The Crucible: Leap of Faith

by Odette C. Bell

  I should stop distracting myself. I should figure out what I was going to do when I reached the Hari System.

  I brought a tensed hand up and pushed my fingers across my brow, letting them drop until they cupped my chin, my grip so tight it was like I was trying to choke myself.

  I didn’t get the chance.

  I heard soft laughter from behind me. “Really? This is how we’re going to spend your last night off in several months?” A light voice asked.

  I turned with a grin. “Lieutenant Annabelle Williams, are you stalking me?”

  Lieutenant Williams snorted, a move that did not match the delicate beauty of the tall brunette. She marched into the room, boots slapping hard against the polished floor. Then she stood before me, neck arched back, arms crossed in front of her chest. “Stalking implies some effort, Nathan. I knew you’d be here. I just knew you’d spend your last night of freedom tucked into some lonely corner rather than celebrating with the rest of us.”

  “Rest of us?” My brow crumpled.

  She reached behind her and gesticulated with her hand. Suddenly a hologram leaped up from the implant in her left wrist. “I have new orders, Nathan, and they’re to accompany you on your next mission. So you don’t screw up,” she took a lot of pleasure in saying that.

  My brow crumpled, but I kept my grin on my face. “You’re transferring to my crew?”

  She nodded, a single strand of her long shiny brunette hair cutting across her face. Immediately she grasped it and tried to fix it back into the tight bun she always wore.

  Lieutenant Williams always maintained a professional appearance. Her uniform was immaculate, and she polished her command stripes every day. Even when you went into battle with her, she would always look perfect.

  “I’ve heard wild things about your crew. That you never fail a mission, and that you’re turning into the top brass’ favorite ship. Well, I’m going to have a great time proving everyone wrong, Nathan.”

  I carefully wiped the smile off my face. “Nathan? Are we on a first-term basis, Lieutenant?” I reached my hand behind me and leaned back on the couch as I faced her.

  For a second – for just a second – her usual calm control cracked.

  Then I laughed.

  She shot me a grim look. “You call that a sense of humor?”

  I continued to chuckle as I brought a hand up and scratched my head. “I’m renowned for it. I think you’ll find, Lieutenant, that I run a different ship. Your last posting will be nothing compared to this.”

  “Considering my last posting ended with critical engine failure, I really hope you’re right.”

  I sat up straighter. “Crap, that’s right, you were on the Fargo, weren’t you?”

  She snorted. “I can’t believe you’ve forgotten already; your ship did intercept us and provide assistance. Just because the command crew were picked up by a different vessel doesn’t mean you get to casually shrug off the fact you saved my life a week ago.”

  I stood. I hadn’t really heard a word she’d said. “Do you know an Ensign Jenks?”

  Williams blinked, confusion clear in her hazel eyes. “Yes, why?” She looked at me pointedly.

  “What’s she like? I mean, she seems so… distant.”

  “Yes, but why are you asking this, Nathan?”

  “Call it curiosity. I’ve seen her around a few times now, and… she just looks so lonely.”

  Williams tipped her head back and laughed. “I can’t believe this. You’re still running around being a Good Samaritan, aren’t you? You were always the one at the Academy who tried to ensure everyone felt included. It might make you a nice guy, Nathan, but it doesn’t make you a good commander. What’s going on in Ensign Jenks' head is her own problem. As soon as it starts to influence her duties, then you deal with it.”

  “I’m more of a risk management type of guy. I want to know that every member of my crew is okay. And I want to help them out before their problems impact their duties.”

  “Well, she isn’t a member of your crew. It’s not your problem. Ensign Jenks is just quiet. She was always prompt for her shifts and did what she was told. Though her skills are unexceptional, she appears to be a hard worker. Nobody ever had any problems with her, apart from her roommates.”

  “Roommates?”

  “Nothing really. It appears that Ensign Jenks talks in her sleep. Most people find it quite distracting. We ended up giving her her own room.”

  “What does she say?”

  “Really, Nathan?” Her jaw dropped dramatically. “It doesn’t matter. Shouldn’t you be focusing on our next mission?”

  There was little I could do but nod. I should be focusing on my next mission.

  I brought a hand up and massaged my face, revealing a little more tension than I should have.

  Williams sat down next to me. “I know infiltration missions aren’t your style, but this is important,” her voice shook.

  Annabelle was composed at all times. But now she looked… fragile.

  It stole my attention away as I swallowed. “What is it?”

  She took a deep breath and leaned back on her hands, letting her gaze flick towards the unremarkable view of space beyond. “The resistance is real, Nathan,” her voice dipped low until it was almost a whisper. “And they’re gathering momentum. They aren’t staying in the shadows anymore. Last week alone we had over 50 terrorist attacks throughout the Alliance.”

  “What?”

  “The House of Lords and Ladies is keeping a lid on it. They can’t let news like this spread. We can’t give in to the terrorists and let them drag us into a state of fear.”

  “If there were 50 terrorist attacks last week, it would be in the news!”

