by Lisa Eskra
Despite the fact that they had arrived on the Schenectady, she scampered onto the Kearsarge behind Magnius. She noticed Lieutenant Sibo Chen standing beside her, so distraught he appeared to be sick.
Rashad took a step onto the door ramp and peered out one last time, scanning the area for humans in distress. He turned toward the cargo hold. "Commander Martinez," he announced. The bay was almost empty, save a handful of crewmen and the last ten civilians to come aboard, and an eerie silence blanketed the area.
Lieutenant-Commander King had been left in charge of the Kearsarge for the duration of the diplomatic event. "She hasn't made it back, sir."
The captain raised his arm and urgently tapped his implant. Amii had seen several officers check back with their ship at various points during the day. But something was wrong. His face crumpled and he curled his hands into fists. "Damn. See if we can get in touch with any of the other ships."
King strode to a computer in the starboard bulkhead, and his fingers flew over the control panel with masterful proficiency. People were still out there…possibly trapped or injured. Carmen might be one of them. Xander could still be among them. How many had not made it back? "I'm having trouble getting through to them. I can't establish a clear link, too much interference."
"They're jamming our signal. Shit." Rashad narrowed his eyes and spat outside onto Xur. "Head to the bridge and get us out of here." He slammed his hand against the bulkhead as he followed King out of the room, and the outer hull door sealed shut.
"Clear the room," Sibo said. "Please return to your quarters so we can get an accurate headcount."
Nadine glanced in Amii's direction after they funneled through to the main corridor. "Bryan's here…somewhere. But I'm sorry, Amii. I don't know where Xander is. I'll keep looking." The second lady kissed her friend on the lips before scurrying through the corridors to locate her husband.
Arriving on board the Schenectady meant none of them had quarters to return to. But Magnius hadn't left her and didn't say a word when he took her hand and led her further inside the Kearsarge. They wove around a few corners and she found it odd when he headed into the empty mess hall. But she said nothing, instead following him inside. The two of them headed over to the large panoramic windows.
The Kearsarge had just taken flight, though from their vantage point the other ships were not visible. Amii spotted the crumbling rubble of the Xuranian Palace, the once majestic structure consumed in thick sooty smoke that rose like an antennae straight toward heaven. After a few moments, it imploded under the stress until a cloud of ash was all that remained. With its destruction went all hope of an alliance with Xur.
She glanced over at Magnius, whom she discovered hadn't been looking outside at all. He clenched his brow in pain and took long, deep breaths. His act of bravery had taken more out of him than he cared to say. He'd always struck Amii as the sort of man who'd think nothing of saving himself when others were at risk. Obviously, she'd been wrong.
Amii reached over and took his hands in hers. He opened his eyes and stared at her. She wanted to kiss him, to thank him for what he'd done but remembered his words from the night before and decided not to. While she mulled the possibilities, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him.
In their embrace she rested her head against his. If she could've heard all his thoughts with her ear against his head, she would have in that moment. It was plain to see that people didn't get any more complicated than Magnius, and whether that was due to his long life or the way he was born, she'd never know. Amii had a hard time finding any men attractive, but for some reason Magnius seemed to be growing on her.
She didn't know why. There was no logical reason for it. But he was.
With the whereabouts of the only person who had ties to her past unknown, she began to worry for her future. The prospect of Xander dying on Xur as a result of the violent act sunk her into a depression. She didn't know what she'd do or where she'd go. Even in Magnius' arms, the idea filled her with worry and regret.
Amii brushed the side of her face against his and it felt wet, but she realized the tears were not her own. What they'd all witnessed had been horrifying, burned into their minds like a terrible nightmare that would never go away. She didn't want to let go of him out of the fear that everything would fall to pieces around her and life as they knew it would suddenly be over. Perhaps it already was and no one knew it yet.
What in all of Astra would humanity do now? If they thought the Xuranians would be willing to forgive and forget, they were dead wrong.
Chapter Thirteen
Captain Ardri Lothian stumbled into her command chair and fought back her fear with every ounce of strength she had left. Silent terror gripped the crew since their abrupt departure from Xur. Everyone on the bridge attended to their stations diligently, as though any slight waver in their attention would cause a breakdown of epic proportions. So long as they were busy, they didn't think about what the fallout might be from their prospective allies.
For the first time since they'd left Vopa three hours ago, she had a moment to herself. She finished a detailed report of their final hours on Xur for her log and spearheaded efforts to determine who was missing. A number of passengers on board had not been assigned to the Schenectady, and she imagined a number of their people were on the wrong ship as well. While her senior crew was accounted for, her sister was not.
All she could do was sit and wait for Commander Mundammi to finish his part of the work. What in Astra is taking him so long, she wondered. Is the man really that inept? Ardri herself could've gone room to room on the Kearsarge and been done an hour ago.
"Commander Ford," she called, "I'd like to have a word with you."
The commander turned away from his station and moved toward her. "Yes, Captain. Reporting as ordered."
To rise to the rank of commander, most officers had to break the backs of their underlings, but Commander Anthony Ford relied on his ruthless charm. Crewmen enjoyed working for him out of appreciation and pride. To the surprise of everyone, he proposed to Faeun this past Valentine's Day, but Ardri doubted their relationship would last: her neediness and his flirtatiousness were a match made in hell.
