“It doesn’t matter. Here you will find the next piece of the puzzle.”
“Puzzle?”
“I wish I could tell you more, but the fact of the matter is I am violating every law we are governed by just communicating with you.”
“Why are you doing it then?”
“Because not all of us think Earth matters.”
“But obviously you do.”
“Yes, I do. Every world and every life-form matters.”
“Won’t you be punished if you’re discovered?”
“Probably, but I must do what I know in my heart is right.”
Chase nodded. Clearly the Olympians had free will as well. But there was something troubling him, something he had to ask.
“Aphroditis… Will we be victorious against the next wave of ships?”
“Unfortunately I cannot see the exact future, Chase, as it is actively created by the thoughts of every living being. I can only guess at the outcome.”
“Don’t get me wrong but, if you can’t be certain that what I’m doing now is going to succeed, why should I listen to you?”
“It will always be your choice to follow my advice. I’m here to guide you as your journey unfolds, but only you can shape your own reality.”
“That’s not going to give me nightmares at all,” he said sarcastically.
“I’m sorry, but I must leave now.”
All of a sudden, the world faded and Chase was back in Sarah’s flat. Her eyes shot open in surprise when she saw him standing in the middle of the room.
“Pheewww!” she cried in relief. “You scared me!”
“I’m sorry, I just went…to the restroom.”
“No problem. I guess we must have fallen asleep after all.”
“Yeah.” He gestured to the monitor. “The frozen guy came back.”
She giggled and tucked her hair behind her ears. “I’m glad you got into it.”
“I like the little green man.”
She yawned and stretched. “Everyone likes that little frog.”
“Frog?”
She waved her hand dismissively. “Forget it.”
“Well hey.” He knelt down in front of the sofa. “I suggest you go back to sleep. I’m going to head back to my ship to try to get some rest as well. I’ll call you in a few hours.”
She yawned again. “Okay, sounds good. I’m exhausted.”
“Yeah me too. That’s why I should get going.”
“Unless…?” She let the word hang in the air.
“Unless what?”
There was a moment of silence before the corners of her lips turned up in a small smile. “You could stay and sleep here…maybe?”
“But you only have one bed. I guess I could sleep on the couch…” his voice trailed off as she stepped in front of him and put a finger on his lips.
“I meant with me, in my bed… If you want to.”
A wave of shyness rendered him temporarily mute and he froze, trying to make a rational decision.
“It’s a big bed, Chase,” she continued, “enough room for the both of us. I… You’re going on a dangerous mission soon, and I want to spend a little more time with you. If that’s okay…”
Chase’s heart was pounding, but a feeling of warmth was spreading down to his fingertips and he smiled. “I…I’d like that very much, actually.”
She approached him slowly. Her skin was flushed, but her eyes were soft and kind as she ran her finger down his arm, took his hand and dragged him gently to the bedroom.
It looked like a small mine had exploded. There were clothes and shoes strewn about the desk and the floor, but in the center was a bed large enough to accommodate them both.
“Sorry for the mess.” She quickly kicked some jackets into the open closet. “I can be such a slob sometimes.”
“No problem. I…I can see that.”
She punched him affectionately. “Hey, that’s not a very nice thing to say to a lady.”
He held up his hands with a mischievous grin. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t—”
But before he could finish his sentence, she closed her eyes and kissed him full on the lips. That same electric buzz he’d felt the first time he saw her flooded through his entire body and, before he knew it, he was kissing her back. They tripped and stumbled closer to the bed and, at the same time, they started taking off each other’s clothes.
Chase felt like his skin was on fire. He’d never felt anything like this before and he never wanted the moment to end. Fortunately, Sarah seemed to feel the same way and, from the way she was kissing him, she didn’t have any plans of letting him go any time soon…
17
This must be what it feels like to be in love.
Chase couldn’t stop smiling. He had hardly gotten a bit of sleep, but somehow, he wasn’t tired. He walked the corridors of the Destiny like a new man. Sure his own bed had felt cold and hard compared to Sarah’s. Sure he was about to go on yet another life-threatening mission and at any moment a Zarlack fleet could drop out of hyperspace and blow them all away. But he was here now. And so was Sarah.
And life couldn’t get much better than that.
The comm beside his bed beeped and he flicked it on. It was the captain.
“Yes, Captain?”
“Hello, Chase. I passed by your quarters this morning, but you weren’t there. The computer located you somewhere on Earth so I decided not to bother you.”
“Anything wrong?”
“No, but I thought you’d like to be on the bridge for the testing of the first satellite.”
“Absolutely,” he said quickly. “I’ll be up soon.”
“We’ll wait for you.”
“Thanks, Captain. Chase out.”
As the transmission ended, Chase quickly changed from his training attire to his uniform but, before he went to the bridge, he called Sarah. She answered voice only this time.
“Hey there, how are you?”
He smiled at the sound of her voice. “I’m great, how are you?”
“I’m good. I just got called by my superiors; apparently you guys are testing the satellite in a few moments. I’m running late. I gotta go to headquarters; don’t want to miss that.”
