” Wren pulled up a chair and sat in it at the end of the bed. Flint fidgeted with the bed’s controls, raising the top half so Benson was propped up enough to see her. The movement caused everything to hurt, and Flint flipped a switch on one of the machines.
“Don’t think you’ll be needing that,” he said.
Benson wasn’t sure what Flint had done, but he hoped it wasn’t cutting the feed of painkillers. “What do you want?” The faces in the room with him weren’t friendly. He hadn’t been rescued only so they could kill him themselves, had he? He knew the look in their eyes too well. He’d given it on more than one occasion in his previous life.
“What happened there, Benson? Wait. Hold that thought. What did you plan on doing?” Wren asked.
There was really no point in keeping it from them. He’d try to shed himself as a saint if possible, but his mind was muddled, and he was struggling to remember what was true and what he’d concocted as his alibi.
> “I…it was all for our race. The moment they attacked us, I knew we were done for. I saw the footage from thirty years ago. They came through the Rift and decimated our small force. Jish Karn had been kidding herself to think we could stand against such a power. Now we know why. Their Shift drives make them all the deadlier.
“Jish managed to get hold of the one remaining fighter ship, but instead of sharing the details with the Earth Fleet and anyone that could help amass a better Fleet, she kept it to herself. Kept the knowledge of the captive Watcher to herself.
“I found out, of course. Fairbanks thought it was him, but I tipped his contact off. I wanted him to learn about it, but I didn’t want him to know just how far my network stretched. It took me years, but I finally got the files from the ship she’d detained. Jish didn’t seem concerned at all about the language or anything, other than their Shift drive and the damned Watcher she obsessively visited every day. She was such a fool, hardly even noticing her own neurosis as it took over her every thought.” Benson stopped, his mouth too dry to keep talking.
Flint found a small cup and filled it with water from a sink, bringing it back to Benson. His arm hardly had the strength to grab it and tilt it toward his lips, but he found the energy somewhere. Never had water tasted so good. “Where was I?” he started.
“Jish was going nuts,” Flint helped.
“Right. I learned their language from that data. Jarden didn’t even know what I had, though I was impressed when I heard he somehow got a sample from the captive Watcher. I still don’t know how he pulled that off, but it taught me to be more careful around the old guy. He’s a smart man, and driven when he wants something done.”
“The very same sample he hired me to work on a virus around, correct?” Wren asked, speaking for the first time since he’d begun his tale.
“That’s it. You were hired, and when I found out you were going to be infiltrated and given up to the Fleet, I set a plan in motion.” Benson paused, seeing a hard look cross Wren’s face. He could tell she didn’t like being spoken about like a chess piece, so he tried to add some humanity to his side of the story. “Look, I couldn’t do anything about it. I wanted to warn you, to tell you to get out of there, but some things are above even me.”
“What about Charles?” Flint asked.
“He was my idea. I knew where you were going, so I had him programmed to help you escape after two years. We weren’t ready for the Rift yet, and the timeline fit with escaping. No one would be able to find you or care about a missing prisoner when the system was under attack. My team added memories to CD6, and I created a few protocols inside him. One which, I might add, brought him to me a couple of days ago, saving my hide.”
“What about the one preventing the virus?” Flint asked.
Benson took another long breath before answering. “I must admit, it was only a backup plan. I forgot to turn it off before I left.”
They didn’t look like they believed him. “He’s gone, you know,” Wren said, sadness creeping into her eyes.
Benson was amazed at how attached these people had gotten to the android. He was just a robot. “I was there, remember?”
“I wish we’d left you behind. We’d still have him.” Wren crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat. Benson closed his good eye and took a deep breath.
“Fine, we get all of that. What the hell were you doing stealing our one Shift drive vessel and going to them?” Flint was clearly getting impatient. Benson didn’t blame him.
“I’ve been around long enough to know the Earth Fleet’s in a terrible state. Dissention among the colonies has never been stronger. We have organizations set on destroying the system. Marches have turned deadly on Earth and Mars. Leadership under Karn has destroyed us. I went to the Watchers to strike a deal,” Benson said, meaning every word.
“Then how did they know we were coming?” Wren asked. “If they didn’t cut you a deal, why not wait for us? Why rat us out?”
Benson didn’t know how to answer her. He sat there, jaw open, staring like a deer in headlights.
“That’s enough answer for me. You’re a coward,” Flint said.
“You don’t know what it was like! Look at me! They’re animals. I was lucky to get a dollop of slop every day. I had dirty water! They didn’t listen to a word I said!” Benson shouted. He reached for the water glass, but Flint pulled it away before his fingers could grasp it.
“What did you tell them?” Wren asked again.