  “They were mostly on military facilities and personnel. The Star Forces is good at keeping things quiet. As the military arm of the Alliance, they have to be.”

  I sat there and stared at her. A cold pressure pushed through my chest, locking my limbs in place. “This is impossible.”

  “I wish it were,” she said bitterly as she shook her head and brought up a hand to pinch her nose. “But it’s happening. And we have credible evidence that a fair chunk of the resistance is being organized from the Hari System. That’s why this mission is so important.” She let her hand drop and stared at me directly.

  “… Why wasn’t I told earlier?”

  “You’re being told now because it influences your next mission. I’m not kidding – the House of Lords and Ladies has suppressed all information on this. They won’t risk telling non-essential personnel and potentially letting this news spread.”

  My top lip was sweaty and I brought a hand up to swipe it away. “What if the terrorist attacks spread? I mean, so what if they’re concentrating on military targets for now. They will move on to civilian targets soon.”

  She nodded slowly. “Of course they will, Nathan. That’s why we’re going on this mission. That’s why it’s so important. The whole Alliance could be on the line here. If the resistance is allowed to gather force, who knows how much damage they’d do?”

  I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t think. I just couldn’t process what she was telling me.

  “This will be the most important mission of your career,” she said with an obviously dry mouth as she shifted closer to me. “Everyone – the whole goddamn Alliance will be relying on you,” her voice cracked.

  I leaned away and stared at her.

  “You were always the one in the Academy who told us not to lose hope.” She leaned across and patted a hand over my taught sweaty knuckles. “This is what you’ve been training for, Nathan. You might doubt yourself right now, but you’ll do the right thing when the time comes.”

  Chapter 4

  Lieutenant Commander Nathan Shepherd

  I walked back to my ship in a daze. I contemplated the floor as I made it through the civilian passageways, my thoughts consuming me.

  This was… indescribable. Not only was the resistance real, but they had
already perpetrated hundreds of attacks.

  The Alliance was being besieged, and only the House of Lords and Ladies and a handful of Star Forces personnel appeared to know about it.

  Christ.

  A cold pressure was still building in my chest. It felt as if every muscle had turned to ice.

  I was now dog tired, but I knew my mind would not rest.

  I kept walking through the corridors, gaze slicing towards everybody I passed.

  I stared at them with a new question in my mind. Could they be part of the resistance?

  If the resistance really were powerful enough to attack the Alliance, how long would it be until they made their way to the capital?

  I rounded a corner that led to the lifts that could take me to the military docking ring. My ship would be there by now – ready to be resupplied for our upcoming mission. Though we could have been resupplied in the civilian docking ring, I imagined the Godspeed was being stuffed with as many special weapons as she could carry.

  I saw someone walking in front of me, the only other person in the corridor.

  I recognized her instantly.

  Ensign Jenks.

  She appeared to realize someone was behind her as she glanced my way. She frowned immediately.

  I felt like putting my hands up and protesting that I really wasn’t stalking her, and that we just happened to be walking in the same direction at the same time.

  Without a word she turned and continued walking forward.

  She disappeared around a corner.

  Momentarily, I allowed myself to be distracted by the sight of a massive heavy cruiser entering docking maneuvers. The wall to my left was just windows interspersed with the occasional structural metal plate, and it offered an unimpeded view of the military docking ring.

  The Alliance Attack Cruiser Ra’xon was docking. One of the flagships of the fleet, she was a real beauty to behold.

  I had time to smile at the beautiful vessel.

  Then there was an explosion.

  It tore towards me from further up the hall.

  I was thrown backwards slamming into the wall beside me, head cracking against the metal.

  I slumped to the ground just as a wall of fire tore towards me.

  In a single heartbeat, my eyes opened and my breath froze... I prepared to die.

  ….

  But my death did not come today.

  Emergency shields blinked into place around my body, protecting me from the wall of destruction as the fire slammed down the corridor.

  At the same time, more shields shot into place over the windows, protecting them before they could crack and suck everything into space. Then, with my body still protected by its own shield, a fire suppression system blinked into place, sucking all the oxygen and debris out of the room the flames were naturally extinguished.

  Two seconds later, the fresh atmosphere was pumped back in.

  I shook. There was a crack in my skull, and I could feel blood streaming down the back of my neck and wetting my collar. That explosion hadn’t been loud, but my ears rang so badly, I couldn’t even hear my panting breath as it slashed from my chest.

  I tried to push myself up, but the pain powered down my legs and into my feet. I’d damaged my back somehow, probably broken something, if not several things.

  In pure agony, I twisted my arm around and grabbed my back as best I could, searching for any bone protruding out of the flesh.

  My personal shield blinked out, having done what it had to. The fire suppression unit had cooled the once red-hot metal, and once atmosphere had been pumped back into the room and the shields had stabilized around the deck, I could survive on my own.

  Incapable of standing however, I crawled forward.

  “There has been an accident in your area,” a toneless voice echoed over the intercom, “it is recommended you remain still and wait for medical assistance.”

  I ignored the recommendation.

  I crawled until I reached the force-field-reinforced glass.

