Infinitys end, p.11
Infinity's End, page 11
“Waiting is what got us in this mess, Dracsal. Had the Sanctuary acted instead of debated when the threat was first established—”
“I’m not going to participate in conjecture with you, Zenfor. The past is past, we cannot change it.” He sighed, glancing off-screen. “I will speak with the council, but I will tell them the human, Diazal, brought this to us. Your name will not come up.”
“Thank you. Just make sure they understand the urgency. Time may be shorter than we realize.” Underneath the table, off the screen, Zenfor’s fists were clenched tight. She was almost done.
“There will be a lot of pushback. The new negative-mass weapons haven’t even been tested against the Athru yet.”
“We still have the interdimensional weapons, and we know those work,” she replied.
“But they are clumsy and unreliable,” Dracsal said. “Not to mention the damage they do to the fabric of space.”
“Which is why we needed the new weapon systems. Do you not consider the destruction of a star an equal, if not more destructive force?”
He threw a hand up, as if he’d heard enough. “I am done with this conversation. I will present the argument. You will hear from the Sanctuary within four sqirms. And it will be a broadcast message, no more direct contact. If you message here again, I will inform the Sanctuary and you will be arrested.” He cut the comm and the display went dark.
Zenfor stared at it a few moments before collecting herself. It hadn’t been perfect, but she felt like in some way, Zakria’s sacrifice had found retribution. It had at least forced Dracsal to listen long enough to consider the operation. But it didn’t mean they would be convinced. For that it might take more than every Sil sacrifice combined.
***
“What kind of patrol ship?” Evie shouted. They had dropped from the undercurrent and were cruising along at sub-light speeds. She saw the answer to her question before Tos could respond. Outside the main window was a large Athru ship to starboard, having come up alongside them.
“What are you doin’?” Tos yelled. “Git out of sight!”
Evie ducked back, stepping down the ladder so she could still hear, but not be seen through the windows of the bridge. She had expected the Athru eventually, but not so fast.
“Lach ma cha, est ma enlach,” a female voice said over the comms.
“Damn ‘thru,” Tos said. She could hear him tapping controls and levers. “Nobody understands this language around here. Woulda thought by now…” he trailed off.
“Unmarked vessel, identify and open communication,” the same voice—processed this time into universal—said.
“This is medical transport Kyro,” Tos said. “Transportin’ wounded back to Claxia Prime.”
“Claxia Prime,” the voice said. “Enable visual communication.” Evie heard the flicker of the display that would take up the whole main window. “N’galian, identify yourself.”
“Rak-D’stavis, out of Landox. I’ve got wounded here. You gonna let me pass or what?”
There was silence for a moment. “Explain the Claxian.”
Tos uttered what sounded to Evie like an annoyance. “I don’t know. He booked passage on my ship out of Landox and went into some kind of coma when he got on board. He had a Yax-Inax doctor takin’ care of ‘em and she came along. I was just hired to transport ‘em.”
More silence. Evie listened carefully. “You have two Athru on board as well.”
“Yeah, so?” Tos asked. Evie couldn’t believe how cavalier he was being with the Athru. Was it better to act like you weren’t afraid at all rather than feign reverence to them, as Run’ak had?
“I wish to speak with them,” the Athru said.
“They’re in…whaddaya call it? Meditation?”
“Wake them.” Evie’s heart jumped up in her chest. She glanced down to see Esterva standing at the bottom of the ladder. She had one finger to her lips.
“Look, they paid for this passage just like the Claxian. I was given instructions not to wake ‘em from whatever it is they’re doin’. Somethin’ about hallowed time. I don’t get it, I’m a simple driver. But ah’m not wakin’ my clients. You want to do that; you’re welcome to come over and explain it.”
“Their destination is Claxia Prime?”
“No, Earth. Quick jump right next door. And you’re makin’ me late.”
There was a long pause, long enough that Evie thought they’d been found out. “Very well, proceed medical transport.” The comm went silent. Evie felt the ship rumble as it re-entered the undercurrent. She stuck her head up above the ladder.
