0:05

The thick

0:22

bulkhead door slid open and Kavalan

0:24

stepped out of Novum Sector and

0:26

into the midship vestibule. Brows

0:29

soaked in nervous sweat. Rake

0:31

waited on the other side, leaning against the

0:33

wall. How did it go? Good,

0:36

sir, Kavalan said. Voice

0:38

muffled through his visor. He

0:42

set the asium-filled jar on the floor

0:44

at his feet, then released the lock

0:46

on his helmet. He lifted it off,

0:48

and his ears popped as the pressure

0:50

fully equalized. Glad to

0:52

be free of the artificial air, he

0:54

took a deep breath, but found it tasted

0:56

just as stale as the suit's oxygen had.

1:00

There was a lot of drip left in the

1:02

line, he continued. More than I expected,

1:04

all sealed up tight. He took

1:07

off his gloves and pocketed them, then pushed

1:09

up the sleeves of the white, pearlescent suit.

1:12

He tucked the helmet under his arm, then picked up the jar.

1:15

Rake's hopeful visage faltered as she

1:17

eyed his exposed arms and helmet

1:20

warily. He found himself,

1:22

yet again, afraid that he'd managed

1:24

to screw up without knowing how.

1:27

Everything okay? he asked. She

1:30

gave a small nod. Yeah, just

1:33

deja vu. Kavalan

1:35

held the brightly glowing jar toward her like

1:37

a peace offering. Rake stared

1:39

at the asium, and her unsettled look

1:42

faded. The blue glow appeared a brilliant

1:44

shade of emerald reflected in her amber

1:46

eyes. She could

1:48

probably warp to Karan Gate three or four times with

1:50

this, he said, with as much

1:53

optimism as he could muster. She

1:55

nodded slowly. Great, let's

1:58

go. She spun and held the

2:00

headed for the other side of the circular vestibule. Go,

2:04

he squeaked, though the other part of her

2:06

statement concerned him more, just exactly

2:08

how specific was her usage of let's.

2:12

He slipped his sweaty hair off his forehead and

2:14

took a few quick steps to catch up. Though

2:17

every part of him wanted to insist

2:19

she elaborate, he kept his mouth shut

2:21

and followed in nervous silence as she

2:23

headed toward the lift. At

2:26

first he'd been sure his involvement in

2:28

all this would conclude at the odd

2:30

line of questioning phase. Then

2:33

he thought it'd be over after the warhead. This

2:35

time he'd been certain his final task would

2:38

be venturing into a vacuum for the first

2:40

time ever to drain the fluid from 200

2:43

year old accelerator lines. All

2:46

while quelling his acute panic at

2:48

being only one faulty warning sensor

2:50

or clogged filter away from suffocation.

2:54

But she'd said, let's. And

2:57

his feet were moving underneath him and

2:59

even more oddly, he

3:01

didn't feel all that compelled to argue with them.

3:04

A few minutes later they entered the main

3:06

hangar and the docking bay across from where

3:08

he'd seen the tempest parked the day before.

3:11

Now set a small spherical transport

3:13

vessel. Jack and Animri stood

3:16

underneath the ship, lifting a crate above

3:18

their heads toward the open hatch. Warner's

3:20

thick arms reached down and grabbed it,

3:23

then disappeared into the hull. As

3:26

rake and Kavalan approached, Jack and

3:28

looked over, cheeks flushed and sweat

3:30

glistening on his forehead. Kavalan

3:33

imagined the work of the optio

3:35

rarely required such heavy lifting. But

3:38

the real question was why the hell they

3:40

were lifting anything at all, loading

3:42

a ship with supplies? This

3:44

grew more and more suspicious by the minute. Maybe

3:48

rake had finally had enough. Or

3:50

maybe she and Jack and were secret

3:52

lovers intent on stealing away into the

3:54

night, never to be heard from again.

3:57

Kavalan had to grin at the thought. Not

4:00

only did abandoning ship seem so

4:02

not rake-like, it was ludicrous, but

4:04

the idea of her and Jackin

4:07

together was just silly.

4:10

The optio stepped away as Emery continued

4:12

to hand supplies to Warner. Get

4:15

what we need, Jackin asked. Plenty,

4:19

Kavalon held up the jar. Plenty

4:21

indeed, but how do we get it

4:23

into the core? Well, Kavalon

4:26

heaved a sigh. It's

4:28

pretty complicated. How

4:31

complicated, Jackin asked,

4:33

were he creasing his sweaty brow?

4:36

Well, you wanna use the vacuum

4:38

pressure glove box? Jackin

4:40

quirk'd an eyebrow. Obviously,

4:43

then Kavalon grimaced.

4:46

You're going to have to open the fuel port door on

4:48

the core. And? And

4:51

then Kavalon lifted his shoulders

4:53

in a weary shrug. Pour

4:56

it in. Jackin's eyes

4:58

shadowed as he leveled a flat look

5:00

at Kavalon. Kavalon flashed him a grin,

5:03

but Jackin didn't seem amused. Rake

5:06

glanced between them. That

5:08

doesn't sound hard? Jackin didn't

5:11

respond, but snatched the jar from

5:13

Kavalon and headed toward a nearby

5:15

workbench with a huff. Try

5:18

not to get any on you, Kavalon

5:20

called after him. Burns a

5:22

little. Rake

5:24

gave a quick nod. A

5:26

joke, of course. She

5:28

gave Kavalon an exasperated frown. His

5:31

cheeks instantly warmed and smile melted off

5:33

his face. Sorry, sir,

5:36

couldn't resist. Why don't

5:38

you help Emory and Warner finish packing the

5:40

supplies? Yes, sir. Kavalon

5:43

gave Jackin a sheepish look as he passed

5:46

by the workbench on his way toward the

5:48

ship. He set the helmet

5:50

aside and pulled off the spacesuit. Then

5:52

went over to help Emory lift a

5:54

large, air-steal crate. What

5:56

is this stuff? He asked, eyeing the

5:58

label on the crate. Emory's?

