Infinitys end, p.5
Infinity's End, page 5
“Morning,” Lieutenant Tyler said as she passed, too chipper as always. She’d meant to avoid his station but being so lost in her thoughts she’d strolled right by. Every day it was the same greeting, and every day he was met with the same response from her: silence. It was an arcane tradition: stating the time of day on a starship which had no days, only hours. She refused to participate, to the point where it had become an expected ritual. If she did respond, his mind might explode.
“Hey, wait up,” Tyler called. Zenfor grumbled to herself and stopped, turning to face him. “What’s wrong?”
“What?” she asked.
“Something’s the matter. I can tell. You’re carrying yourself differently.”
“I don’t carry myself. This is how I ambulate.”
Tyler shook his head. “No. Something’s happened. What is it?”
Zenfor worked to contain her temper. “I am not in the business of involving other people in my personal affairs.”
This produced a smile on Tyler’s face. “Yeah. I know. You’ve never been one to express much, other than anger. But this is bothering you.”
Zenfor was unnerved with how easily he seemed to be able to read her. She did her best to remain as impassive as possible most of the time. She didn’t need other people concerning themselves with what were clearly her own personal issues. She had been slipping. Too much time around the humans, who, according to them, wore their hearts on their sleeves. “It’s nothing I can’t handle by myself.”
“I have no doubt about that. But consider this, if you share your problem, you might find it easier to handle after speaking about it.”
“I don’t agree.”
He nodded. “No problem. Just know if you ever do, I’m here to listen. I know things have been harder since the crew returned, but it’s going to be okay.” He gave her a soft smile and headed back to his station.
Zenfor watched him go for a moment, then headed to her own station. Tyler was a competent person, and a good engineer. She was glad he’d been there to assist in rebuilding the ship. In those very quiet moments, one extra voice was okay. Not that she’d ever give him the satisfaction of telling him that. He didn’t deserve it that much.
But the one voice she craved to hear, the one who had broken through to her and provided her with comfort and solace in her darkest moments, was the one voice she feared she would never hear again. And after ten long years, she was beginning to give up hope.
***
Evie strolled into the simulator room and was struck with a sense of longing. It happened every time she came in here. She had to keep telling herself she’d never be able to go anywhere on the ship if she kept allowing herself to be overrun with all these memories, but the simulator was a little different. It had been where she had first dropped her guard around Laura. And where she’d first taken a peek into the woman’s soul. There had been a time when she’d vowed never to come back in here, but this was a new start for her. A new beginning. She didn’t want to face the Athru without knowing the full range of her capabilities, so she’d been coming in here to test her own personal limits once a day since they’d settled into orbit around Thislea. But no matter how many times she walked through that door, she was always struck with a wave of guilt and loss. She only hoped the feelings would ebb in time. Because even though part of her didn’t want them to go—they were proof of something real and tangible—they could also be debilitating. She’d seen Cas go through something similar and she wasn’t about to make the same journey.
“Activate Evie strength program zero one seven,” she told the computer. All around her hard-light projections appeared, creating the appearance of large rocks and boulders, as if she was in the middle of a quarry. She glanced up. The blue sky that had replaced the barren room ended about twenty feet above her, which turned into black. It wasn’t smart to forget this was just a simulation; most people needed a visual cue as a reminder.
“Let’s start with the ninety kilos on a thirty-degree slope.” She felt good after burning the sword. Liberated. Her previous record had been ninety-five kilos, but she usually started lighter than that to warm up. Not today.
Before her a hard-light projection of a rocky slope appeared along with boulders at the top. The first one rolled down on its own and Evie braced herself, holding her hands out. The rolling rock slammed into her, but she managed to stop it without too much effort. Evie rolled it to the side. “Increase to ninety-five kilos.” Another rock launched itself down the hillside, tumbling much faster than the first one as its weight was compounded by the slope of the hill. Evie grimaced and braced for the impact, which came in no short order, sending her skidding back. But she’d stopped it. “Increase to a hundred kilos.” She rolled the ninety-five to the side.
The rock at the top of the slope increased in size a bit before launching itself down the hill. Evie could swear she felt the vibrations in the room of the massive boulder still bouncing down toward her at a breakneck speed. For a moment she thought this might not have been a good idea as she tried to calculate the force of impact. But instead she bore down and placed both hands out in front of her as the boulder slammed into them, cracking right down the middle and shattering all around her. Evie lifted her head and confirmed she was still in the simulation; that had felt so real. Above her, the sky ended just as it should. She glanced around at the rubble surrounding her and felt a swell of pride. Her hands weren’t even swollen. She turned back to the mountain, a wicked grin on her lips. “Increase to two hundred kilos.”
“Is it true?” Evie spun in place to see Esterva had stepped into the simulator without announcing herself. “Did you destroy that sword?”
“Wha—?” Evie said before the ground rumbled. She turned to see the mammoth boulder screaming down the hill at the two of them faster than she could register. “End simulation!” The boulder disappeared along with the mountain, and the landscape all around them. They stood in a plain gray room. Damn. She’d been feeling really good too. She turned back to Esterva. “What are you doing here?”