“All clear,” Tos said, one of his eyes turned around to see her peeking up. “But we’ll have to stay out of the wormholes for a while until they’re outta range. Don’t wanna try an’ explain how we jump so fast.”
“What the hell was that? Inviting them on board?” Evie said, climbing up over the rungs onto the catwalk that connected to the bridge.
“They never take the bait,” Tos said. “Not worth their time. Looks like your little trick worked. I knew it had as soon as they came in range. They never would have contacted us if they’d detected a human.”
“Even with another Athru aboard?” Evie took the seat beside him.
“Nah,” he replied, all four eyes back on the course. “Consider ‘em collaborators. Not worth sparin’.”
Evie hadn’t realized that. She’d figured Esterva was their insurance policy. That even if her human nature did show through, Esterva’s obvious nature would give them time to escape any confrontation.
“You better git comfortable,” Tos said. “It’s gonna be a long week ahead and there’s a good chance that wasn’t the only stop. But they’re all the same. Head down, git some rest and stay outta sight. It’s that easy.”
“Don’t you need to be relieved?” Evie asked. “You can’t fly the ship for an entire week.”
“Sure can. N’galians don’t sleep. An’ we can postpone food or drink for long periods of time. I ain’t movin’ from this spot until we reach Claxia Prime.”
Evie turned, mouthing “o-kay” to herself, and headed back for the ladder where her mother still waited at the bottom. Once she was back down and face to face with Esterva she glared at the woman. “Did you know? That the Athru would just destroy this ship if they detected me?”
“I…was aware of that possibility, yes,” Esterva said.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Evie spat.
“There didn’t seem to be a need. Why make you worry?” She brushed it off as if she hadn’t just deceived her daughter. Which made Evie wonder.
She stared daggers at the pale Athru. “What else aren’t you telling me?”
Esterva held up her hands in defense. “Nothing.” But Evie didn’t buy it.
“Mother. Tell me.”
Esterva grimaced, breaking eye contact with Evie. “Well, there is another small matter. But it’s hardly worth mentioning.”
Evie’s fingernails dug into her newly pale skin. “Mention it. Now.”
“I might not have been honest about why I accompanied you.”
“Which means what? Why did you come then?”
Esterva hesitated a moment, tapping her fingers together. “In a word: Dulthar.”
17
Cas lay flat on his back with his arm draped over his eyes, despite the fact the room was already dark as night without any of the lights on. He hadn’t been sleeping well lately and no matter how tired he was during the day; insomnia would always follow him into the night. So he’d taken a few hours off to try and fall asleep when he felt the most tired, but as soon as he’d laid down on the bed it was like a firecracker had gone off in his brain and he couldn’t stop it from exploding over and over in his mind.
Regardless, he lay there, as still as possible, willing himself to fall into sleep. He didn’t want to think about more drastic options, such as asking Box for a sedative. But if this kept up, he’d have no choice. He couldn’t lead a fleet of ships into harm’s way while he was falling asleep at his job.
The door to his quarters slid open and the dull light from the corridor tried to breach his arm and eyelids before disappearing again. He sat up only to find a shadowy figure moving around in the darkness on the other side of the room. “It’s okay, you can turn on the light.”
One of the small desk lights in the kitchen went on, revealing Saturina, her uniform half covered in grime. “Sorry, I didn’t know you’d be in here right now. I thought I might have left a clean uniform top in here.” She glanced around; her mouth twisted in disappointment. “But I guess I’ll have to talk to the quartermaster.”
Cas rubbed his eyes. “What are you doing down there?”
“Ryant and I are taking one of the spacewings back apart, trying to figure out what the Sil did to them. I’m not flying a ship until I know exactly how it works and what kind of components are in it,” she said. Saturina placed her hands on her hips. “Shit. I was hoping there was one here.” She paused a moment. “Are you okay? Why aren’t you on the bridge?”
He waved her off. “It’s nothing.”
Saturina shook her head, approaching the bed. “That’s the tone of voice you use when you’re lying,” she replied. Then, “It’s fine, don’t worry about me.”
