‘Thank you, Cadet,’ Forest found her voice, though it shook with nerves. ‘Do you have anything more to add?’
Nida paused in thought before shaking her head.
When they’d walked into this room, she’d looked ready to pop. He’d assumed standing before the Academy Board would freak her out, rendering her speechless and more awkward than usual.
How wrong he’d been.
She had her voice, alright. And her words had done something his couldn’t: with one look around the boardroom, it was clear every person present now understood the full severity of the situation.
‘Very well,’ Forest breathed through her fear, straightening up as she did, ‘that will be all. Please remain outside in the corridor. We will call for you if you’re needed.’
Nida nodded. As she turned to walk away, she paused. ‘Shouldn’t I return to the secure room in the medical bay? I’m still under observation, right?’ she asked.
‘All readings so far confirm that modified TI is doing its job. I would commend whoever crafted it, but I fear that unless I heed your warning now, I’ll get to meet them in person. We need to do everything we can to stop the Vex.’
Nida swallowed, nodded low, snapped a perfect salute, and turned.
Not before shooting Carson a look. It was vulnerable, it was confused, yet her chin was still held aloft with undeniable strength.
If his heart had gone out to her before, now he swore it tumbled free from his chest.
She was incredible.
Christ, words couldn’t express what she’d been through, nor the courage and strength she’d drawn on to continue.
Carson could easily admit he’d never felt like this about someone before.
Cadet Nida Harper. She most definitely was not meant to be his type.
She was.
Now he couldn’t imagine his life without her.
. . . .
As she left, the fear set in.
Unless he did everything he could, he’d lose her, and his beloved Coalition too.
It took Forest several seconds to speak. She was still clearly lost in thought and fear. Soon enough she cleared her throat. Pressing a hand into her mouth, muffling her words, she managed, ‘what do we do?’
For a woman as in control as Forest, it was symptomatic of this situation that she couldn’t find her own answers.
A few people muttered. Soon enough, it built, and everyone blurted their thoughts at once.
‘We need to amass the fleet and take it to Remus 12. This time we’ll be ready for them. We can obliterate their ships from space just as they realign with our timeline.’
‘We have to fall back, create a defensive line in a remote system, and bolster it, ensuring no Vex ship can cross and reach Earth or any other Coalition planet.’
‘We have to evacuate Earth. It will be a huge expense, but we need to move all civilians to planets beyond the Vex’s reach. We’ll wait out their attack. It will only last a day.’
‘No,’ Carson spoke, surprising himself. ‘None of that will work. Nida told you not to underestimate them, and she’s right. If we confront them or run, they’ll still find a way to overcome us.’
‘Then what are our options?’ one Admiral erupted. ‘Confront or run are the only possible scenarios we can entertain. If neither will work, are you suggesting we give up?’
All eyes settled on Carson.
His mouth became dry, an itching heat tracing up his back and down the insides of his arms. Clamping his hands tight, he shook his head.
He knew the answer to this. He’d always known the answer. Ever since their return from the future, Carson had concluded there was only one possible way to defeat the Vex safely.
And forever.
He couldn’t push the words out though. Once they were out, he knew the Board would agree.
In doing so, that would break his promise to Nida.
He’d told her they’d find a way to fix Vex’s timeline. To heal the damage the entity had done.
There was no way, though. Not a safe one. The Vex were an incalculable threat to the Coalition.
So he knew what he had to do.
Wincing, actually feeling his words stab into him like swords, he forced them out, ‘we destroy the planet. We can’t afford to fight the Vex. It’s that simple.’ He felt sick, and he thought of Nida, but he forced himself to continue. ‘If we destroy the planet before the timelines can realign, we’ll prevent it from ever happening.’
Silence met his admission.
It stretched for barely five seconds until the Admiral nodded her head firmly, ‘I concur. It is the only way. The Vex timeline is broken, and there is no known way to fix it. Even if we do not destroy the planet, and find some way to ride out their attack, we will simply be condemning the future. Though the entity has now been removed from Vex’s timeline, we cannot know for sure that another of its kind will not leak through to this dimension and continue its cause.’
Her words were cold, hard, ruthless. But right.
They could not afford to risk the Coalition. It was comprised of hundreds of races, thousands of planets, and too much life to gamble.
Still, it was a horrible decision, one he’d pay for when Nida found out.
He just hoped that once the entity was removed, she wouldn’t feel its guilt anymore.
Things would go back to normal.
He held onto that belief as the details of the destruction of Vex were discussed.
The rest of the Board did not need convincing of the validity of this plan. There was no other way to safeguard the Coalition.
The meeting ran for over an hour. When it was done, Carson felt as though he’d been in a fight for his life. He was weary and emotionally fatigued.
He couldn’t sleep though.
It wasn’t every day the Coalition decided to blow up an entire planet. It wasn’t an easy task, either. Few cruisers had the firepower required to rip away the rock surrounding a planet’s core and obliterate it completely.
The technology did exist, though, and was now being assembled at break-neck speed.
The wheels were in motion, to borrow an old Earth phrase, and soon enough a fleet would leave for Remus 12.
To destroy it.
