DARKEST BEYOND (CHANCERIAN Book 1)
Page 4
“Do you need any help correcting any of the discrepancies?”
Luke pushed his plate further from him and rested his elbows on the table. “No, I think we have everything we need, Commander,” he answered. The tone of his voice was less friendly than she hoped for and she was concerned she may have upset him. It’s something we can talk about later, she told herself.
“Good, I look forward to routing the audit up to Captain Tyrone.”
“Cut the shit, Calibri,” Luke hissed, just loud enough for her to hear.
She looked around the room to make sure neither of the officers or the few enlisted members who worked in the wardroom heard them. “What?”
“What’s going on with you?” Luke asked.
“Nothing,” she said, hoping she wasn’t lying, but feeling bad about it either way.
“Nothing? Then why are you giving me the cold shoulder? I thought we had something?”
It was with those words she felt truly mortified. Calibri shook her head, taking another glance in the room to see if anyone was watching. “Now is not the time to discuss this.”
“Maybe now is the perfect time to discuss it. We’re alone,” he said.
She nodded her head towards Ensign Vasquez seated a few tables away. “I don’t call that alone.”
Luke scoffed. “He’s twenty feet away and has his nose in a training manual. He’s not listening to us.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Luke looked up, “Hey, Vasquez,” he said at the same volume he used when talking to Calibri. She turned and witnessed that Vasquez didn’t flinch when Luke said his name. “There, see?”
“Lucky is all,” she retorted.
Luke shrugged, “I’ll say.”
Despite being more than slightly irritated, she smirked at his joke. She felt similarly, but she was also afraid of anyone finding out. For a military officer, breaking such laws came at a high cost, and it was not one she was eager to pay for something many considered trivial. But it isn’t trivial to me, she thought. I think I might love him.
Even thinking those words felt ridiculous. “Now is not really a good time or place to discuss what happened,” she whispered. “No matter how bad you want to.”
He nodded. “So, maybe we should discuss it tonight,” he said.
Calibri felt her heart race with anticipation. “Last night was amazing,” she said, “but I don’t think it’s a good idea to revisit that. It happened, and I’m glad it did, but let’s not be foolish. We both know what will happen if anyone found out.”
Luke leaned forward, resting his chin on his fists. “I think it’s worth the risk, if you ask me.”
Me too.
“We need to be careful, people aren’t stupid, and reckless behavior tends to be found out regardless of how hard you try to keep it a secret.”
“True, but love is a reckless, yet completely necessary endeavor. It’s what makes us human. It’s what makes it worthwhile to be alive, don’t you think?”
Calibri nodded.
“So, why don’t we meet again tonight? We can talk and see what happens.” He cut a smile at her that reminded her of the man she stayed up late thinking about before last night. She knew it was what she wanted, even if she was afraid to say it. “How about twenty-two-hundred?” he prompted.
His suggestion seemed crazy, yet she couldn’t find a reason in her heart to say no. Her brain, though, screamed for her to run away. That was the problem; she always listened to her brain, but despite how dangerous it was, her heart yearned for something more. “All right,” she said, the mutinous right side of her mouth beginning to curl in a coy smile.
“All right,” he replied. “I’ll see you then.” Luke rose from his seat. “Bye.”
“Bye,” she echoed, feeling flush from thinking about what they might potentially do to one another later. It was a thought she knew could be the death of her, but she didn’t give a damn. What’s life without that spark of insanity called love?
Chapter 8
The alarm sounded first, followed by the announcement that the scenario was only a drill. That came as no relief, considering the event woke Calibri from a deep sleep. Captain Tyrone told her the day before to be ready for a rude awakening. What that would entail, she had no idea until the droning alarm stirred her from sleep and drove her to leap out of bed and climb sleepily into her uniform. If not for the fact her quarters were so close to the bridge, she was certain she would be late reporting. Especially considering that, in her disoriented state, she could not find the light switch.
Fuck, turn off the goddamn alarm, she thought as she finally made it out of her quarters and half-ran towards the bridge where other members of the crew was arriving. At least I’m not the last one.
“Everyone, strap in for Battle Stations,” Captain Tyrone ordered. He did likewise, taking his seat and pulling the shoulder straps cross his body and clasping them into place. “Commander, as this is your first simulation, I think this is an excellent opportunity for you to observe at first and come into the scenario as you see fit.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, wiping sleep from her weary eyes. “I’m looking forward to the training.”
He nodded without speaking. Instead, he rested his chin in one hand and watched the crew members on the bridge getting into position. Calibri mentally marked seven personnel seated at different orientations with consoles and monitors before them. The navigation and communications officers were seated on the port side of the bridge, their backs to everyone else. The weapons, operations, and damage control officers were seated in the center. She noted two other crew members, both enlisted personnel, seated in the most forward section of the bridge. Each had controls in front of them to drive the ship and operate manually as a backup to the officers in the center of the bridge. This seems efficient.