“I wasn’t—you’re on duty, I don’t need—”
She sat down beside him on the bed. “Is it Rutledge?”
Cas sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe. Probably. I just really thought that chapter of my life was over. It’s like no matter what I do, I can’t get away from the man.” His face darkened. “I should have just told the Sil to destroy his ship. I should have told them who he was.”
“But then we wouldn’t have a way into Coalition territory,” she replied. “I’m not a fan of the man either. I don’t like that he’s here, I don’t like that you have to work with him.”
“I just feel like the same junior officer he pulled out of the ranks to serve with him on the Achlys,” Cas replied. “It’s like no matter what I do, he’ll always have this superiority over me. To him, I’m nothing more than an officer gone rogue.”
Saturina tsked. “That’s how he wants you to feel. He wants it to seem like he’s the better person because then he has all the power. Don’t let him put you in that box. Don’t give him permission to determine who you are. Only you can do that.”
“How the hell are you so damn smart?”
She flashed him a grin. “It comes with the territory. You don’t stay on a team like Rafnkell’s without learning how to defend yourself.” Before he knew it, she’d leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. She stood, holding on to his shoulder for a moment. “Just be careful around him. I don’t trust his motives.”
Cas shook his head. “Neither do I. But he’s coming aboard again shortly. In anticipation of the Sil agreeing to move the fleet.” He placed his hand on top of hers.
“Then you make sure you keep a sharp eye on him at all times.”
“Already arranged.” Cas had spoken with Vrij who had agreed to keep a security detail on Rutledge while he was aboard.
“Okay. I gotta head back, we need to know what’s in these spacewings if we’re going to depart soon.”
She tried to pull away and Cas held on, guiding her arm down until her face was level with his. He pressed his lips to hers. “Thanks for the advice.”
She grinned. “Anytime. Keep this up and maybe I’ll apply for ship’s counselor.” He arched an eyebrow and she laughed. “Nope, not in a million years. Can’t give up piloting.”
“I don’t blame you,” he replied, thinking back to when he’d been grounded or in jail. Both had been terrible. Cas let go of her hand and she gave him a wink before leaving. Cas laid back on the bed again, except Saturina had left the desk light on, which threw shadows on the ceiling beside the window. He took a deep breath, trying to focus his mind. He needed to take his emotions out of this. Why was it every time he was around Rutledge his logic centers just went haywire? If it was anyone else he’d be able to make an easy, rational decision…but with Rutledge it was always different. Always harder. He hated that.
He was about to get up and turn off the light when his comm chirped. “Captain.”
“Zen? Did you hear back? What’s going on?”
“We need to talk,” Zenfor replied.
***
“They want to do what?” Cas asked, leaning over the conference table. Zenfor stood at the other end, while Zaal, Tileah, Hank, and Samiya sat in various chairs around the table itself.
Frustration crossed Zenfor’s face. “Why must I explain the same circumstances over and over? It isn’t as if it will change them.” She sighed. “The Sil have only agreed to move half the fleet. They feel leaving Thislea unprotected at a time when we might be vulnerable is too large of a risk.”
Cas did the mental calculation. That would leave them with less than four hundred ships. Granted they were four hundred Sil warships, but still. He needed the entire fleet. “Is there no way to negotiate with them?”
“I was told not to contact the Sanctuary again,” she replied. “So no.” Cas glanced to Tileah.
“Half the fleet is still a significant number,” she said. “But I’ll have to make some modifications to our attack plan if we’re headed into Coalition space with less of a force than we planned.”
“What are they going to do with the rest of them, leave them in orbit around the planet?” Hank asked.
“I wasn’t given that information,” Zenfor replied, crossing her arms.
Hank turned to Cas. “Is it better to split the force like this? If they outnumber us in there, this battle could be over real quick.”