“I just got the same call; I’ll be heading to the bridge shortly.”
“Great.” There was a slight pause. “Was there something you wanted to tell me? I’ve really gotta hurry or I’ll miss the test.”
“Yes, I…”
“Spit it out, Chase. I think after last night, you can ask me anything.”
His face flushed. Thank god this was audio only. “It’s about the mission.”
“What mission? Ah yes—the mission. What about it?”
“I—I mean, would you—Would you like to join me?
“Jeez, I thought you’d never ask.”
“You’d like to come?”
“Of course, silly. Would I pass an opportunity to go out in space and fly the F-140?”
“We won’t be taking the F-140s; we haven’t installed missiles on them yet, plus the prototypes are needed here so the improvements I ordered can be installed.”
Her voice flattened in disappointment. “Oh.”
“But our ships are nice as well, don’t worry.”
“I’m sure. Did you manage to install the mind interface on them yet?”
“Not yet, but it shouldn’t take long. I’ll make sure both our fighters are equipped.”
“Alright, so I guess we’ll see each other shortly.”
“Yes, I can’t wait.”
“Me neither. I had a great time last…well…last night and this morning too.”
Chase grinned. “Me too. See you later.”
“Bye.”
He grabbed his jacket and hurried up to the bridge. But the more he walked, the more he thought, and the more his smile faded away. He was delighted that Sarah would be accompanying him on the mission, but…what if something happened to her? In the middle of hostile space, he cou
ld hardly guarantee his own safety, let alone hers. But before these thoughts could run away with him, he was at the double doors. Swallowing back his fear and clearing his face of emotion, he stepped inside.
The bridge was bustling with activity; everyone was buzzing around different control terminals getting ready for the test. When the captain spotted Chase, he gestured for him to take a seat beside his own chair at the weapons control and tactical test. Chase instantly complied, wondering as to the location of Sergeant Zarthas, the man who usually occupied that chair.
As if he could read minds, the captain answered, “I’ve sent him to engineering. They were short staffed for the last calibrations, and I thought you’d like to do the honors anyway.”
“Thanks, Captain, with pleasure.” Chase grinned with satisfaction, before he suddenly remembered his request. “But first, I need to ask you something…”
“Sure, what is it?”
“It’s regarding the mission.”
“Alright. I’m listening.”
“I’d like to request permission to bring Sarah Kepler with me.” Chase immediately bit his lip and regretted calling her Sarah.
The captain gave him a long look. “Sarah? You mean Commander Kepler.”
“Yes…yes sir.”
“Any particular reason?”
“Well, since we agreed that I can’t take Daniel with me, I thought it would be good to have another experienced pilot. Her flying skills impressed me when we tested the F-140s.”
“Alright. I’ll ask her superiors, but I don’t see why not.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“What do you say we fire up this bad boy?”
“Absolutely. What are we firing upon?”
“The moon.”
Chase’s eyes grew wide. “What?”
“I’m kidding, son. We placed a few targets in its orbit, mostly debris from the battle.”
“Alright, gimme a second to familiarize myself with the controls…” He quickly examined the panel and nodded to himself. “Okay, seems pretty straightforward.”
“Anytime now, Chase.”
“Acquiring target lock…and firing…now!”
On the wall monitor, the entire bridge could see the diamond-shaped satellite fire successive pulses of energy toward floating debris that was obliterated upon impact.
People on the bridge cheered, and the engineers from both Earth and the Alliance were shaking hands and congratulating themselves. Captain Saroudis seemed pleased as well.
“What about the shields?” Chase asked. “Will they be operational soon?”
“Chief Tixichos thinks they should be up and running by the end of the week.”
“Let’s hope the fleet doesn’t arrive before then. And that I can return with some reinforcements too.”
“That would be ideal, but we must proceed under the assumption that you may not come back with reinforcements, and…” Captain Saroudis left the sentence in midair.
“That I may not return at all…”
“Yeah, I don’t like that part one bit.”
“I know, Captain, but we really have no other choice.”
“That doesn’t mean I have to like it.” He frowned. “Just make sure you don’t get killed out there, you hear me, son?”
“Understood.” Chase quickly changed the subject. “Is that all with the satellite?”
“Actually, now that you mention it, the chief is working on an alternate firing option.”
“Is he? What would that be?”
“An intense burst of energy sustained for several seconds.”
Chase frowned. “I feel a ‘but’ coming…”
“Yes, there is a downside. The shield will be down during the entire duration of the shot. While that’s to be expected, it will take ten more seconds for them to become available, and another twenty seconds before the satellite can fire its primary weapons again. Three to five minutes to fire again with the secondary weapon.”
“Well, it’s a nice backup in case we need to inflict a serious amount of damage to a battleship, sir, and I think we can make those weaknesses work to a tactical advantage.”
“So do I, but it’s all academic as long as we don’t have shields on these satellites.”
“What’s the status on the completion of the other two?”
