December

by Karen Lofgren

  *

  Ted walked into the captain’s cabin of the December, glancing around at the bare gray walls. He had been sleeping there, of course, ever since he’d left Earth, but there were no personal touches that made it really his. The only real difference from the other cabins on the ship was the size, and the small peral Sefra had given him which sat on one of the tables. He would have to change that. His personal belongings were long gone, having been confiscated by the Drevi when they’d invaded his home. But maybe he could find some new things around the ship, or get some unwanted items from the Koleans. For he was becoming more and more aware that this ship was his home now, and would probably remain so, seeing as how he didn’t have anywhere to return to, even if the war was won. He hadn’t thought much about the future recently; he’d been forced to live in the moment and just accept the quick and sometimes jarring changes that had befallen him. He had a hard time remembering stability, and was hoping he’d get the chance to get used to it again once Earth was free. But that uncertainty about the future... that was perhaps the scariest thing of all.

  The door whooshed open and Vandoraa stepped in, making Ted jump. “Ted?”

  “You should knock first,” Ted said, before remembering that the Drevi didn’t knock.

  “Oh, sorry.”

  “It’s all right,” Ted said, feeling like a jerk. “Just try and remember next time.” He paused. “You missed the big sendoff a few minutes ago.”

  “I didn’t want to go,” Vandoraa said. “Allying myself with you is one thing, but endorsing an attack on my people by making an appearance... I just couldn’t do it.”

  Ted nodded. “I understand.” An awkward silence passed. “Do you... worry about the future, Vandoraa?” he asked, seeking consolation for his own fears and feeling small and helpless.

  Vandoraa’s expression seemed to mirror Ted’s. “All the time. Why do you ask?”

  “I was just... thinking. About what’s going to happen to all of us. Even if things go perfectly right, I don’t have a home to go back to.”

  “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to return either,” Vandoraa said. “Even if the Queen is overthrown. And if by some miracle I’m accepted by my people again, I don’t know how comfortable I’d feel, knowing what I’ve done.”

  An idea was blooming in Ted’s mind. He honestly wasn’t sure how he felt about it, and he wasn’t sure if he preferred this option more than settling down on Earth or even Kolea and attempting to return to a somewhat normal life. But for the time being, it seemed as good an idea as any. Maybe, just maybe, he really could make the December itself his new home. “As far as I’m concerned, the December’s mine at the moment, unless the previous owner attempts to claim it, and even then I’m not so sure I won’t fight whoever that may be for her. I love this ship. Maybe it’s because we were both captured and had our wings clipped, but then escaped and learned how to fly again. I’m going to form my own crew, and make the December my home. And you’re more than welcome to join me.”

  “Are you asking me to join your crew?”

  Ted looked him in the eye. “Yes, if you’re willing.”

  Vandoraa didn’t even hesitate. “What positions do you need to fill?”

  “Well, what skills have you been trained in?”

  “I have basic training in almost everything, though I usually end up as pilot.”

  Ted looked interested. “A pilot, huh? I could actually use one.”

  Vandoraa looked oddly content. “Is it just the two of us then?”

  “So far. I honestly don’t know if Alana and Trell intend to stick around after the war is over. They both have careers and lives ahead of them. But I’ll offer, and if they say no then we’ll part ways and I’ll wish them the best.” He sincerely hoped that wouldn’t happen, as he would give just about anything to keep his friends at his side, but he also knew they were free to make their own choices.

  A moment of silence passed as it sank into Ted’s mind what he’d just said. Perhaps more surprisingly, he had no intention of ever taking it back.

  “The reason I’m here is because I got a... troubling communication from Tavron,” Vandoraa admitted, breaking into Ted’s thoughts. “It seems there’s been some dissatisfaction in the ranks, and troop morale is getting lower and lower. It’s taking too long to conquer Earth. Longer than we were on Kolea, at any rate.”

  Ted was immediately interested. “Do you think we could use this to our advantage somehow?”

  Vandoraa thought about it for a moment, but ultimately shook his head. “They may be dissatisfied, but nowhere near the breaking point yet. It’ll take much longer before there’s outright mutiny, and even then, it’ll be crushed immediately unless it’s widespread.”

  “Perhaps something else will happen,” Ted said hopefully. “Maybe we’ll uncover something that will give us an edge. You never know.”

  “It’s possible,” Vandoraa said. But he didn’t sound very convinced.

  Ted opened his mouth to say more, but a beeping from the wall cut him off. Confused and a bit curious, he reached over and pressed the button. “Yeah?” he asked. It had to be from Alana or Trell, since there was no reason for anyone from the military to contact him through the December’s communication system. They would have just gone through the PD.

  Sure enough, Trell’s voice came from the speaker next to the button. “The battle’s starting, and I thought you might like to be up here.”

  Ted glanced at Vandoraa. “Vandoraa and I will be right up.”

  As Ted and Vandoraa entered the bridge, Trell said, “I’m getting a feed from the battle.” He and Alana were comfortably nestled down before the computer, food in their hands, happy looks on their faces.