"What's the status of the ship's weapons and defensive systems?" she asked.
"Fully operational and standing by, sir. I'm glad we ran combat drills last month. They do get tedious after a few rotations, but it's exactly what we need to keep our skills sharp."
She furrowed her brow and glanced toward the front of the bridge where the Maxia sat studiously at the pilot's station. Lieutenant Baca was the ship's primary pilot, but his watch finished an hour ago. Ardri would've gone to bed too if she thought she'd get any actual sleep.
"I wish I knew what the hell happened down there," she said.
"You and me both. But I have a good feeling we're not going to like it."
"I'd like you to review emergency protocols with the crew, just to be safe."
Ford nodded, wiping his sniffling nose with a handkerchief. "Yes, sir."
After he left, the captain panned her eyes across the bridge. Lieutenant Faeun approached quietly. The two had been sitting next to each other when the palace exploded and were among the first to arrive back at the ship. Her tear-stained face remained a sordid reminder of the haunting memory that occurred with no warning.
"Commander Mundammi has sent over his current passenger manifest." Faeun handed her a comtab with the numbers. "Twenty-eight people are unaccounted for, which includes the PAU ships."
Ardri poured through the names to see which vessel her sister had gotten on. If Lyneea didn't know what the Schenectady looked like by now, there was no hope for her at all. But her sister's name was not there. She thrust the comtab back into Faeun's hands. "This can't be right. Check it again."
She lowered her eyes. "Yes sir."
"Actually, get me Commander Mundammi. It shouldn't have taken him so long to bungle such a simple task."
As Faeun he
aded to the communication station, Ardri marched to her office. She fumed while she rounded her desk and glowered at the screen. She cursed her luck that the Kearsarge had been assigned as an escort vessel…a ship that was about as out of date as they come.
Moments later, the display lit up with Rashad's stern face. She knew he didn't like her because she was one of the few people gutsy enough to call him out on his bullshit. "Commander Mundammi, I'd like you to recount every person currently aboard your ship. The account you gave me is inaccurate."
"How do you know it's inaccurate? I'd rather not waste time when I supervised the task myself. Every one of those people has proper identification."
"You missed Lyneea Zoleki."
"What makes you think I missed her? There are other ships accompanying us."
"Check your ship again," she ordered. "I'll ask the others to do the same. You'd better hope you didn't miss her or I'll be sure to let the admiral know of your negligence, Commander."
He frowned. "Fine. Kearsarge out."
After his image disappeared, she dropped her head into her hands…as if Mundammi's utter incompetence wasn't enough. Her sister was one of the twenty-eight presumed missing. The captain chastised herself for allowing Lyneea to set foot on Xur's surface. She should've put her foot down despite all the begging. At least her sister would only be unhappy with her now instead of missing or dead.
Within the hour, their companion ships reported back unable to locate Lyneea Zoleki. The captain forced herself to be optimistic about the situation since anything less would turn her heart to ice.
The convoy remained out of touch with the rest of Astra for the next two days while their engines worked at a hundred percent capacity. The flaw in their communications network had never been more glaring. Outside Astra no communication nodes had been built, which discouraged ships from leaving the known galactic neighborhood.
As details unfolded about the incident, a peaceful resolution began to appear less and less possible. The missing transport belonged to the Kearsarge. Her crew checked the background of the twenty-eight missing and found nothing to indicate the sabotage. Every ship poured over the belongings of those missing for any kind of clue. Did someone have a reason to commit such a blatant act of violence against the Xuranians or had it been an accident? They could only find more questions.
Once the ships passed Zion, Captain Lothian contacted Admiral McKirin and explained what had happened on Xur. He ordered her to maintain a course to Chara. None of his words gave her any semblance of confidence regarding their current predicament.
Ardri had been sitting wearily in her command chair on the bridge when the Schenectady received a response many hours later. It was Vice President Taylor aboard the Kearsarge. She adjourned to her office to respond. His brown hair framed his square face in long layers, and a short beard covered his strong jaw line. Because he was rugged yet refined, most women melted at the sight of him. Ardri wasn't one of those women.
"The council is in a panic," he told her. "Everyone is blaming everyone else. It's complete chaos right now. People found out on ANN almost as soon as our convoy was back in Astra. Chairman Dodd is playing it cool, but there's no way we're going to be able to keep a lid on things."
"Have you had a chance to speak with President Scheidecker?"
"Yes." He paused for a moment. "The man just cannot be fazed. It seems like he has a plan for everything. He is going to address the people of UE within the hour. I'm not sure words will be enough to keep anyone calm in the wake of this, but he's a strong leader and a respected man. I don't expect any major problems there. The American Federation, on the other hand, is anyone's guess. People might decide to take the law into their own hands. How is your crew holding up?"
She sighed at his attempt to make conversation. "We've been better. But we'll get through this. Everyone will."
He offered her a weak smile. "I applaud your bravery. You really are the finest captain in the fleet."
"Thank you, Mr. Vice President. I do my best."