  Planting a shaking hand on the sill of the window, I pulled myself up, pain stabbing through my back as I moved. With blood still trickling down my neck and onto my collar, I angled my head until I could see into the military space dock.

  My first thought was that the Ra’xon had botched its docking procedures, and crashed right into the side of the docking ring.

  It hadn’t. In fact, it had pulled right back, its own powerful shields protecting it from the blast.

  I watched as the debris that had been sucked out from the explosion tumbled around the great silver hull of the Ra’xon. As she shifted back from the station, I caught sight of a ship beyond.

  It was floating in space, the main clamps that had once held it to the dock dangling from its side, singe marks scattered across the hull where metal was still intact. There was an enormous hole torn in the side, chunks of metal plating tumbling listlessly in space around it.

  I didn’t need to see the name painted across the glistening black hull to know which ship it was.

  The Godspeed.

  It was my goddamn ship.

  Ignoring the pain in my back completely, I pulled myself closer to the window, the flickering heat of the shield beyond the cracked glass playing against my face.

  Fear shot through me, descending so deep into my gut it felt as if it would liquefy my very organs.

  My ship. Christ, my ship.

  I watched as she tumbled in space, her erratic path taking her back towards the station.

  Before she could impact with it, the Ra’xon shot a beam of blue-green light towards it – a traction beam. It was powerful enough that it locked my ship in space, instantly stopping its deadly tumble towards the station.

  My ship… my ship.

  Just as that horrifying thought tore through my mind, I remembered something else.

  Ensign Jenks.

  Though it was murder – plain torture – I pushed myself to my feet. I could barely walk, let alone run, but I forced myself forward, ignoring the agony as it jerked through every muscle.

  Staggering, teetering on lifeless legs, I rounded the corner.

  I expected to see her dead.

  She’d been closer to the location of the explosion. When my ship had torn from its dock, it would have pulled a massive section of the corridor with it.

  Ensign Jenks should be—

  …

  Ensign Jenks

  The explosion had taken me off guard.

  I’d still acted, though.

  My mind had slowed down, seeing the explosion rip through the corridor before me.

  Automatically, without thinking, I extended both hands towards it. Yellow channels of light lit up over my forearms and across my fingers, pulsing out from the two implants lodged in my elbows.

  Just before the wall to my left could be torn open, I locked it in place.

  With nothing more than my mind.

  I held it there as fire swarmed around me. It didn’t touch my skin, though. I kept it back with my ability. I created a vortex of air around my body so no flame could touch me. Instead it rushed past me, continuing down the corridor in a deathly wall.

  I couldn’t think. All I could do was concentrate.

  This was the first time I’d used my powers since I’d escaped the facility. The first time I’d willingly used them, that was. Whenever my body ran out of compound 78, my ability to control myself was compromised. I could tear holes in walls around me or suck the air right out of a room.

  I kept my hands extended towards the wall, those channels of bright yellow-gold light still powering up and down my forearms. The light didn’t give me the ability to move objects; it accentuated a gift that was already there and allowed me to direct it.

  I held onto the wall until the emergency systems on the deck sprang into place, and shielding lit up across the wall, reinforcing the hull.

  Shields even snapped in place around me. I could have held them at bay if I’d chosen to.

/>   I didn’t. I let my hands drop, a shimmering blue emergency force field encasing my whole body from the tips of my toes to the top of my head.

  Soon the fire suppression system kicked into gear and the oxygen was sucked from the room.

  Then nothing but calm.

  There was a slight ringing in my ears, but that wasn’t from the explosion – it was from using my abilities.

  I took another step back, and my protective shields flickered off.

  I stood there listening to the creaking hull and floor, gaze slipping towards the cracks in the walls, shimmering structural shields in place behind them.

  I took another step back.

  What the hell had just happened?

  With a jerked movement, I brought my hands up and stared at them.

  Had that… had that been me? Had my abilities gotten out of hand again without me even noticing?

  With desperate eyes I searched my hands, finally letting my implants switch off, that gold-yellow hue disappearing instantly from under my skin.

  With my breath stuck in my chest, I searched my body for any sign I could have caused that accident.

  Then I took a step to the left. The section of hull I had been standing in front of had no windows. But as I walked several meters down the hall, I reached a section that did.

  I gazed into the military docking ring. I watched a ship tumbling in space, a massive hole ripped out of its side.

  There was no way I could have done that. Not that I couldn’t muster the power – but because it was too far away.

  I kept walking along the hallway, staring as a massive imperial battle-cruiser locked the tumbling ship in a traction beam.

  That’s when I heard someone moving behind me. Initially I thought it was a first response team. Then I heard ragged breath and heavy footfall.

  I turned to see somebody gasp.

  Lieutenant Commander Shepherd.

  … I’d forgotten all about him. He’d been behind me in the corridor.

  “Oh my god, you’re alive,” he said as he took a staggering step forward and then crumpled. His legs jerked out from underneath him, and he fell to one knee, a painful jolt passing through his body.

  I punched a hand out towards him.