“Please tell me you didn’t. Tell me you’re not that impulsive,” Esterva said, concern on her gray face.
“As a matter of fact, I did. And it’s not impulsive. That thing was cursed. I needed to be rid of it.” Evie had lost her taste for training. Something about her mother watching her work put her off doing anything further today. She walked around Esterva and back out into the corridor. Her mother followed.
“I didn’t tell you about the sword for you to go and destroy it,” she said. “That was the last connection you had to your father. It was the last thing I had—”
“It was mine to do with as I pleased,” Evie said. “I don’t need a lecture from you about sentimentality.”
Esterva drew herself up beside Evie. “No. You don’t. You’re right, it was yours to do with. I wish you’d spoken to me about it first.”
“I don’t owe you an explanation. And I don’t need your permission,” Evie said. “You’re lucky I’m still talking to you.” Esterva didn’t reply, but she stayed in step beside her. Evie wasn’t sure where she was going; she’d planned to spend at least an hour in the simulator until Cas figured out what he wanted to do about Rutledge. During the meeting she had tried to keep an open mind about the situation. The last time she’d seen Admiral Rutledge was when the public video service had shown him being led away to imprisonment. It felt like a thousand years ago, sitting back in Cas’s quarters watching the newsfeed. After she’d learned what he’d done, she’d wanted nothing more to do with the man. To her, it was better if he stayed locked up forever. But this situation had forced him back into her life and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Rutledge had put his faith in her, and she’d delivered. But she hadn’t known the depth of his treachery at the time. Cas hated him for good reason and Zenfor really hated him, but Evie felt like they might be able to leverage this somehow. Maybe they could find a way to use him for once.
“You look lost in thought,” Esterva said. Her mother had been overly insistent on trying to connect over the past three weeks and while Evie was happy to have her around, the ship felt a lot smaller these days.
“I’m trying to figure out what to do about this Rutledge situation,” she replied.
“I heard.” Esterva relaxed her body language, which told Evie she thought she was in safe territory with her daughter. But who would she have heard it from? Had news spread through the ship that fast? “If I’m not mistaken, he claims to have taken Athru technology from one of our ships.”
“So he says. He wants to help.”
“I will say this, Evelyn. The technology that can create a time bubble is not a simple piece of technology that can be easily removed. And our people do not leave our ships to be harvested by pirates.”
“Are you saying we shouldn’t trust him?” Evie glanced up at the woman.
Esterva grimaced. “I don’t know. But something feels…wrong.”
“I don’t like it either.” The fact Rutledge had just…appeared and was offering this help with little or no strings attached didn’t sit right. But at the same time, they were low on options. Evie needed to figure out his endgame. She hadn’t known him as well as Cas, or anyone for that matter, but maybe that gave her an edge. She might be able to see this without her opinions being colored by a history with the man.
“I have no doubt you’ll figure out how to handle him. You’ve figured out everything else. In fact, I think you’re the key to stopping our people. You’re the one thing they don’t expect. The thing they haven’t prepared for.”
Evie rolled her eyes. Putting aside her mother was calling her a “thing” for the time being, she’d heard this spiel before. It seemed the more time they spent together, the more Esterva became convinced Evie was the key to defeating the Athru and frankly it was getting a bit tiresome. “I think I’m going to grab some food,” she said, turning and heading toward the mess hall knowing full well Esterva didn’t like to eat in there as her food needed to be specially prepared.
Esterva paused. “Then I will see you later.”
Evie did her best to ignore the hurt in Esterva’s words and instead flashed her a smile and made her way down the corridor. As soon as she was out of view, she released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. A hundred kilos. Maybe she’d try two hundred tomorrow.
8
Cas sat in his chair in the command room, spinning one way until the edge of the chair struck the desk, then spinning the other way until the same thing happened on the other side. All the while his eyes remained glazed over.
“You’re going to start making a rut,” Hank said.
Cas glanced up. “What?”
“Your chair.” Hank pointed to the edge where the fabric had frayed from repeatedly being struck against the desk. Cas hadn’t even realized he was doing it; he was lost in thought.
“Oh.” Cas didn’t care about the chair. He was more concerned about how to handle Rutledge. He’d come back from sickbay to find the conference room, sans Zenfor, locked in a debate about the merits of accepting help from the former admiral. It seemed they hadn’t made much progress since he left. Shortly after he realized they weren’t getting anywhere, Evie had left for “training”—whatever that meant—and Cas had adjourned the rest of them, retiring back to the command room with Hank to try and work this out.
“Do you think he might leave?” Hank asked. “Maybe he’ll make the decision for us.”
No way. Rutledge knew exactly what he was doing. “He’s getting off on us sweating over here, trying to figure out what to do, I’d bet my map collection on it.” Cas leaned forward on his desk. “I’d like to tell that motherfucker to take his time bubble and shove it up his ass.”
“You’re going to accept his help,” Hank said. It wasn’t a question, just a straightforward statement, though Cas could hear the defeat in it.