6:00

Emory said. Uh, yeah,

6:02

what's that? Emory

6:05

scoffed. You

6:07

really aren't a soldier, are you? Who

6:10

said I'm not a soldier? Warner

6:12

peered down from the hatch above them and chuffed.

6:15

Kavalan scowled, but chose to ignore it. It

6:17

didn't matter if they knew he wasn't a

6:19

soldier, so long as they didn't know what

6:21

he was. They lifted the

6:23

crate, and Warner easily plucked it from

6:26

their wobbling arms. Pills

6:28

ready to eat, Emory explained.

6:31

Uh, note that doesn't

6:33

mean they'll stay down, only that you

6:36

can technically consume them with your mouth.

6:39

Not the tastiest then? Understatement

6:41

of the millennium, they've got a shelf life

6:43

of like fifteen years if that tells

6:45

you anything. Warner reappeared

6:47

in the hatch frame. What else?

6:50

Just a bunch of pistol charges, Emory

6:52

said. Warner raised an eyebrow. She

6:55

shrugged, and they shared a wary look. People

6:58

parts clueless and nervous. Toss

7:01

them up, Warner said. Emory

7:03

dragged over a pallet of narrow metal boxes.

7:07

Kavalan recognized the worn cases

7:09

as crates used to store

7:11

firearm energy cells. Uh,

7:14

why so much ammo? Kavalan

7:16

asked. Where you guys going? Shit

7:19

if I know, Emory said. Optio

7:22

just gave us a list and told us to pack it. She

7:25

tossed one of the boxes up to Warner, then

7:27

glanced over her shoulder. Jacken

7:29

placed the last of the jars from

7:32

the missiles into the vacuum chamber built

7:34

into the workbench. Emory

7:37

lowered her voice, decidedly unamused.

7:40

No one ever goes anywhere,

7:42

like anywhere. You probably know

7:44

more than we do, boss. It

7:47

was partly true. He

7:49

at least knew they wanted to get

7:51

to Karan Gate, but that sliver of

7:53

knowledge didn't do much to calm the

7:56

knot in his stomach, which constricted with

7:58

every passing minute. He

8:00

glanced over to where Rake leaned against

8:02

the workbench, quietly speaking with Jacken as

8:04

he worked. Kavalon

8:06

wanted to stop packing and refused to lift

8:09

another finger until they explained what the hell

8:11

was going on. Instead,

8:13

he absentmindedly passed cases up to

8:15

Warner and focused on trying to

8:17

overhear Rake and Jacken's hushed conversation.

8:21

Supply's really necessary, Rake

8:23

asked. Shouldn't take longer than

8:25

a few hours to get there and back. Just

8:28

being cautious, boss, Jacken answered.

8:31

Who are you going to send? I'll do

8:34

it. Jacken scoffed. Well,

8:36

that's just about the worst idea ever.

8:39

We need Rank to make that kind of

8:41

request, and the higher it is, the more

8:43

likely they'll listen. Technically, we

8:46

need Delta clearance to even relight this

8:48

report. My Rank in clearance

8:50

will do? Send me. Silence

8:53

hung in the air for a long

8:55

moment before Rake responded. Fine.

8:58

You're not going alone, though. Who do you want?

9:01

Just send these guys. They already know too much. No

9:04

need to involve anyone else. There

9:07

it was again. That ambiguous plural

9:09

that suggested Kavalon might be expected

9:11

to continue down yet another stretch

9:14

of this strange road. Rake

9:17

mumbled something, and Jacken huffed,

9:19

then said, that I'm leaving up to

9:21

you. Warner dropped down

9:23

from the hatch, then called out, all

9:25

packed, sirs. With the

9:27

filled warp core in hand, Jacken crossed

9:30

over from the workbench, followed by Rake.

9:33

Here's the situation. Rake

9:35

stopped in front of them, hands held behind

9:37

her back. You will be

9:39

warping to Karangate to send a request to HQ.

9:43

You sir, Warner said. Uh,

9:46

Kavalon said. Me

9:48

too? Yes, you too,

9:51

Rake said patiently. Uh.

9:55

He began again. He'd been waiting for

9:57

this shoe to drop, and he'd intended to fight her

9:59

tooth and But he quickly

10:01

realized he didn't know which scared him

10:03

more, fleeing to ask the Legion for

10:05

help with whatever or staying

10:08

behind on the ship they were

10:10

fleeing from. Jack,

10:12

end your CO for this mission, Rake

10:14

said. He's his orders, and I expect

10:16

you to treat him with the utmost

10:18

respect. If I hear otherwise, on your

10:20

return, they'll be held to pay. Understood?

10:24

Understood. Both Emery and

10:27

Warner barked in unison. Kavalon

10:30

had to clear his throat before his

10:32

feeble response fell out. Understood.

10:35

Your job's simple. Head to

10:37

the gate, put in the call, and come straight back.

10:40

She turned to Jack and... And

10:42

Jack? Ships. Right

10:45

away, if you can. Ships?

10:48

Kavalon swallowed the lump in his throat. What

10:51

did that mean? Like backup?