Using top priority routes, it could make it there in time. All other traffic along the transport lines would be shut down to preserve speed, but any inconvenience caused would be a small price to pay for the ultimate survival of the Coalition.
Carson would accompany the fleet to Remus 12. He still knew the most about the Vex, and he’d be an asset to any team.
Nida would come too. The Admiral was adamant her unique perspective may come in handy. Nida had clearly impressed the Admiral with her assessment of the Vex, and the worst recruit in 1000 years had skyrocketed in Forest’s eyes.
Carson was in two minds about bringing her along. Yes, she knew a lot about the Vex, and if their plan went wrong, she really would be an incalculable asset. She could fight alongside him, and with her control of the entity, it could give them a chance.
He could also keep an eye on her, try to bolster her spirits whenever he could.
. . . .
But was it really a good idea to take her along? What if the entity did something? What if Nida did something?
Though he’d never question her loyalty, he knew she’d be appalled at the decision to destroy Remus 12. An ordinary cadet would have to stow their opinions and get on with the mission.
Nida never had been and never would be a normal cadet.
Once she found out the Coalition’s intensions, she could . . . what? What did he honestly think she’d do?
Join the Vex? Side with the entity?
Of course she wouldn’t.
This was Nida; she’d do what was right.
Satisfied of that fact, he walked through the Academy halls in a bit of a daze. Though there was so much to do, he was having trouble focusing. He just wanted to get it all done already. Snap his fingers,
arrive on Remus 12, destroy it, and finish this sorry adventure.
He couldn’t.
So he’d have to learn to live with the sinking feeling in his gut.
Still in a daze, Carson walked into someone. Apologizing immediately, he maneuvered swiftly around them to continue on.
‘What the hell?’ the guy turned.
Carson froze.
‘Where the heck have you been? I don’t see you for weeks, and now you’re pretending you don’t know me?’
It was Travis.
God, it was Travis.
Carson faced his best friend.
He was alive.
His best friend was alive.
Carson started to laugh. He coughed through it, his chest shaking, his cheeks paling in disbelief as he locked a hand over his mouth.
Travis was alive.
Of course he was—he’d died in the future, but this was the present.
That wasn’t the point though. The memory of Travis’ sacrifice was still so raw in Carson’s mind, he could feel it tingling in his gut and the palms of his hands.
Travis looked at him askance. 'Ah, what?'
'You're alive,' Carson breathed through his surprise. He couldn’t shake the shock of seeing his best friend. It shook through him instead.
‘. . . Ah, yeah, last time I checked I was. Why are you being so weird? I heard you had a wild adventure—though no one’s deemed to share the exact details with me.
Apparently they’re top secret or something. Seriously though, were you hit on the head? Of course I’m alive.’
Carson was speechless. To see Travis in the flesh and blood, joking as he always did, was confronting.
It brought back memories of seeing him sacrifice himself and his ship for a slim chance of saving the present . . . .
Carson sucked in a deep breath.
Travis narrowed his eyes. ‘What’s up with you? You’re all pale? And what the heck happened with that Nida character, ha?’ Travis’ demeanor suddenly changed. In fact, light bulbs appeared to go off behind his eyes, a worrying enthusiasm infiltrating his tone. ‘I heard from one of the guys on Harrington’s security team that you held hands with her. Now how cute is that? The great Carson Blake holding hands, I mean, wow. I kind of had a feeling there could be something between the two of you.’
Carson shook his head.
He could barely process this. Seeing Travis so cheerful and oblivious was jostling with the memory of seeing his ashen and broken face from the future.
Clamping a hand over his mouth, Carson simply breathed.
‘So anyway, when the Academy finishes debriefing you, we should go out. Bridget, that friend of Alicia, keeps asking after you. Though I suppose I should tell her you’re now accounted for, ha?’
‘Travis . . . I’m not going to get a chance to go out tonight.’
‘What? You and Nida got other plans?’ he smirked.
Carson didn’t react. He didn’t care that Travis was teasing him. Heck, all Carson cared about was that his best friend was still alive.
He’d have to try hard to keep him that way, though.
‘No, we don’t have other plans. Travis . . . I’ve still got something to sort out with the Academy.’
News of the Vex had not and would not spread. Only those on the Board would know of the plan to destroy Remus 12, only those on the resultant mission to destroy the planet would ever know what had happened.
If the Academy publicized what was happening, there’d be panic.
Carson couldn’t and wouldn’t say a word. He tried for an unconvincing smile instead.
‘What? Has something come up? Are they going to send the Force on some kind of mission? Because I’ve got to admit, this couldn’t come at a more inconvenient time: things are just starting to work out with Alicia.’
Inconvenient time, ha? Yeah, Carson could appreciate that on a level Travis couldn’t begin to comprehend.
Rather than set his friend straight, Carson swallowed and tried to keep his expression neutral. ‘It’ll be awhile till I’m done with the Academy.’
‘Okay, whatever. Let me know when you’re ready to go out, though. I can’t wait to see the E Club when the worst recruit in 1000 years walks in hanging off your arm.’
‘Don’t call her that,’ Carson snapped. It was quick, it was harsh, and it underlined just how nervy he felt.