“Don’t worry,” Cas replied. “We’ll still wait for Evie’s report before we head in. But my concern is time. It’s going to take us at least a week at full speed to get over to Sargan territory without going straight through Coalition space and possibly alerting them to what we’re doing. If we leave half the fleet here and Evie comes back telling us they’re vulnerable, it’s going to take another week to get the other half of the fleet in place before we can attack. I don’t want to leave something like this up to chance.” He turned back to Zenfor. “What are the odds the Athru actually break through Sil space and reach Thislea with any kind of credible threat?”
“Low, but possible,” she replied.
“So, they’re just dicking us around,” Samiya said.
Zenfor bristled. “They don’t like the fact that Evelyn is the only one to exhibit their desired traits. It limits their trust in you. They’d prefer the rest of you begin to advance as well. Or at least show steps in that direction. And without her in front of them, they’re less inclined to act.”
Cas put his head in his hands and rubbed his eyes. His comm chirped. “Sir?”
“Go ahead, River.”
“Incoming transmission from the Hiawatha, sir. Mr. Rutledge would like to speak to you. He sounds upset.”
Cas glanced up. “How did you hear back from the Sanctuary?” Cas asked Zenfor.
“It was a broad transmission to the fleet itself,” she replied.
“Christ.” Rutledge had received the transmission as well then. Which meant he already knew and was probably pissed. “River, transfer it through to in here.”
“Aye.”
The 3-D display in the middle of the table lit up with Rutledge’s image. “Robeaux! What is the meaning behind that transmission? Only half the fleet?”
“Calm down, Daniel. We’re discussing it now,” Cas said.
“I don’t want you to discuss it, I want you to fix it,” the man said.
Cas took a deep breath. “Unless you’ve forgotten, you’re not in charge here. This is what the Sil are willing to do. Neither I, nor anyone else on my ship can convince them otherwise, unless we’d like to put the whole operation into jeopardy. Am I clear?”
He crossed his arms; a move Cas knew to mean he was preparing to argue. It was that stubborn streak in him. “Very clear, Mr. Robeaux.” He let the accusation hang there for a moment. “When can we depart?”
Cas looked up at Zenfor. She made a motion that signaled the fleet would be ready to leave when he was. “As soon as we transfer you over. The Hiawatha won’t be able to keep up.”
“Fine,” Rutledge said. “I’ll leave her here with the other half.” He ended the transmission.
“Child,” Cas said under his breath. He didn’t care if Rutledge was pissed off or not, in fact he kinda preferred it. It was better than that smarmy superiority complex he liked to walk around with. “Lieutenant, work with Vrij on that man’s transportation and as soon as he is aboard let me know. I want him under constant surveillance. Hank, let’s signal the fleet to prepare to leave.” Cas glanced over to Zenfor. “I assume they’ll respond to automated battle plans coming over the comms?”
She nodded. “Just broadcast the battle plans and the strategies you’ve drawn up; they’ll handle the rest.”
This was maddening. He couldn’t even communicate with his own fleet of ships. He swore the Sil did it just to be contrarian. Like they divined sick pleasure from making things as difficult as possible. “Samiya, double-check everything with Tyler. And make sure the auto sequence is solid for the undercurrents, I don’t want to run into a problem out there in the middle of an operation. Let’s get everything checked, rechecked and checked again. We’ve had three weeks to sit on our butts, now is the time to make it count. Dismissed.”
Everyone at the table stood, except for Cas. He glanced to his left, missing Evie’s presence. At least this way she wouldn’t come back to an empty planet. And once she was here and could relay the information, the rest of the Sil would fall in line.
As Cas stood, he realized he was pinning a lot of his hopes on her. They had better not be in vain.
18
Evie woke with a start. The ship rumbled through a micro wormhole then back out again, the vibration lessening. She figured she would have gotten used to it after six and a half days of continuous jumps but instead it seemed to have the opposite effect. She’d come to dread every time they did a jump—even subconsciously training herself to wake just before them and hold on to something, though it did little good. She didn’t know why it was grating on her so much, but it had become like a high-pitched noise that was ever-present in the back of her mind. She couldn’t wait to get off this ship and she had no idea how she was supposed to make the trip back. She wondered if Xax could put her under, maybe keep her from experiencing the continuous stress of dealing with these.