“We have a pirate vessel blocking our route to a civilian outpost, sir. The scenario has us on a humanitarian relief mission where Chancerian citizens are being held hostage and a previous rescue mission failed when the pirate craft destroyed the incoming ship,” the Operations Officer, Lieutenant Kelly, said from his post. The man turned to face the captain. “I’m ready to engage the scenario when you are, sir”
Captain Tyrone nodded. “Let’s do this. Make the announcement, Lieutenant.”
“Aye, sir,” Kelly said, taking control of the ship’s comms. “Attention on board the Krylex. We are being engaged by a non-military enemy combatant. The pirate vessel attacked a Chancerian naval vessel during its efforts to provide humanitarian relief to citizens on Kero. All hands need to be strapped in for battle maneuvering as we engage. Damage Control teams will be deployed in the event of a casualty. This is a drill.”
With the scenario read to the crew, Calibri watched as the room dimmed to battle lighting, casting the entire bridge in a blue glow. The monitors seemed to become brighter, and a large bulkhead monitor across from her turned on and showed the pirate vessel in lifelike detail. Holy shit, Calibri thought, it’s so real.
The bridge hummed with electric anticipation as the battle sequence began. This was Calibri’s first time in a battle simulation on an actual ship, and she was mesmerized by the bustling activity, which did not seem to be inhibited much by the fact everyone was strapped down in their chairs. She thought it was odd considering the ship was under thrust and the gravity was enough to keep everyone firmly planted on the deck, especially when assisted by the mag-boots. But she realized rather quickly why the straps were important.
“Turn port, heel to starboard,” Captain Tyrone ordered. “Light ‘em up with the PDC's and save the torpedoes for the next run.”
“Aye, sir,” Kelly replied as he moved his hands across the console and guided the Krylex in its maneuver. Calibri felt the ship roll and then the immense pressure on her as it banked in vacuum, the thrust pushing against her as if it was trying to crush her. Her teeth hurt due to the pressure and she heard a general sigh of relief as the pressure balanced out.
“Pull us out of their firing range and turn back for the next run. I want five torpedoes locked and ready by time we are in range again.”
“I’m on it, sir. Hold on tight—this will hurt,” Kelly shouted to the rest of the crew on the bridge.
Calibri had never seen a battle-sim like this one and wondered why it seemed acceptable for the other members of the crew to speak without using military protocol. She looked at the captain and he glanced over, a slight smile on his face, before the g-forces increased and pressed them both back in their chairs. Calibri lost sense of what direction the ship was moving and could barely open her eyes to view the screen. The pirate vessel was out of visual range and all she could see was a starry black canvas and simulated planets in the distance. The simulation was designed to have the ship defend a small civilian outpost from pirate activity, and the artistry of it was stunning, at least when she could focus on it. The thrust increased against her, and this time the pressure shifted sides, making her feel kicked in the back. She groaned against the forces being applied to her body and prayed she would not black out before the ship settled once again. It was a happily answered prayer, though she could have sworn she cracked a rib with the last maneuver. At least I’m fully awake now, she thought as she gasped for air.
“We’re ready for the run, sir, but one torpedo chute is jammed. What do you advise?”
She glanced over at Captain Tyrone and watched as he clinched his jaw tightly. “Proceed, but stagger the shots three seconds apart. Keep the PDC’s firing to make up for the lost torpedo. We’re going to crack that ship open like an egg.”
“Aye, sir. Accelerating now.”
With little-to-no warning, the ship lurched, a sensation Calibri had not felt since reporting on board, and now she felt afraid. This is exhilarating, the hardier part of her thought.
Calibri watched the other members of the crew work, their hands flashing along the consoles, their eyes staring into monitors and trying to calculate the next step in their attack. On the large monitor, she could see the pirate vessel looming as if waiting for the Krylex to strike again. A part of her wondered if a real pirate ship would wait the way it did in the simulation, when a second glance alerted her to the fact its torpedo chute was open
“Sir, the pirate ship’s torpedo chute is open,” she said, causing the captain and several members of the crew to glance at the large monitor.
“That wasn’t picked up by my scan,” Kelly said, scratching his head. “Recommend we abort our current run and evade before the torpedo launches.”
Captain Tyrone’s nostrils flared. “Abort and launch a single torpedo as we veer from our current run.”
“Are, sir,” the man responded as he placed his hands back on the throttle for the maneuvering thrusters and glided the Krylex away from the pirate ship. “Torpedo away.”
Calibri watched with wide eyes as their torpedo lit off and sped towards the pirate vessel. The other ship responded in kind, launching its armament, but it was too late. The Krylex’s torpedo erupted outside of the ship’s hull, and the dual explosions caused the outer hull of the vessel to crack, opening it to vacuum and potentially killing everyone inside, had the ship been real.
Shouts of victory erupted on the bridge, and Calibri watched with muted excitement as the crew members in the center of the bridge high-fived one another in celebration.
“That was a helluva good catch, Commander,” Captain Tyrone said as he stood next to her. She hadn’t noticed him get up from his chair, and he startled her. The active celebration on the bridge was distracting, as was the pain in her side, but it was finally subsiding. Maybe it’s not a cracked rib after all.