Travis’ eyes opened wide in surprise. ‘Ah, okay . . . touchy subject. I’ve got it. Anyhow, glad you’re home buddy,’ Travis moved forward and slapped a hand on Carson’s back.
Carson looked up into his friend’s face. ‘Yeah,’ he managed after a lengthy pause. ‘Good to be home.’
Offering him a confused look, Travis shrugged, moved off, and offered a nonchalant wave over his shoulder. ‘Good luck doing whatever you’re doing.’
He’d need it.
God, he’d need it.
Chapter 14
Cadet Nida Harper
She was at a loss.
A total loss.
She stuck around outside the boardroom until someone dismissed her.
Now she simply wandered the corridors. She wasn’t sure whether she should return to her room in the medical bay, or whether she was free to go wherever she pleased.
Admiral Forest seemed confident the entity was in control. Nida doubted that meant she could head back to class, go out on the town, or resume her old life as normal, though.
She should stick around the Academy.
If she was lucky, Carson would come find her and tell her what they’d do next.
What had the Academy Board decided? Would they evacuate Earth? Would they set up a defensive perimeter around the solar system?
Would she even be told?
Forest had made it clear Nida was just a cadet, and cadets had no business discussing the fate of the Coalition.
Maybe Nida’s part in this journey really was over. Carson and the rest of the Academy elite would see to the protection of their home, while she twiddled her thumbs.
As she walked, she stretched a hand out, pressing her fingers into the wall beside her.
It was her left hand.
Only the faintest blue glow encased it. Her skin no longer danced with that light, nor did her veins bulge with its power.
She could call on it, though. In a heartbeat, in a breath, in an instant—she could force through the TI to the entity, and command its incredible power.
She could lift the metal from the wall she touched, she could pull the carpet from the floor she walked upon. She could send every person spiraling through the air.
The power was always there. Right at her fingertips.
With it was the ever present question: with this much power, couldn’t she save the Vex?
With those same old thoughts assailing her, she didn’t notice as someone walked up behind her.
‘Oh my god, where the hell have you been? What happened to you?’ Alicia dropped the datapads she carried and threw herself at Nida.
Surprised, Nida squeaked as Alicia wrapped her arms around Nida’s neck and hugged her tightly.
‘Nida, what happened to you? No one would tell us anything. That night the TI object almost impaled you at the E Club . . . God, I didn’t think I’d see you again.’
Alicia wasn’t the kind to blubber. She was the kind to smile like a calculating cat and get you to do her bidding with a huff and a pout.
No. That was the old Alicia. The one Nida had never really known.
Her flat mate had already proved she was a decent person. Without her help, Nida really would have died at the E Club.
Alicia pushed away and looked into Nida’s face, her eyes darting about as she assessed Nida carefully. ‘Are you okay? Where have you been?’
Nida opened her mouth.
How to begin?
Ah, she’d been thrown back in time by a guilty entity hell-bent on fixing the damage it had accidently wrought to an entire world’s timeline?
There was no
neat way to summarize this.
She also knew she shouldn’t try; she wasn’t allowed to share any details of her adventure, nor the looming threat from the Vex, not until the Board decided what to do.
So Nida stood there and scrunched her lips together, trying to think of a good excuse.
Alicia’s eyebrows crumpled and she crossed her arms. ‘You’re not allowed to say, ha? I get it. But . . . Nida, I’m so happy you’re home.’
Alicia sounded and looked genuine. There was no haughty edge to her chin, nor a dismissive note to her voice.
‘Thanks, Alicia. It’s . . . good to be . . .’ she trailed off.
She wanted to say home.
She couldn’t.
She wasn’t home. Not really. A part of her—the entity—was still far away from where it belonged.
Alicia’s brow peaked in concern as she unhooked her arms and nodded. ‘Hey, I know you can’t talk about it, but do you want me to take you home? I wouldn’t really walk the corridors if I were you. You’re kind of a celebrity. No one has any idea what happened. Someone or something triggered the End Game Maneuver, Nida. It was insane. And I haven’t seen you since. I want to ask if you know something about it, but—’
‘Holy crap, it’s Nida Harper,’ someone said.
It was not Alicia, nor Carson, nor Travis, and of course it wasn’t the Admiral.
Oh no. As Nida turned, she recognized Bradley Marshall.
The same guy who’d given her hell that night at the E Club.
He was a bully, and he just loved picking on the worst and the weakest. Which was her.
Despite the fact she had the power of the entity, and could technically send Bradley shooting through the wall or out into space, she instantly felt sick.
‘Where on Earth have you been? If you’ve been on Earth, that is. And what the heck happened that night at the E Club? You screw something up again? Christ, they should have kicked you out of the Academy long ago.’
Bradley was drawing a crowd. Not only was he belittling her, he was doing it loudly.
‘What, you're not going to say anything?’ he challenged, chucking his head back and laughing as he did.
The last time Bradley had cornered her, Travis had come to her defense.
Travis wasn’t here.
‘Shut the hell up,’ Alicia hissed. ‘What’s wrong with you?’
Ouroboros- The Complete Series Page 77