“I’m not going to participate in conjecture with you, Zenfor. The past is past, we cannot change it.” He sighed, glancing off-screen. “I will speak with the council, but I will tell them the human, Diazal, brought this to us. Your name will not come up.”
“Thank you. Just make sure they understand the urgency. Time may be shorter than we realize.” Underneath the table, off the screen, Zenfor’s fists were clenched tight. She was almost done.
“There will be a lot of pushback. The new negative-mass weapons haven’t even been tested against the Athru yet.”
“We still have the interdimensional weapons, and we know those work,” she replied.
“But they are clumsy and unreliable,” Dracsal said. “Not to mention the damage they do to the fabric of space.”
“Which is why we needed the new weapon systems. Do you not consider the destruction of a star an equal, if not more destructive force?”
He threw a hand up, as if he’d heard enough. “I am done with this conversation. I will present the argument. You will hear from the Sanctuary within four sqirms. And it will be a broadcast message, no more direct contact. If you message here again, I will inform the Sanctuary and you will be arrested.” He cut the comm and the display went dark.
Zenfor stared at it a few moments before collecting herself. It hadn’t been perfect, but she felt like in some way, Zakria’s sacrifice had found retribution. It had at least forced Dracsal to listen long enough to consider the operation. But it didn’t mean they would be convinced. For that it might take more than every Sil sacrifice combined.
***
“What kind of patrol ship?” Evie shouted. They had dropped from the undercurrent and were cruising along at sub-light speeds. She saw the answer to her question before Tos could respond. Outside the main window was a large Athru ship to starboard, having come up alongside them.
“What are you doin’?” Tos yelled. “Git out of sight!”
Evie ducked back, stepping down the ladder so she could still hear, but not be seen through the windows of the bridge. She had expected the Athru eventually, but not so fast.
“Lach ma cha, est ma enlach,” a female voice said over the comms.
“Damn ‘thru,” Tos said. She could hear him tapping controls and levers. “Nobody understands this language around here. Woulda thought by now…” he trailed off.
“Unmarked vessel, identify and open communication,” the same voice—processed this time into universal—said.
“This is medical transport Kyro,” Tos said. “Transportin’ wounded back to Claxia Prime.”
“Claxia Prime,” the voice said. “Enable visual communication.” Evie heard the flicker of the display that would take up the whole main window. “N’galian, identify yourself.”
“Rak-D’stavis, out of Landox. I’ve got wounded here. You gonna let me pass or what?”
There was silence for a moment. “Explain the Claxian.”
Tos uttered what sounded to Evie like an annoyance. “I don’t know. He booked passage on my ship out of Landox and went into some kind of coma when he got on board. He had a Yax-Inax doctor takin’ care of ‘em and she came along. I was just hired to transport ‘em.”
More silence. Evie listened carefully. “You have two Athru on board as well.”
“Yeah, so?” Tos asked. Evie couldn’t believe how cavalier he was being with the Athru. Was it better to act like you weren’t afraid at all rather than feign reverence to them, as Run’ak had?
“I wish to speak with them,” the Athru said.
“They’re in…whaddaya call it? Meditation?”
“Wake them.” Evie’s heart jumped up in her chest. She glanced down to see Esterva standing at the bottom of the ladder. She had one finger to her lips.
“Look, they paid for this passage just like the Claxian. I was given instructions not to wake ‘em from whatever it is they’re doin’. Somethin’ about hallowed time. I don’t get it, I’m a simple driver. But ah’m not wakin’ my clients. You want to do that; you’re welcome to come over and explain it.”
“Their destination is Claxia Prime?”
“No, Earth. Quick jump right next door. And you’re makin’ me late.”
There was a long pause, long enough that Evie thought they’d been found out. “Very well, proceed medical transport.” The comm went silent. Evie felt the ship rumble as it re-entered the undercurrent. She stuck her head up above the ladder.