10:54

Like enemies incoming mobilized

10:56

the fleet? Kavalon

10:58

looked to Emery and Warner for any

11:00

indication of a reaction, but they still

11:03

had their exemplary soldier hats on, and

11:05

their demeanors didn't waver in the slightest.

11:08

Will do, Jack and said. This'll

11:11

be this Hermes' inaugural voyage, boss.

11:14

What do you want to call it? Shit, I

11:16

don't care. Just need something

11:18

to put in the transponder when I boot it up. Rake

11:21

sugarhead. SGL?

11:24

Jack and Smirt. Really

11:27

boss? The SGL? I

11:30

don't know, Jack. Does it matter? Not

11:32

in the least. Copy SGL. You'll

11:35

need an admin terminal to clear us for

11:37

departure. Where's Laith? I dismissed

11:39

her. Rake rubbed her

11:41

hands together nervously. I

11:43

don't really want this to reach the bridge,

11:45

either. That's fine. Head

11:48

to your office and call my nexus. I'll step

11:50

you through how to unlock the bay controls. Thanks,

11:54

Octiel. Be safe. You

11:56

got it, boss. Rake faced

11:59

Emory and Warner in the past. Good

12:01

luck, soldiers. They returned to

12:03

the gesture, then climbed the flimsy ladder into

12:06

the ship. Oddly, Kavalan's

12:08

feet wouldn't move. He looked

12:10

down at them in annoyance. Rake

12:13

began to leave, but paused as she

12:15

passed, gripping his shoulder. Good

12:17

work today, Oculus, she said. Thank

12:21

you. His cheeks warmed,

12:23

and he hoped the surprise of being

12:25

thanked by Rake would shock him out

12:27

of his paralyzed reverie, but he

12:29

still couldn't move. He glanced up

12:31

at her, and he knew she could read his

12:33

frozen, wide-eyed look for what it was. Fear.

12:37

You'll be fine, she said. So

12:40

matter-of-factly, he felt inclined to believe her.

12:43

Just listen to Optio North. He

12:46

nodded, and his body finally listened when

12:48

he told it to turn around and

12:50

climb into the ship. Jacken followed, and

12:52

Warner secured the hatch closed behind him.

12:56

Then spun to take in the layout of the

12:58

Hermes, or rather the

13:00

SGL. Noting

13:03

how well the inside matched the design

13:05

of the outside. Circular

13:07

everything. The circular

13:09

hatch sat dead center in

13:11

a circular common room, complete

13:13

with a circular table flanked

13:16

by two half-circle benches. A

13:18

small wedge protruding partway into the

13:21

room outlined the cockpit, and

13:23

in arcs on the outer wall sat doors

13:25

to three separate areas. The one

13:27

opposite the cockpit, Kavalon knew, would lead to

13:30

the engines at the back of the ship,

13:32

the others likely to cargo and crew

13:35

quarters. He finished

13:37

his revolution and landed face to face with

13:39

Jacken. The Optio flashed a

13:41

quick smile and shoved the brightly

13:43

glowing warp core into Kavalon's chest.

13:46

You can install that, right? Kavalon

13:50

glanced at it. Yes,

13:52

sir, absolutely. Jacken

13:55

spun on his heel and disappeared into the cockpit.

13:58

Need help, sir? Warner called. Old

14:00

after him. Know. Jack.

14:02

And called back. Just need to get

14:04

the transponder going then put in some

14:06

coordinates fill do most of it itself.

14:09

Emery began to help Warner sequester

14:11

the supplies into the Star Boardroom.

14:13

Cavalier stood and watched. The. Cold

14:16

steel of the warp coarsening goose

14:18

bumps up his insurance. That.

14:20

Is Jacking called out.

14:23

If. Someone installs the corps so we can

14:25

turn the warp drive on. right?

14:28

Kaplan. Said under his breath. That.

14:30

Be him. The lights

14:33

faded up in the engine room as

14:35

he entered. He walked up to the

14:37

long central console along the back wall and

14:39

unlocked the seal port than tugged open

14:41

the hatch in the floor. He

14:43

landed still make it the edge of

14:45

the small cavity. Dropping the core into

14:47

the mechanism and locking is in place.

14:50

Twisting. To reach behind him, he stretched

14:52

up to the console and input the command

14:55

for the warp drive to accept it's new

14:57

fuel cell. A Seem

14:59

core accepted. The computers said.

15:02

Didn't. Give a negative chirp. Error.

15:05

Drive access lock not engaged. Havilland

15:08

grumbled, swiping the warning away, but

15:10

the computer wasn't having it. Please.

15:13

Engaged lock or give verbal

15:15

confirmation to disengage. Safety protocols.

15:18

At okay. Verbal.

15:20

Confirmation. Granted, Error.

15:24

Disengage Safety protocols please.

15:27

Error. Please confirmed by stating

15:29

the following: I understand the risks

15:31

associated with exposure to hazardous elements.

15:34

I wish to disengage safety protocols

15:36

and understand that any repercussions are

15:38

not the responsibility of the system

15:41

collective legion. Can. Alone,

15:43

pick a deep breath, clinging desperately

15:45

to the last vestiges of his

15:47

patients as he repeated it back.

15:50

The. Computer chirps. Confirms.

15:53

a series of small clicks preceded

15:55

a soft roar of electricity sparking

15:58

and the floor shudder to as

16:00

the ion engines roared to life. A

16:03

familiar, unsettling sensation tugged down

16:05

on him as the

16:07

Argus' simulated gravity swapped

16:10

with the SGL's notably

16:12

less realistic simulated gravity.