“Upon my request, Earth has dispatched even more men in order to finish them earlier. Teams will be working around the clock, and the other three satellites should be ready by the time their shield components are ready to be tested.”
“Another three, sir? I thought we could only build three of these in total.”
“Well, I’ve reclaimed a little more quadrinium from every ship in the fleet so we can build a fourth.”
“Alright, sounds good. But do we still have enough to jump out of here if needed?”
The captain sighed. “Chase, I’ve been thinking a lot about that… I don’t see us abandoning this planet, even if things turn bad.”
“I understand how you feel, Captain, but we might need to do it on a strategic level.”
“Well, we’ll have enough for a medium or two small jumps at most, and soon after we’d be dead in the water anyway.”
“My mission suddenly seems even more imperative,” Chase murmured.
“When are you scheduled to leave?”
“We haven’t decided an exact hour, but I’m thinking sometime tomorrow. I’d leave today but I still need to alter some systems and nail down a few final details.”
“Very well, Chase, may the gods be with you.”
Chase wanted to say that they were and he didn’t like the tone of their last visit, but he didn’t want to worry the captain more than was needed. The entire universe was in turmoil and they needed to stay focused on one task at a time. Aphroditis was adamant about the importance of defending Earth, and that should be the captain’s priority.
“Thank you, Captain. If that will be all?”
“Yes, Lieutenant Commander, you’re dismissed.”
Chase left the bridge and decided to go see Daniel, but he wasn’t in his quarters. After inquiring with the computer, he found him in the mess hall. He was about to eat his usual ration of protein bars when Chase arrived.
“Hey, Chase,” he said cheerfully.
“Hey, buddy, how’s it going?”
“Fine. About to grab a bite and go back on patrol with some new pilots from Earth. We need to train them on both our fighters and then later the F-140s.”
“That sounds great; you shouldn’t eat that though.”
Daniel looked down at the bar. “Why’s that?”
“It’s got nothing on pizza!”
“What is pizza?”
“Let me bring you one.”
Chase went to the synthesizer and quickly uploaded the Internet database he fed the one he gave to Sarah. A few minutes later, he came to the table with a double pepperoni and cheese, Chicago-style pizza.
Daniel’s eyes widened as he set it down. “What the hell is this?”
“This, my friend, is a little slice of heaven.”
Daniel frowned skeptically, but he took a tentative bit. A second later, his face transformed and Chase couldn’t help but smile.
“This is…this is unbelievable! Where did you get this? Since when do our food distributors make this?”
“Since a minute ago. I taught it most of the food recipes from Earth. Humans know how to eat. Of course, their versions are full of saturated fat and toxic ingredients, but I’ve programmed our distributor to keep the good and get rid of the bad; most of it anyway, there does seem to be a correlation between fat and taste so some of it has to still be present.” He grinned proudly.
“Toxic ingredients, you say?”
“Nothing to worry about; it’s quite safe in these proportions.”
“If you say so… Well, actually, even if you didn’t say so. I don’t think I could resist now that it’s right under my nose.” He took another huge bite.
&nbs
p; “Glad you like it.”
“Did you just come here to bring me…what’s it called again?”
“Pizza. No, I wanted to see you a little before I leave for the mission.”
“And when is that?”
“Early tomorrow. I’ve got to finish up some calibrations for the ships, and install neuronal controls on the fighters.”
“I meant to ask you about that after your test flight. How is it working?”
“Well I didn’t think I’d like it so much, but analysis of my flight test with Sarah showed I gained in accuracy and speed by more than twenty percent.”
“Who’s Sarah?”
“Oh crap, I have to stop doing this.”
Daniel leaned forward curiously. “Doing what? Spill!”
“Commander Kepler.”
“Oh I see. Sarah is it then?” He grinned. “Good for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Dude, I’ve known you since the academy. I could totally tell you were smitten with Commander Kepler.”
Chase got quiet then said, “I think I’m in love.”
“Seriously? So soon? Boy, she must be something!”
“Yeah she is. She’s sweet, beautiful, funny, and thanks to her you’re eating pizza.”
“I see. She made this for you?”
“Kind of…”
“What does that mean?”
“It would take too long to explain. Let’s just say, I learned more about humans with her last night than since we arrived on the planet.”
Daniel’s eyebrow lifted and Chase quickly back-pedaled.
“I mean…oh boy.”
“That’s alright, bud, I’m just messing with you. I must say, I’ve met a lot of pretty humans myself these last few weeks, but I haven’t fallen head over heels for any of them.”
“Yet.”
“Fair enough,” he agreed. “I guess I didn’t exactly try fraternizing much either.”
“Scary, isn’t it?”
“Tell me about it. Well, you don’t seem to have that problem.”
“I was terrified, but it just happened naturally.”
“I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks, buddy.”
“Isn’t it going to be weird leaving for that mission tomorrow without her?”
Chase smiled happily. “Oh, I asked that she be assigned to the mission too.”
Universe in Flames – Ultimate 10 Book Box Set: An Epic Space Opera Adventure Page 24