She unbuckled her restraints and stood to shake his hand. “Thank you, sir. I think it was a lucky find. I had the luxury of observing rather than taking part in the simulation, since this was a training exercise I was unfamiliar with. I hope I can repeat such observations in the heat of the moment if it ever becomes necessary.”
“Agreed,” he said with a smile. “That kind of attention to detail is paramount in protecting our ship and crew. Let’s hope we all learned something from this exercise.”
“What’s next, sir?”
He turned and looked at the crew still celebrating their victory. “I say we let them have their day and have the mess bake a cake in their honor. I’m thinking chocolate and cream frosting?”
Calibri wasn’t much of a cake enthusiast, but she understood what the captain was trying to do for his crew. “I’ll talk to the Food Services Officer and see what can be done,” she replied.
“Good. I think we should have a social tonight as well; all officers and enlisted can meet on the mess decks for cake and ice cream. It’s been a while since this crew has had something like that. Besides, it would be a good idea for them to know their new XO had a hand in planning the occasion. Don’t you think?”
Calibri cocked her head to the side, taking a moment to understand what he meant. “Oh, I see. Yes, sir, I do think that is an excellent idea.”
He smiled and patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t forget, the welfare of the crew is your number one job. Taking my job is a close second,” he teased her with a smirk. “But excellent job again. I’m quite impressed.”
“Thank you, sir,” she replied, feeling confidence she hadn’t realized she was lacking before this day.
Maybe this tour won’t be so bad, she thought as she turned to leave the bridge. As long as the captain is happy then maybe I will be too. Besides, I have someone I get to celebrate this victory with and I can’t wait to tell him about it.
Calibri began her walk off the bridge, realizing she was a little disoriented, but it felt good for her to be on her feet and moving. She was surprised by how much she enjoyed the battle simulation and, despite the lack of sleep involved, she looked forward to taking part in it again. She just wasn’t keen on losing sleep again anytime soon. As she walked through the passageways and back to her quarters, hearing the notice for the crew to stand down from the drill, Calibri realized for the first time she had a big grin on her face. Maybe it was the fact Captain Tyrone told her she was doing a good job. Or maybe it was because she was minutes away from seeing Luke in the wardroom for breakfast. Either way, it was a great start to the day.
Chapter 9
Six months later
The alarm chirped as the lighting in Luke’s quarters illuminated to a dim setting. The alarm was not for Luke, though. This was the third night Calibri slept in Luke’s quarters and the third night she woke up before the alarm sounded, her mind racing with thoughts of life outside the Chancerian Navy, outside the hull of the Krylex. A life outside. The light showed how the space was half the size of hers and cramped, especially with the model ships lining every available surface. But her quarters was too close to those of other members of the crew, and it would be obvious if he stayed with her. So, they made the effort of cramming into his room, tucked away from prying eyes.
She moved to get up when Luke’s hand touched her hip. “Don’t get up yet,” he said groggily.
“Why not?” she teased as her head rested back onto the pillow next to his. “Don’t you want to get your beauty rest?”
Luke groaned, it was the closest thing to a laugh she would get this early in the morning, but it was something she liked about him. He was the opposite of her by not being a morning person at all. “I just like feeling your body close to me and kind of hoping there’s something you might want to do about it,” he said.
Calibri smiled. “Even half asleep your mind always focuses on sex.”
Another groan, another sleepy laugh.
“I can give you a few minutes more, but the bridge is a long walk from
here.”
“That’s my girl.” He sounded more awake which, to Calibri, meant he thought he was going to get lucky.
“Not right now, Tiger,” she whispered. Tiger was her pet name for him for the last month, and it was one he answered to without much complaint. Well, he had one complaint; tigers were extinct for the last thousand years. She lay against him, letting his hand wander along her body as they resting in peaceful quiet. It was the quiet that made her uncomfortable. “Do you ever think about the future?” Calibri asked.
“Sometimes,” he answered. “Do you?”
“Of course, otherwise I wouldn’t be asking,” she teased.
Luke chortled. “Do you think about me when you think about the future?”
Calibri blew a tuft of hair out of her face. “Sometimes.”
He rolled over and eyed her with mock wariness. “Sometimes? I thought you liked me, I thought you loved me. What happened to always?” Now he was smiling, his white teeth in stark contrast to the dark facial hair sprouting along his chin.
Calibri giggled. “Well, sometimes is better than never.”
“I suppose that’s true, but it still bruises the ego a little bit.”
They both lay silent for a moment, the only sounds in the room coming from the air ventilation and their breathing. It was the third night she slept in his quarters and despite how careful they were, she was still nervous about being found out. Not enough to stop, she admitted to herself, but enough to think about it at least.
“What do you plan on doing after the Navy?” Luke asked, breaking the silence and pulling Calibri from her thoughts.
“I’m not sure. I would like to find a world with a low cost of living and hope my retirement can cover it.”
“Really? I was thinking about going back to Jhont. My family is there and I know I can find a job fairly easy.”
“That’s true, but Jhont is severely overpopulated. The breeding laws are the same there as Ukrainias and Purst; even Kero is growing too fast to support free-breeding.”