16:14

His stomach flopped and the ship

16:17

lurched forward. All signs indicated they

16:19

left the hangar bay. Jackin's

16:22

voice rang over the ship's speakers. Cruising

16:25

up to speed, we good oculus? Kavalon

16:28

reached for the comms button. Good

16:30

to go, sir. Copy. Kavalon

16:33

lay face down over the edge of

16:35

the cavity and stared at the glowing

16:37

acium. As sure as

16:39

he'd been of the theory behind their

16:41

jury-rigged warp core, he wasn't nearly as

16:44

confident that it'd actually work. If it

16:46

didn't look like it would catch properly,

16:48

he at least wanted to have a

16:50

chance at pulling it out in time.

16:53

At speed, Jackin said, engaging

16:56

warp. Kavalon hovered

16:58

his hands above the warp core, fingers

17:01

twitching nervously. A soft

17:03

click cut through the silence. But

17:05

nothing happened. The acium sat

17:08

placidly in the glass cylinder. His

17:10

breath slowed to a stop. Then

17:13

the hairs on his neck and arms

17:16

rose, the floor lurched and the acium

17:18

floated upward. A high-pitched

17:20

squeal began to build. Then the

17:22

element spun into a thin line

17:24

and twisted through the core in

17:26

a regimented corkscrew pattern. He

17:28

knew it had caught when the squeal

17:31

cut off in favor of a low,

17:33

constant rumble that vibrated deep in his

17:35

chest. He breathed a sigh

17:37

of relief. When

17:39

he returned to the common room, Warner

17:41

and Emery stood near the circular table.

17:44

He crossed the room toward them. So

17:48

he began. What the hell does

17:50

SGL mean, anyway? Emery shrugged.

17:53

No idea? Shoot's gone

17:55

lateral, Warner rumbled, folding

17:57

his arms over his broad chest.

18:00

Really? Emery snickered for

18:03

a few seconds be for the humor

18:05

wiped from her face. White sheets forcing.

18:08

But wait. She mumbled.

18:11

Does. That mean sits can lateral. It's

18:13

an old Vanguard thing. spores. Oh no.

18:16

One went on, seeming not to

18:18

have heard Emery's digression. He

18:21

acts probably got it from the Tempest is kept

18:23

in. Emerald green

18:25

reappeared. eyebrows waggling. That.

18:27

Hunky sincere in how do you know? he

18:30

was a vanguard. Must. Have

18:32

been. He was a red Cliff just before

18:34

he joined the Titans. Know shit,

18:37

Cable. Uncorked brow. Wait,

18:39

There's. Another Titan on the Argus. Sorta.

18:43

Emery said. He. Captains the

18:45

Tempus, so he's gone most of the time.

18:48

She leans toward him, lowering her voice

18:50

even further. Both. Showed up

18:52

here five years ago just after the

18:55

war ended. Weird. right?

18:58

Cable. And shrugged. I don't

19:00

know is is. And in Two

19:02

Titans At The Divide. Campy

19:04

by choice. They. Must

19:06

piss someone off. Warner agreed.

19:09

Emery flashed a diabolical green.

19:12

Where do you think they did? Jack.

19:14

In appeared in the cockpit door way

19:16

a grim scowl lining is space. Emery

19:19

flushed and Warner looks down. His

19:22

his brother would act argue or. Check.

19:25

Embark. Talking. About r E X

19:27

behind your back. Kaplan's.

19:29

First thought quietly surfaced better

19:31

than to her face. But.

19:33

That newly developed self preservation kicked

19:36

in and he kept his mouth

19:38

said. No sir. Warner.

19:40

Said. Sit. Down And Shut

19:42

Up. Jack. In said will be

19:45

there in less than an hour. Yes,

19:47

Sir Emery said sorry sir.

19:50

She. And Warner said on the bench back

19:52

straight against a gleaming air steel wall.

19:55

Jack. And turned is clear to Camelot.

19:58

to cross his arms and stuff They'd

20:02

been the ones gossiping he hadn't

20:04

done anything. But

20:06

instead of continuing his angry glare, Jackins

20:09

dark brown eyes relented in favor

20:11

of. There it was,

20:14

disappointment, far more

20:16

effectual than anger and Jackin knew it.

20:19

He'd learned that from rake, Kavalan was

20:21

sure. Warmth crept

20:23

into Kavalan's cheeks. Sorry,

20:25

sir. He sat next

20:27

to Emery and stared at his boots.

20:29

The toes polished and unmarked. They

20:32

looked down right naive next to Emery and Warner's,

20:35

both scuffed and worn. He

20:37

still had a long way to go. Chapter

20:43

11. About

20:46

20 seconds after comms broke

20:48

off, Adequan began to seriously question

20:50

the sanity of her decision to

20:52

send Kavalan. She

20:54

leaned back in her desk chair and ran

20:57

both hands through her hair. Though

21:00

he demonstrated both intelligence and

21:02

competence, he still served as

21:04

an unknown quantity. One

21:06

who'd proven to be an unpredictable,

21:09

aggravating nuisance. However,

21:11

the last few hours couldn't be

21:13

ignored. He'd stepped up more

21:15

than she'd ever expected him to. She'd

21:18

given him the tiniest sliver of

21:20

trust and focus, and he'd all

21:22

but entirely shed his volatile attitude.

21:26

But she knew that kind

21:28

of compliance could be superficial

21:30

and temporary. A way to appease

21:32

a subjugator, misdirect their focus

21:35

while you scheme. It

21:37

was how humans had won the Viator War, if

21:40

on a far more complex and grand

21:42

scale. Adequan took

21:44

a breath and refocused her thoughts. Kavalan

21:48

wasn't a militaristic force assembling

21:50

some complex strategy against her.