“All clear,” Tos said, one of his eyes turned around to see her peeking up. “But we’ll have to stay out of the wormholes for a while until they’re outta range. Don’t wanna try an’ explain how we jump so fast.”
“What the hell was that? Inviting them on board?” Evie said, climbing up over the rungs onto the catwalk that connected to the bridge.
“They never take the bait,” Tos said. “Not worth their time. Looks like your little trick worked. I knew it had as soon as they came in range. They never would have contacted us if they’d detected a human.”
“Even with another Athru aboard?” Evie took the seat beside him.
“Nah,” he replied, all four eyes back on the course. “Consider ‘em collaborators. Not worth sparin’.”
Evie hadn’t realized that. She’d figured Esterva was their insurance policy. That even if her human nature did show through, Esterva’s obvious nature would give them time to escape any confrontation.
“You better git comfortable,” Tos said. “It’s gonna be a long week ahead and there’s a good chance that wasn’t the only stop. But they’re all the same. Head down, git some rest and stay outta sight. It’s that easy.”
“Don’t you need to be relieved?” Evie asked. “You can’t fly the ship for an entire week.”
“Sure can. N’galians don’t sleep. An’ we can postpone food or drink for long periods of time. I ain’t movin’ from this spot until we reach Claxia Prime.”
Evie turned, mouthing “o-kay” to herself, and headed back for the ladder where her mother still waited at the bottom. Once she was back down and face to face with Esterva she glared at the woman. “Did you know? That the Athru would just destroy this ship if they detected me?”
“I…was aware of that possibility, yes,” Esterva said.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Evie spat.
“There didn’t seem to be a need. Why make you worry?” She brushed it off as if she hadn’t just deceived her daughter. Which made Evie wonder.
She stared daggers at the pale Athru. “What else aren’t you telling me?”
Esterva held up her hands in defense. “Nothing.” But Evie didn’t buy it.
“Mother. Tell me.”
Esterva grimaced, breaking eye contact with Evie. “Well, there is another small matter. But it’s hardly worth mentioning.”
Evie’s fingernails dug into her newly pale skin. “Mention it. Now.”
“I might not have been honest about why I accompanied you.”
“Which means what? Why did you come then?”
Esterva hesitated a moment, tapping her fingers together. “In a word: Dulthar.”
17
Cas lay flat on his back with his arm draped over his eyes, despite the fact the room was already dark as night without any of the lights on. He hadn’t been sleeping well lately and no matter how tired he was during the day; insomnia would always follow him into the night. So he’d taken a few hours off to try and fall asleep when he felt the most tired, but as soon as he’d laid down on the bed it was like a firecracker had gone off in his brain and he couldn’t stop it from exploding over and over in his mind.
Regardless, he lay there, as still as possible, willing himself to fall into sleep. He didn’t want to think about more drastic options, such as asking Box for a sedative. But if this kept up, he’d have no choice. He couldn’t lead a fleet of ships into harm’s way while he was falling asleep at his job.
The door to his quarters slid open and the dull light from the corridor tried to breach his arm and eyelids before disappearing again. He sat up only to find a shadowy figure moving around in the darkness on the other side of the room. “It’s okay, you can turn on the light.”
One of the small desk lights in the kitchen went on, revealing Saturina, her uniform half covered in grime. “Sorry, I didn’t know you’d be in here right now. I thought I might have left a clean uniform top in here.” She glanced around; her mouth twisted in disappointment. “But I guess I’ll have to talk to the quartermaster.”
Cas rubbed his eyes. “What are you doing down there?”
“Ryant and I are taking one of the spacewings back apart, trying to figure out what the Sil did to them. I’m not flying a ship until I know exactly how it works and what kind of components are in it,” she said. Saturina placed her hands on her hips. “Shit. I was hoping there was one here.” She paused a moment. “Are you okay? Why aren’t you on the bridge?”
He waved her off. “It’s nothing.”
Saturina shook her head, approaching the bed. “That’s the tone of voice you use when you’re lying,” she replied. Then, “It’s fine, don’t worry about me.”