“We have to take every advantage we can get. He knows that, otherwise he wouldn’t be here. If Rutledge wasn’t one hundred percent sure we’d bring him on board he would have stayed out of Sil territory and never taken the chance. The man doesn’t take risks.” Cas flopped back in his chair, feeling defeated himself. He’d hoped to never hear the name Daniel Rutledge again. But it seemed there were some parts of a person’s past that just never went away.
Hank only stared at him, his face hardened by the knowledge they’d have to bring him and his people over if they wanted his help. Rutledge would insist on it; any attempt to get under Cas’s skin.
Cas stood, leading Hank back onto the bridge. “Zaal, open the comms to the Hiawatha.”
“Aye,” Zaal replied.
A moment later the image of Rutledge reappeared. “Glad to see you haven’t forgotten about me. I was thinking about leaving.”
“Cut the bullshit, Daniel. Let’s talk about this face to face. Just so I have a proper understanding of your terms.”
“Terms? You make it sound like a hostage negotiation.” Not far from it, Cas thought. “But I’d be happy to come over. It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen another Coalition ship, especially one in as good of condition as yours. Though I can’t help but wonder, what happened to Captain Greene?” He allowed the unspoken accusation to hang in the air between them. But Cas wasn’t about to take the bait.
“Greene died in the service of the Coalition, defending it with his life. That’s more than I can say for a lot of people.” The eyes of his crewmates were on him, but he didn’t flinch.
“I see,” Rutledge replied. “I’ll prepare a shuttle and be on my way over in a few minutes. I’ll also be bringing two of my crew to accompany me.”
“Then they’ll stay in the shuttle, in the Bay while you’re here,” Cas said.
Rutledge’s mouth tweaked. “Don’t trust your old captain?”
“No one steps on this ship without my authorization and I don’t know your crew. But to answer your question: no, I don’t.” Cas wasn’t about to make this into a bickering situation. Rutledge would follow his rules because it suited his cause…for the moment. Cas feared what might happen when that situation changed.
“See you shortly,” Rutledge said, and cut the comm.
Cas couldn’t help but smile to himself. He’d at least irked the man a little. It seemed time had worn down Rutledge’s patience, and that was something Cas could work with.
***
“Do not let him out of your sight. If you need a shift change, make sure you’ve got double the number of guards on him, got it?” Cas stood in Bay One with Vrij beside him and three more security personnel behind them both.
“I’ve got it,” Vrij replied. “This one—Rutledge—he’s slippery.”
“He’s…determined,” Cas replied. “And he’s not going to get the best of us. No matter what he thinks.” Cas was confident Vrij could disable or subdue Rutledge, given the fact he had a built-in weapon on his body. The only other person that Cas would trust to physically hold the man would be Zenfor, and that wasn’t an option. Not unless he wanted Rutledge dead before he stepped off his shuttle. Though, Saturina had told him she’d seen Zenfor in here not long ago. She’d planned to hijack a shuttle but had changed her mind at the last minute. That gave Cas some hope she might not be as volatile as he thought.
The medium-sized shuttle passed through the force barrier into the Bay, flying low to the deck until it came to an empty space near the end and set down. It was the same type of undercurrent-capable shuttle as the Tempest carried, though it had been worn by the ravages of time. One of the primary engine pylons had been replaced with a Sargan booster, and the hull was covered in scratches, marks, and burns. It had probably seen more action than most Coalition ships saw in a lifetime. Cas motioned for Vrij and the security officers to move over beside the doors. They each drew their pulse pistols while Vrij’s remained attached to his belt as his mandible blade extricated itself from his back and drew up beside his arm.
Opening with a hiss marking the change in pressure, the door slid away to reveal Rutledge, decked out in what Cas could only describe as renegade gear. While he still had his Coalition uniform shirt on with the sleeves removed, the rest of his clothes were black, and made from what looked like heavy-duty materials. His boots were definitely not Coalition issue. And he sported a bandolier across his chest that held capsules Cas didn’t recognize. Behind him stood a two-meter tall Erustiaan, and a member of the Arc-N’gali race. The N’galian was shorter than Rutledge, but not by much. His rough skin was tinted reddish, but with orange tattoo patterns running down under his clothes. Cas couldn’t tell if they were natural or not. He also wore a wide-brimmed hat with the top removed for his two eye stalks to poke out of. His other two eyes were hidden deep in sockets on his face.
“Robeaux,” Rutledge said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I never thought I’d see you in the flesh again. But then, if someone had to survive the destruction of our species, I can’t say I’m surprised it’s you.”
“Y-you will address him as Captain Robeaux.” Vrij stepped forward. “Weapons. Now.” The other security officers took up their places at the sides of the door, keeping the Erustiaan and Arc-N’gali inside the ship.
Rutledge shrugged and pulled an impressive looking blaster off his hip, handing it to Vrij. “Is…that attached to your back?” He eyed Vrij’s mandible. “I’ve never seen an Ashkasian with such a deformity before.”
“I am not Ashkasian. I am Bulaq.” Vrij grabbed Rutledge with what Cas considered a fair amount of force, pulling him forward. “I s-said weapons. All.”