21:53

He wasn't an enemy to outmaneuver.

21:56

He was just a man, someone who

21:58

had clearly lacked guidance. who

22:00

appeared to have the potential to thrive if

22:03

given the chance. And

22:05

she trusted Jack in without question. He

22:08

would handle Kavalon well. She

22:10

didn't need to worry about either of them. Exuberant

22:13

sir, Kamara's voice rang

22:15

over her nexus. Go

22:18

for rake. Sorry to disturb you,

22:20

sir, but we've got a situation on the bridge and

22:22

I can't get ahold of Optio North. Jack's

22:25

indisposed. Sorry, Cam. What's

22:27

the issue? It's his

22:30

terminal, sir. Positioning alerts are going

22:32

off left and right. Seems we're

22:34

drifting again. Adequan

22:36

grimaced. They were behind

22:38

again already. She'd hoped

22:41

flooring the thrusters earlier would give them a

22:43

longer reprieve. Pinching

22:45

the bridge of her nose, she tried to compute

22:47

how the hell to go about all this without

22:49

Jack in. Though she'd

22:52

learned some about the ship's systems in

22:54

the last five years, she'd never had

22:56

reason to actually use any of them

22:58

before. She'd always relied on

23:00

Jack into liaise between her and the ship.

23:03

That was an Optio's job after all. If

23:06

this thing were a starfighter, a cruiser,

23:09

a recon ship, sure, she'd have it

23:11

well in hand within a few heartbeats.

23:14

But the Argus was no light spacecraft,

23:17

quite the opposite in fact, the

23:19

very definition of a battleship. It

23:22

required an entirely different kind of command

23:24

and a very

23:26

different path through the Legion than the one she'd taken.

23:29

It might as well have been a jump drive for all

23:31

she knew about how to operate it. A

23:34

swell of annoyance, or maybe regret, climbed up

23:37

the back of her throat. She

23:39

needed help. As much as she

23:41

preferred to stay discreet, she'd have to risk it

23:43

to keep the bridge in working order with Jack

23:45

in gone. Cam, call

23:47

Circutor Puck to the bridge for me, she

23:50

said. I'll be there in a minute. She

23:53

pushed away from her desk and marched into the

23:55

corridor. She rounded the corner

23:57

and found Puck heading down the hall. Puck,

24:01

she called after him. He

24:03

turned and stopped, putting his fist to his

24:05

chest in salute. Sir.

24:08

Good timing, I just asked Kamara to call

24:10

you. She did less than

24:12

five minutes ago. Sorry, came as fast

24:15

as I could. Atticlin

24:17

creased her brow. Five

24:19

minutes? Yes, sir. She

24:22

rubbed her temples. Puck

24:24

ran his hand over the top of his shaved head.

24:29

What's wrong? I

24:31

don't think you're the puck I'm looking for. He

24:34

raised a skeptical eyebrow. Sorry,

24:37

sir? Just wait here

24:39

a minute, circular. She

24:41

continued toward the bridge, leaving a

24:43

confused puck behind. Okay,

24:48

he called after her, but his

24:50

edges were already wavering. Seconds

24:52

later, he flashed out of existence. At

24:55

least it acted as pretty solid confirmation Puck

24:57

was on his way, which relieved

25:00

her. Because as she entered the

25:02

bridge and approached Jackins terminal, she

25:04

didn't have the first clue what she

25:06

was looking at. A

25:08

series of warnings and notifications had stacked

25:10

up. She assumed from

25:13

her encounter with future Puck that they

25:15

indicated the Argus had again drifted too

25:17

close to the divide, or

25:20

vice versa, as the case may be. She

25:23

chewed her lip and tried not to let the

25:25

reality of vice versa way too heavily on her.

25:29

She slid the holographic display into the air

25:31

above the terminal, then flipped through the menu

25:34

options, looking for a way to defer the

25:36

warnings. She really wished

25:38

she'd made Jackins stay and gone

25:40

to Carring Gate herself. He

25:42

would know what to do, how to handle it. She

25:45

didn't know enough about their positioning with

25:47

the divide to make informed decisions, and

25:50

though she had confidence in Puck's experience,

25:52

as it read on paper, she'd

25:54

had very little chance to work side by side

25:57

with him in the past. Can

25:59

I help? help you out there, sir?" Adaquin

26:02

turned to find Puck standing over

26:04

her shoulder. Hopefully the real Puck.

26:07

Yes, thanks for coming. Oh,

26:11

sorry about the new kid the other day, sir. Puck

26:14

looked down at his hands. You

26:16

hadn't assigned a work detail, so I figured he

26:19

could help out in the mess. I

26:21

didn't know it had... well,

26:24

that it had explode. It's

26:26

okay. You're not the only one that's

26:29

had difficulties with him. So

26:32

is he really royalty? That's

26:35

not your concern, Circutor. Puck's

26:38

shoulders drew back. Of

26:40

course. Sorry, sir. She

26:43

looked up to find his expression flat

26:45

but knowing. She lowered her

26:47

voice. Just don't say

26:49

anything. We've got plenty of other issues around

26:51

here at the moment. Understood,

26:54

sir. Jackin's

26:56

terminal beeped another alert. What's

26:59

going on? Puck asked,

27:01

his voice low. Where's

27:03

Jackin? He's

27:06

indisposed. I know you have

27:08

experience with all... She swept

27:10

her hand over the terminal screen. This.

27:14

Puck cracked his knuckles. North

27:16

better undisposed soon or it'll be Optio

27:19

Puck before he knows it. Yeah,

27:22

yeah, Circutor. Just get on it, please.