“I wasn’t—you’re on duty, I don’t need—”
She sat down beside him on the bed. “Is it Rutledge?”
Cas sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe. Probably. I just really thought that chapter of my life was over. It’s like no matter what I do, I can’t get away from the man.” His face darkened. “I should have just told the Sil to destroy his ship. I should have told them who he was.”
“But then we wouldn’t have a way into Coalition territory,” she replied. “I’m not a fan of the man either. I don’t like that he’s here, I don’t like that you have to work with him.”
“I just feel like the same junior officer he pulled out of the ranks to serve with him on the Achlys,” Cas replied. “It’s like no matter what I do, he’ll always have this superiority over me. To him, I’m nothing more than an officer gone rogue.”
Saturina tsked. “That’s how he wants you to feel. He wants it to seem like he’s the better person because then he has all the power. Don’t let him put you in that box. Don’t give him permission to determine who you are. Only you can do that.”
“How the hell are you so damn smart?”
She flashed him a grin. “It comes with the territory. You don’t stay on a team like Rafnkell’s without learning how to defend yourself.” Before he knew it, she’d leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. She stood, holding on to his shoulder for a moment. “Just be careful around him. I don’t trust his motives.”
Cas shook his head. “Neither do I. But he’s coming aboard again shortly. In anticipation of the Sil agreeing to move the fleet.” He placed his hand on top of hers.
“Then you make sure you keep a sharp eye on him at all times.”
“Already arranged.” Cas had spoken with Vrij who had agreed to keep a security detail on Rutledge while he was aboard.
“Okay. I gotta head back, we need to know what’s in these spacewings if we’re going to depart soon.”
She tried to pull away and Cas held on, guiding her arm down until her face was level with his. He pressed his lips to hers. “Thanks for the advice.”
She grinned. “Anytime. Keep this up and maybe I’ll apply for ship’s counselor.” He arched an eyebrow and she laughed. “Nope, not in a million years. Can’t give up piloting.”
“I don’t blame you,” he replied, thinking back to when he’d been grounded or in jail. Both had been terrible. Cas let go of her hand and she gave him a wink before leaving. Cas laid back on the bed again, except Saturina had left the desk light on, which threw shadows on the ceiling beside the window. He took a deep breath, trying to focus his mind. He needed to take his emotions out of this. Why was it every time he was around Rutledge his logic centers just went haywire? If it was anyone else he’d be able to make an easy, rational decision…but with Rutledge it was always different. Always harder. He hated that.
He was about to get up and turn off the light when his comm chirped. “Captain.”
“Zen? Did you hear back? What’s going on?”
“We need to talk,” Zenfor replied.
***
“They want to do what?” Cas asked, leaning over the conference table. Zenfor stood at the other end, while Zaal, Tileah, Hank, and Samiya sat in various chairs around the table itself.
Frustration crossed Zenfor’s face. “Why must I explain the same circumstances over and over? It isn’t as if it will change them.” She sighed. “The Sil have only agreed to move half the fleet. They feel leaving Thislea unprotected at a time when we might be vulnerable is too large of a risk.”
Cas did the mental calculation. That would leave them with less than four hundred ships. Granted they were four hundred Sil warships, but still. He needed the entire fleet. “Is there no way to negotiate with them?”
“I was told not to contact the Sanctuary again,” she replied. “So no.” Cas glanced to Tileah.
“Half the fleet is still a significant number,” she said. “But I’ll have to make some modifications to our attack plan if we’re headed into Coalition space with less of a force than we planned.”
“What are they going to do with the rest of them, leave them in orbit around the planet?” Hank asked.
“I wasn’t given that information,” Zenfor replied, crossing her arms.
Hank turned to Cas. “Is it better to split the force like this? If they outnumber us in there, this battle could be over real quick.”
“Don’t worry,” Cas replied. “We’ll still wait for Evie’s report before we head in. But my concern is time. It’s going to take us at least a week at full speed to get over to Sargan territory without going straight through Coalition space and possibly alerting them to what we’re doing. If we leave half the fleet here and Evie comes back telling us they’re vulnerable, it’s going to take another week to get the other half of the fleet in place before we can attack. I don’t want to leave something like this up to chance.” He turned back to Zenfor. “What are the odds the Athru actually break through Sil space and reach Thislea with any kind of credible threat?”