His striking image faded away and she rubbed her brow. Hearing someone like the Vice President of Chara stroking her ego never got old, but she rapidly forgot his compliment. The next several months would be trying times for the AC. Who knew what sort of reparation the Xuranians would require or if negotiation would even be possible. Would she ever see her sister again? It was impossible to know.
She punched several buttons on her desk console and contacted Ensign Vandenburg, the Kearsarge's communications officer, who patched her through to the ship's captain. His image looked the same as it had days ago, as though he was a wax figurine.
"Commander Mundammi, I'd like to apologize for earlier. My comments were out of line. It's just…Lyneea is my sister and it was easier to blame you for a mistake than accept she'd been left on Xur. I won't let it happen again."
Rashad scratched his bearded chin. "Apology accepted, Captain. These past few days have been difficult for all of us. But it's only the beginning, I fear."
***
Nadine Taylor sat at the far end of the Council Chamber watching her husband pace across the aisles and crack his knuckles every minute. He acted the same way she felt inside: confused, scared, and worried. Similar emotions ran high across all of Astra, as fear of retaliation by the Xuranians struck terror into the heart of humanity.
They'd only been back on New England for two days, but damage control had already kicked into high gear. Strict curfews kept people inside after dark. The police presence on the streets was tighter than citizens ever recalled seeing it and with good reason. Isolated bouts of anarchy sprung up when various groups of people tried to blame one another for the act. Their investigation on the matter remained ongoing; few clues pinpointed the cause of the atrocity.
The second lady couldn't help but wonder on the return flight if Aliane had somehow smuggled herself or one of her cohorts on board to provoke such an attack. To her dismay, Aliane had invited a crew from ANN to Superbia for a profile of the planet's living conditions so all of them had solid alibis. A lot of people grumbled about peace with the Xuranians, but few of them seemed brazen enough to start a war. Nadine felt certain at some point in human history it had been done before…
All of a sudden, President Scheidecker ran by her toward his VP. He breathed so hoarsely she thought he might faint. She'd never seen the 350-pound man move that fast. "Chairman Dodd just received a message from Xur," he panted. "One-way transmission, voice only. He's authorized me to play it."
She worried she wasn't privy to the classified information, but when she turned to leave, the President gestured for her to approach the podium. Even though she wasn't technically part of his inner circle, the President had a weak spot for her because she reminded him of his first love. Nadine did her best not to dishearten him and treated him with respect like the father she never had.
President Scheidecker punched several buttons on a console beside him and activated the voice transmission.
"People of Astra…you disappoint us. We offered you a hand in friendship, and we can now see how grave an error we made. Humanity is still too childlike for honesty and reason. Your civilization needs order if it has any hope of survival, and the risk you currently pose to the galaxy must be dealt with swiftly and firmly.
"Eleven humans survived the incident and are in our custody on Xur. We do not wish to cause them injury but will if you do not comply with our terms. The attack on our people resulted in the death of our High Queen, Luxina, who was in the palace when the assault occurred. We demand that you lay down your arms and surrender peacefully. No harm will befall you unless you resist. We will institute new laws across Astra and bring stability to your chaotic nature. Non-compliance is not acceptable. Failure to comply within one week will be met with force and deemed an act of war. We hope you will choose prudence in this matter and not allow foolish pride to cloud your judgment. One week. Decide wisely."
When the transmission stopped, the three of them
stared at each other dumbfounded. No negotiations—humanity had to surrender or else.
Nadine watched her husband's blank expression while he sank into a chair beside him. All the color had left his face and his skin was taut with goosebumps.
An active communication lit up the screen behind them. Chairman Dodd's face filled almost the entire wall. "Unsettling, wasn't it…"
Vice President Taylor scratched his head. "Has anyone tried to communicate with them? To negotiate?"
"Negotiate," the chairman scoffed. "They've demanded our unconditional surrender. The time for words is over. We have to do what some argued we should've done at the beginning—destroy them."
The second lady's jaw dropped in horror.
"Chairman," President Scheidecker said, "we're overlooking the fact this might have been nothing more than an accident. If we could offer some sort of proof, we can still reach a compromise. Volunteer aid and assistance. Allow them to colonize Gamma Pavonis. I agree we should consider a worst-case scenario but not force one."
"You think we should let them dictate the terms? All they want is permission to occupy Astra without a fight. Well, I'm calling their bluff on that. I don't think it's worth enough to them to bother with a war against us when their sun is dying. A sensible race would value their own lives and ignore the urge for petty vengeance. And if they come? We'll meet the threat head-on, not hide under the covers until they lead us away in chains."
Nadine stopped listening to his mindless federalist propaganda. The spring prophecies had been made public last week. Since the day she read it, she'd experienced foreboding visions on a regular basis. Death. Darkness. Pandemonium. Dear friends. Deadly enemies. None of it made any sense but the visions made her hair stand on end with fright. They were about to get in way over their heads, and there wasn't a thing she could do to stop it. Chairman Dodd would get the votes he needed to declare war against the Xuranians. After all, they tried peace and it failed. And people would rather fight a hopeless cause than surrender their freedom.