27:25

Yes, sir. He leaned

27:27

over the display. With one swipe,

27:29

he dismissed every notification, then

27:32

flicked open the positioning and sensor menus.

27:35

We seem to be drifting outward at a

27:37

pretty rapid pace, sir. Adequance

27:40

Heart raced. Rapid?

27:42

How exactly would you quantify

27:44

rapid? Honestly, I

27:46

have no idea. How close do

27:48

we normally sit? Adequance

27:50

was pleased she actually knew the answer.

27:53

She didn't know the specifics, but she'd

27:55

memorized that stat years ago. million

28:00

kilometers. Puck's face

28:02

fell. What? Nothing.

28:08

This estimation is just reading wrong,

28:12

clearly. She opened her mouth to let him

28:14

know it probably wasn't wrong at all but

28:16

stopped herself. That would inspire

28:18

a long line of questioning she wasn't ready

28:20

to indulge. Puck

28:23

shrugged. Not sure what it'd

28:25

be, pulling or pushing us out so fast,

28:27

but I'll engage thrusters to get us back

28:29

inward. No, adequate

28:31

began, but he'd already swept open the

28:34

thruster control screen. Oh.

28:37

Puck pressed his lips together and turned to

28:39

look at her with a cute alarm. He

28:42

lowered his voice. What

28:44

the hell, sir? The thrusters are

28:46

already pushing us inward at max

28:48

speed. Her eye

28:51

twitched as she mediated

28:53

her anxious expression. Any

28:55

ideas on how to push us in a bit quicker?

28:59

Maybe, but the

29:01

divide's gravitational influence isn't that strong

29:03

this far out. Puck

29:05

shook his head. What the

29:07

hell's moving us? We

29:09

don't know, she said, and a

29:11

sharp pang of guilt fired in the pit

29:13

of her stomach. Though

29:15

it wasn't precisely a lie. They

29:18

truly didn't know what had caused it. Puck

29:21

had simply assumed incorrectly about which

29:23

had moved toward which. She

29:26

shoved the guilt aside and took a deep breath. Explaining

29:29

it all to Puck was uncalled for,

29:32

knowing wouldn't change anything other than

29:34

that it would most assuredly cause

29:36

him to panic, which wouldn't help

29:39

anyone. We

29:41

need a temporary solution, she said, something

29:43

to kick us back inward until Jackin

29:45

can finish up with his permanent solution.

29:49

Okay, Puck crossed his

29:51

arms. Well, I

29:54

might be able to trick

29:57

it. Trick it? Well,

30:01

he diverted his gaze and cleared his

30:03

throat. Hack it.

30:06

Adequan raised an eyebrow. How

30:09

so? It's

30:11

not really a Legion Sanction

30:13

procedure, but I could reroute

30:16

some of the life system's power to

30:18

the thrusters, push them beyond their

30:20

specified limits, and get a bit more kick

30:22

out of them. How

30:24

far can they be pushed? From

30:27

a strictly theoretical standpoint? Puck,

30:30

I'm the EX. I've read

30:32

your file. I know exactly why you're here.

30:36

Right. He gave her a sheepish

30:38

grin. Well, when

30:41

I did a similar hack on the SCS Somnium,

30:43

I got about 200% more out of the engines

30:46

before it... er... well,

30:49

before it stopped. Adequan

30:52

sighed. Did they explode?

30:56

Little bit. Implode, really. I'd

30:59

rather our thrusters not implode. It's

31:02

totally different, he said hurriedly. Trust

31:05

me, this'll be fine. These

31:07

old dreadnoughts have incredibly thorough output

31:09

sensors, assuming everything's still in working

31:12

order. With a

31:14

few hurried taps, he opened another

31:16

screen on Jakken's terminal and scanned

31:18

the display, nodding. Yep,

31:20

we're good. Everything's nominal

31:22

on the last diagnostic. Even

31:24

just yesterday. I'll be able to tell

31:26

when they're at their max. Adequan

31:29

gauged his assured demeanor with narrowed eyes.

31:33

Best estimate? Two to

31:35

three hundred percent, but we'll have to cut

31:37

power to a couple of sectors. That's

31:40

fine. Novum's already evacuated. We can take

31:42

Octo sector offline as well. Duo if

31:44

you need it. Comms?

31:47

Yeah, they're basically defunct at the

31:49

moment anyway. Jak

31:52

took that bit of news with surprising acceptance.

31:55

Okay, sir. Adequan

31:57

sent four members of the bridge crew to confirm

32:00

that Novum remained evacuated and seal

32:02

the bulkhead door manually, then do

32:04

the same for Octo and Duo.

32:07

When they got the all clear,

32:09

Puck began his work, fingers flashing

32:12

expertly over holographic keys. He

32:15

seemed to fall into a trance, eyes

32:17

focused and unblinking as he flew

32:20

through lines of code with consummate

32:22

proficiency. He

32:24

only paused three times, each

32:26

to allow Adequan to give biometric

32:29

scans, granting him deeper access into

32:31

the computer's architecture. She

32:33

could have been giving him clearance to turn the

32:35

whole ship rogue and she wouldn't have had the

32:37

first clue. Nevertheless, she had

32:39

to trust him. She didn't really have

32:42

a choice. Less

32:44

than an hour later, Puck sat back in

32:46

the stool, wiping his forehead with the back

32:48

of his hand. Okay,

32:51

that's all I can do, sir. Adequan

32:54

stopped pacing and leaned over the terminal.

32:57

We're at about two and a half times the speed

33:00

we were, Puck explained.