“Low, but possible,” she replied.
“So, they’re just dicking us around,” Samiya said.
Zenfor bristled. “They don’t like the fact that Evelyn is the only one to exhibit their desired traits. It limits their trust in you. They’d prefer the rest of you begin to advance as well. Or at least show steps in that direction. And without her in front of them, they’re less inclined to act.”
Cas put his head in his hands and rubbed his eyes. His comm chirped. “Sir?”
“Go ahead, River.”
“Incoming transmission from the Hiawatha, sir. Mr. Rutledge would like to speak to you. He sounds upset.”
Cas glanced up. “How did you hear back from the Sanctuary?” Cas asked Zenfor.
“It was a broad transmission to the fleet itself,” she replied.
“Christ.” Rutledge had received the transmission as well then. Which meant he already knew and was probably pissed. “River, transfer it through to in here.”
“Aye.”
The 3-D display in the middle of the table lit up with Rutledge’s image. “Robeaux! What is the meaning behind that transmission? Only half the fleet?”
“Calm down, Daniel. We’re discussing it now,” Cas said.
“I don’t want you to discuss it, I want you to fix it,” the man said.
Cas took a deep breath. “Unless you’ve forgotten, you’re not in charge here. This is what the Sil are willing to do. Neither I, nor anyone else on my ship can convince them otherwise, unless we’d like to put the whole operation into jeopardy. Am I clear?”
He crossed his arms; a move Cas knew to mean he was preparing to argue. It was that stubborn streak in him. “Very clear, Mr. Robeaux.” He let the accusation hang there for a moment. “When can we depart?”
Cas looked up at Zenfor. She made a motion that signaled the fleet would be ready to leave when he was. “As soon as we transfer you over. The Hiawatha won’t be able to keep up.”
“Fine,” Rutledge said. “I’ll leave her here with the other half.” He ended the transmission.
“Child,” Cas said under his breath. He didn’t care if Rutledge was pissed off or not, in fact he kinda preferred it. It was better than that smarmy superiority complex he liked to walk around with. “Lieutenant, work with Vrij on that man’s transportation and as soon as he is aboard let me know. I want him under constant surveillance. Hank, let’s signal the fleet to prepare to leave.” Cas glanced over to Zenfor. “I assume they’ll respond to automated battle plans coming over the comms?”
She nodded. “Just broadcast the battle plans and the strategies you’ve drawn up; they’ll handle the rest.”
This was maddening. He couldn’t even communicate with his own fleet of ships. He swore the Sil did it just to be contrarian. Like they divined sick pleasure from making things as difficult as possible. “Samiya, double-check everything with Tyler. And make sure the auto sequence is solid for the undercurrents, I don’t want to run into a problem out there in the middle of an operation. Let’s get everything checked, rechecked and checked again. We’ve had three weeks to sit on our butts, now is the time to make it count. Dismissed.”
Everyone at the table stood, except for Cas. He glanced to his left, missing Evie’s presence. At least this way she wouldn’t come back to an empty planet. And once she was here and could relay the information, the rest of the Sil would fall in line.
As Cas stood, he realized he was pinning a lot of his hopes on her. They had better not be in vain.
18
Evie woke with a start. The ship rumbled through a micro wormhole then back out again, the vibration lessening. She figured she would have gotten used to it after six and a half days of continuous jumps but instead it seemed to have the opposite effect. She’d come to dread every time they did a jump—even subconsciously training herself to wake just before them and hold on to something, though it did little good. She didn’t know why it was grating on her so much, but it had become like a high-pitched noise that was ever-present in the back of her mind. She couldn’t wait to get off this ship and she had no idea how she was supposed to make the trip back. She wondered if Xax could put her under, maybe keep her from experiencing the continuous stress of dealing with these.