  “Really?” Ted asked, striding over and glancing over Trell’s shoulder at the screen.

  Above the table hovered a three-dimensional motion image, constructed from the scanner readings, showing where each and every ship was. A section of the screen below was also receiving constantly-changing video feeds the Kolean ships were showing one another. Some images looked like they were coming from the rebels on Earth, who were undoubtedly watching the battle, gauging whether it would be in their best interest to jump in. The Kolean fleet had attacked the Drevi fleet from all sides, but the Drevi weren’t going to go down easily. In several places they were making attempts to punch through the line, and it looked like they would succeed eventually. Ships came closer and closer together and some of their images stayed atop each other, indicating that the ship had been boarded and the fight had moved from space to the halls of the ships.

  Ted was so busy watching the scanner feed of the ships that he almost missed what he thought was a familiar face on the other screen. He glanced over but it was already gone, the video shifting back into space where he got a good look at the back end of a Drevi warship. He focused his full attention on the video feed, hoping it would switch back to the Earth’s surface.

  It did. Apparently one of the Kolean ships had crashed to Earth but the cameras were still functioning, picking up the rescue effort. The video showed human resistance members pulling Kolean soldiers from the burning wreckage. But it was one particular resistance member who caught Ted’s eye, and his heart nearly stopped. It was a young woman, she couldn’t have been older than nineteen. Her face looked determined and her mouth was set in a tight line as she helped a male Kolean soldier into the cover of nearby trees. The hair was the wrong color, a mousy brown instead of a golden blonde, but she looked so much like her that Ted had already convinced himself it was his daughter.

  “Rachel!” he nearly screamed. Alana and Trell were looking at him in concern, their sensitive ears ringing from his outburst.

  “My daughter’s down there!” Ted cried. “I have to go!”

  “We can’t, Ted,” Alana said. “We could compromise the entire mission.”

  “Then contact General Toka!” he yelled, his words getting less comprehensible the more excited and irritated he got.
“Get him to sign off on it. I’m sure they could use another ship.”

  “By the time we get the message to him on his ship, the battle will be over.”

  Vandoraa looked helplessly from Ted to Alana, not sure whose orders he should follow. “If it’s truly Ted’s ship,” he finally reasoned, “then he’s the one with the authority, Alana. Not you, and not the Kolean Military.”

  She huffed, her feathers ruffling, but she knew Vandoraa was right. She and Trell could simply disembark if they wanted no part in this, and neither of them were military.

  “What do you say to starting our own crew?” Ted said, his tone light but his words deadly serious. This was probably the worst time in the world to drop the question, but if he was going to get to his daughter he would need to take command of this situation and break from the Kolean military’s admittedly lenient and not unreasonable control. Any doubt he had about claiming the December and forming a sovereign crew melted into steel-clad courage. His daughter was down there, and he was going to get to her, no matter what stood in his way.

  “Are you serious?” Alana said.

  “I know you have duties to Kolea, and I have no right to ask you to abandon those. But I’m the captain of the December, and I would be honored if, even for only a little while, Alana Teinn and Trell Sirrin were to be my First Officer and General Operations officer, respectively.” There, he had said it.

  Trell was speechless, and Alana glanced at Ted, trying to figure out what to do.

  “I’ll do it,” Trell said.

  “Trell!” Alana gasped, shocked at her To-Be’s decision.

  “What other use can I be here?” Trell asked. “I’m only here because of you. My part in this involved the December, so it’s on the December I’ll stay.”

  “I can pass my responsibilities and rank to Danyara, but that doesn’t mean I necessarily want to,” Alana said, thinking it over. “To give it all up...” she said, more to herself than anyone else.

  “Think about it, Alana,” Trell said. “Think about the opportunity we have here. We can create something truly unique, a first. A crew with members from all known sentient races, on one of the finest ships I’ve ever seen.”

  “Did you already agree to this?” Alana asked Vandoraa, who had been sitting there, oddly quiet throughout the entire exchange. He nodded, and she released a deep sigh. “Why the First Officer?” Alana asked Ted, as if that were the last question she wanted answered before she made a decision.

  Ted held his head high, a dramatic change from the scared, indecisive human Alana had first encountered not so long ago. “Because you were the one who rescued me, you were the one who guided me here. You’re smart, strong, and have amazing leadership skills. I trust you deeply, and you’re a good friend. I hope I’m not wrong in thinking you feel the same.”

  Alana met his gaze. “You’re not wrong.”

  “I consider you my closest friend.”

  For a man who had lost everything, to tell her that... Alana’s eyes teared up as Ted’s did the same. “In that case, I accept, Ted, at least for the time being.”

  “Disengage the docking tube,” Ted said, back in sheer business mode. Vandoraa moved to the pilot’s console in a flash and pressed a few keys.

  The December audibly disconnected from the Kolean ship and shot down towards the planet.

  XV