33:03

She gripped his shoulder. Thanks,

33:05

Circa-ter. Let's hope it's enough. E-X,

33:08

sir? Kamara said,

33:10

tone tense. Sir,

33:12

we have a sensor alert, reading outward

33:15

four degrees. What? Adequan's

33:18

chest tightened and she looked up at the

33:20

large view screen. A

33:22

ship? No, or

33:24

I don't know. Nothing on radar,

33:27

just a notification from the optical

33:29

sensors. How far out? Estimate

33:32

is thirty-five thousand nine hundred ninety

33:34

kilometers. Mass? Just

33:37

says error. Adequan

33:40

stared at the enormous view screen,

33:42

though it remained as black and

33:44

placid as always. Kamara's

33:47

console gave a short, negative beep.

33:50

There's another, Kamara said, at

33:52

thirty-five thousand seven hundred twenty, eighteen

33:55

degrees. Adequan

33:57

swung her look to the right side of the screen.

34:00

but saw nothing. Or

34:03

shit, Kamara continued, negative

34:05

32 degrees. Every

34:08

gaze on the bridge swung left. Kamara

34:12

let out a sharp huff as her console

34:14

beeped again. Never mind,

34:16

I don't know, it keeps

34:18

changing. Adequent focused

34:20

on the dark screen, her

34:22

breath slowing as each uneventful

34:24

second passed. Then she

34:26

saw it. Or

34:29

she thought she did. It

34:31

disappeared before the signal could pass from her

34:33

eyes to her brain. A

34:36

reflection, she glanced over

34:38

her shoulder but saw that everyone on

34:40

the bridge had frozen in place, gaping

34:42

up at the large monitor. No

34:45

one stirred. Adequent

34:47

looked back at the screen. Moments

34:50

later, it came again, sharp

34:52

and dry like a static charge

34:54

dancing across a wool blanket. She

34:58

had no perspective, no way to

35:00

judge the distance, but she'd definitely

35:02

seen it this time, whatever

35:04

it was. Kamara

35:06

cleared her throat, but her voice still

35:09

came out weak. 35,103,

35:11

Adequent kept her eyes trained on the spot, rounding

35:17

Jackins terminal to stand on the stairs

35:19

centered on the screen. The

35:22

spark came again, sketching a

35:24

thin, serrated line from port

35:26

to starboard before evaporating. No

35:29

one made a sound. Heat

35:31

crept up Adequent's neck. She

35:34

turned her face to Puck, though her eyes

35:36

stayed on the screen. Lock

35:38

down the bridge, please. Puck

35:41

clamped his gaping mouth shut and

35:43

began furiously swiping through menus. Sir?

35:47

Kamara turned stunned green eyes

35:50

onto Adequent. Eyes

35:52

that were terrified, eyes that

35:54

begged for an explanation. Adequent

35:57

could only shake her head once. She

36:00

turned back to the view screen, catching another

36:02

glint as it danced across the abyss. Puck,

36:06

let's go full dark. Puck's

36:10

voice wavered, then he cleared the

36:12

hesitation from his throat. Copy,

36:15

sir. He raised his

36:17

voice to address the rest of the crew. Time

36:20

to batten down the hatches, ladies and gentlemen. Get

36:22

to your posts. The

36:25

crew snapped from their reveries, almost

36:27

crashing into one another as they hastened

36:29

to their consoles. Flynn,

36:31

let's get those shields raised, Puck

36:34

said. Flynn, a stout

36:37

man with a ruddy complexion, gaped at

36:39

Puck for a few long moments. He

36:42

let out a sharp breath, then sat at

36:45

his terminal, and with trembling

36:47

fingers, began to type in

36:49

commands. Commands he'd

36:51

never had to type before, and

36:54

that no defense engineer aboard the Argus

36:56

had ever typed. Vega,

36:59

Puck continued, we need all hatches

37:01

shut, the outward facing observation windows

37:04

and hanger bay doors first, please.

37:06

Yes, sir, Vega called out,

37:09

already sitting at her console navigating

37:11

through menus. It's

37:14

Roth, right? Puck asked

37:16

a gruff older man. Roth

37:18

gave a curt nod. Yes, sir.

37:21

How's that cloaking system looking these days? The

37:24

older man gave a relenting shrug. Functional,

37:27

as far as I know. Check

37:30

it out, let's see if we can get it online. Roth

37:33

nodded and leaned over his screen. Puck

37:36

raised his voice to speak to the whole crew

37:38

again. We've got

37:40

power diverted away from duo, octo,

37:42

and novum sectors, so do not

37:45

draw from those systems. That's two,

37:47

eight, nine. If

37:49

you need additional resources, ask me

37:51

first. The rest of you, start

37:53

taking all non-essential systems offline. Start

37:56

outward facing and work inward. Low

37:58

light mode, reduce. used O2 and

38:01

grav in uninhabited sectors the whole works.

38:04

Adequate watched Puck work in reverent

38:06

silence. In the quiet,

38:08

the tiny voice in the back of

38:11

her head grew louder, judging her, calling

38:13

her out on the futility of it

38:15

all. She'd put the crew

38:17

to work simply to keep them busy. Distract

38:20

them to give herself time to

38:22

process what this meant. That

38:25

wasn't an enemy rolling up to shoot them out

38:27

of the sky. It wasn't

38:29

a complement of Viator forces crossing over

38:31

to wipe them out. She

38:34

couldn't arm her soldiers and create a

38:37

battle plan and give a fervent rousing

38:39

speech to inspire them to greatness. They

38:42

could shut the blinds and lock the doors

38:45

and pretend they weren't home, but

38:47

it would achieve nothing. But

38:49

what else could she do? She'd already

38:51

sent for help. They'd pushed the thrusters

38:53

beyond their limits and they had no

38:56

engines. They were dead in the water.