“I said you were coming. They didn’t believe me at first, but eventually, they did. Their Queen left the guards to beat me the day you came. I suspect they evacuated only hours before you arrived.” Benson coughed, his ribs burning in pain as he did so.
“Do you think they’ll attack? Did you learn anything about their motives? Plans? Where they’re really from?” Flint asked the barrage of questions, and Benson tried to remember them all so he could answer.
“They’ll attack. I learned nothing. And I agree they aren’t from that world. It didn’t feel right. They treated it like they hated their own surroundings. I thought it might just be the prison, but you’ve confirmed my suspicions. I have no idea where the Watchers are from, but I doubt we’ve seen the last of them,” Benson said. “Maybe we should head back to Domum. Regroup.”
Wren shook her head. “It’s too late for that. We’re meeting the others at the Rift zone. If they come, we’ll fight.”
Benson sat up at the news, a tube pulling against his wrist as he moved. “We can’t win.”
Flint gave him a humorless grin. “We’ll see about that.”
Ace
Three months. A long three months. Ace looked in the mirror, hardly recognizing the face he saw. His hair had grown long, and he swept it to the side with his hand. Stubble had formed on his chin, and his cheeks were rounder than they’d ever been.
For three months, he’d trained hard in the gym, and in the simulators, until his hands almost bled. He’d taken the time to practice in the various forms of fighters they had to offer. He’d added seven kilograms of weight in that time and hoped all the work and effort hadn’t been for nothing.
He made his way to the bridge, where the others would be waiting. Today was a big day. They were going to Shift to the rendezvous point, where the Pilgrim would be soon arriving. He was nervous, but not nearly as badly as the old version of himself would have been. He felt ready for whatever came their way.
Five minutes later, Ace straightened his uniform collar and stepped onto the bridge. He was a regular fixture there these days, meeting twice a week with the team to discuss progress.
All eyes turned to him as he walked toward the seated officers. He saw the matte gray android out of the corner of his eye. It couldn’t be. There was no way.
“Hello, Ace,” Charles said. His familiar tone carried across the space with ease, while everyone sat silently. Wren was standing beside the android, her hand set on Charles’ forearm.
“Charles! How? Is it really you?” Ace asked, noticing the weld marks on the android’s face and the fact he was wearing a uniform, probably to cover up his pieced-together frame.
“It’s me. I’m told I have you to thank for bringing me back,” Charles said.
“Well, Flint and I carried you,” Ace stammered.
Barkley stood, unable to hide her smile. “If we’ve all been reunited, we have somewhere to be. Lieutenant Lancaster, if you would? Set course for rendezvous point, and Shift when ready.”
“Shifting, Captain,” Flint said, and Ace watched through the viewscreen as the star positions changed. They’d made the jump.
“Fighters, stand by,” Barkley ordered, speaking through the bridge’s speaker system. Thirty fighters were ready to attack, should they find themselves in enemy territory. Ace had wanted to be there with them, but the captain had ordered him to the bridge instead. He worried about Oliv sitting inside an EFF-17 right then, her arm healed, but her movements more uncertain since the battle she’d taken p
art in.
They all watched with bated breath, wondering if the Watchers would appear on their sensors any time soon.
“No sign of the enemy or Pilgrim.” Harry Tsang stood ready to fire the large pulse cannons, if necessary. Ace noticed his finger twitching above the console in anticipation of a fight. None came.
When they were sure no one was nearby, the mood changed; postures became less stiff, and conversation started to flow. “If everything’s gone according to plan, Captain Hawk and her colony ship will be here in the next day or two. Let’s settle in. We’ll keep the fighters manned for the time being.”
Ace made his way over to Charles and Wren and, eventually, Flint joined them at the edge of the bridge.
“Good to see you again, Charles,” Flint said, clapping the android on the back. “How do you feel?”
Charles’ eyes dimmed and brightened. “I feel fine. I kept all my memories, but the programming from Benson has been removed. I suppose I’m just another android now.”
Ace almost laughed at that. Charles was so far removed from the other single-minded androids he’d ever seen, but he didn’t want to bring it up.
“We’re glad you’re here,” Wren said. “What do we do?”
Flint glanced over Ace’s shoulder at the viewscreen, which showed nothing but empty space where the Rift would eventually open.
“How about a beer?” he asked.
Flint
The Pilgrim came two days later, and they settled into a rigorous training routine together. Flint took the time to work with their best pilots, teaching them every small detail they’d learned about the Watcher vessels and how to deal with them.
The next two months were a blur of caffeine and preparation. Barkley and the chief engineer were concocting something big, a new weapon that they claimed might be a game changer. Flint was happy for it, because if they were going to face the Watchers’ full fleet head-on, he didn’t think they could win. Not without their own Shift drive fighters.
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