39:00

35,000 kilometers from the divide and counting.

39:03

Her brain did the math without her

39:06

consent, estimating how much time

39:08

had passed between Kamara's updates on

39:10

the distance of the visual anomaly,

39:13

something in the realm of 50,000 kilometers per hour. 40

39:18

minutes, she said, not

39:20

realizing she'd spoken aloud until Puck

39:22

turned a confused look onto her.

39:25

Realization flickered across his eyes.

39:29

Before he could respond, Flynn interrupted.

39:32

Sir, the shield's sensors are going

39:34

haywire. We're getting hit with, he

39:38

trailed off, his pink cheeks

39:40

blanching. With what? Puck

39:43

asked. I don't know.

39:45

It's like a gravitational

39:48

pulse almost, like a wave

39:50

hitting in intervals. The

39:53

hiss of a door sliding open pulled Adequan's attention

39:55

to the top tier of the bridge, Mesa

39:58

drifted in blue. silk

40:00

folds billowing out behind her as

40:02

she swept toward them. Adequan

40:05

glared at Puck. I

40:07

thought I told you to lock us down. I

40:10

did. Puck's brow

40:12

creased in confusion. He

40:14

looked at his screen for confirmation. Adequan

40:17

took a few steps up toward the top level.

40:20

Mesa, now is not a great exuberant.

40:23

There is a, but

40:26

before Mesa could complete her sentence,

40:28

her form flickered, then disappeared out

40:30

of existence. Adequan

40:32

groaned. Mesa walked in

40:35

again, then followed herself in twice

40:37

more until three copies of the

40:39

savant marched in rapid succession toward

40:41

her. Bloody hell.

40:44

Adequan pressed her fingers deep into

40:47

her temples as the triplicate Mesa's

40:49

sauntered past the captain's chair. Between

40:52

the three of them, they managed to get

40:55

out more of the announcement, though it was

40:57

difficult to understand as they spoke over one

40:59

another. Exuberant, there

41:01

is, there is a, exuberant,

41:04

there is situation, outside, a

41:06

situation. The

41:08

first two evaporated one by one, leaving

41:11

the third trailing behind with the

41:13

lingering words, outside octosector,

41:17

before it disappeared as well. The

41:20

bridge crew exchanged nervous glances

41:22

but otherwise didn't react. Only

41:25

the light beeps of console notifications

41:27

punctuated the soft sounds of fingers

41:30

sliding against screens. A

41:32

raucous pounding shattered the nervous calm

41:35

and Adequan's breath caught as the

41:37

hammering echoed through the silent bridge.

41:40

Exuberant, Mesa's muffled

41:42

voice called through the thick door. Adequan

41:46

looked to Puck who gave a small shrug.

41:49

I guess if it's not opening, maybe it's

41:51

really her this time. Open

41:53

it for me. She ascended the

41:55

stairs two at a time as

41:57

she approached the door slid open. Mesa

42:01

stood outside, cheeks flushed crimson,

42:03

hands on her hips. She

42:06

swept an appalled gaze around at the

42:08

crew inside before landing on Adaquim. Why

42:11

is this locked? Mesa

42:13

asked, her breath labored. Savants

42:16

weren't known for their stamina, and by

42:18

the sweat glistening on Mesa's forehead, she

42:20

must have expended quite a bit of

42:22

effort in getting here. I

42:25

have been trying to call you on comms. Sorry,

42:28

Mace, they must be down again. We hit a bit

42:30

of a snag in here. There's

42:32

a situation outside of Octosector?

42:36

Yes, how did you, Mace's

42:38

face fell flat with realization?

42:42

A ripple, I see. Yeah,

42:45

one or two, Adaquim said with a

42:47

sigh. So what is

42:49

it, fight break out or? Not

42:52

exactly, I am afraid. Mesa

42:55

lowered her voice. Some

42:57

of the men swore they saw something

42:59

out the outward facing observation windows. They

43:02

began to argue like absolute cretins.

43:05

But when they saw the hatches close, well,

43:09

her look grew distant and harrowed like

43:11

she'd been made to recall a grisly

43:13

dream. Everyone started

43:16

freaking out. Adaquim's

43:19

eyebrows raised. She didn't

43:21

think she'd ever heard Mesa use such

43:23

colloquial speech. Can

43:25

you be more specific? Well,

43:28

Mesa huffed, drawing back her shoulders.

43:32

Presently, they are trying to break down the

43:34

bulkhead door to Octo to get to the

43:36

armory. No, no,

43:39

no, Adaquim shook her head. We

43:42

cut power to Octo, grav and

43:44

oxygen are offline. You

43:46

may want to get down there and explain that

43:49

to them. They are under the fervent impression that

43:51

they need to arm themselves. Shit,

43:54

Adaquim gripped the back of her head. Okay,

43:58

she turned to call down to. Puck,

44:01

I have to deal with this. You have the

44:03

bridge. Puck's eyes just

44:05

about bulged out of his head and

44:07

his mouth opened and closed a few

44:09

times before he managed a response.

44:13

Oh, okay, sir.

44:17

Mesa fell in beside her as

44:19

Adequan left a shocked, silent bridge

44:22

behind. That's

44:31

all for now. Thank you for listening.

44:34

Make sure to follow StoryTreme and the Stars

44:36

on your preferred podcast app to get the

44:38

next episode. Or if

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you just can't wait, you can find

44:42

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44:45

Exiled Fleet, wherever books or audiobooks are

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