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Aerie felt lightheaded as she entered the control room with Exton.
Serena had decided to stay with Tyra, and after convincing Exton that Tyra and the other medics could use a hand, and they could take care of Serena if she got tough, he let her.
Aerie was glad to see her sister was starting to see how Petra was a good place to stay. Or at least, it was a safe place to stay.
And let’s hope it stays that way. She glanced down at her wrist, where the strip still prodded out from her skin. She was glad she wasn’t giving away the location of Petra.
Anymore, at least, she thought to herself. Aerie knew it was still likely that she had given away the location.
And Exton still loved her, despite all the trouble she caused him. A dizzying sense of rightness took hold of her, as she realized that, if they survived this, she never wanted to be parted from him again.
“Exton,” Emery called from her seat. “Tyler’s on the line.”
“Commander,” Exton said in greeting.
“I was just asking for you,” Tyler said. “The Craftcarrier’s still moving toward Petra, but some riots have broken out at New Hope.”
“Any of ours?” Exton asked.
“Not that I can tell,” Tyler said. “I was wondering if Merra would know. She has several of her forces at Chaya holding the ground, but I caught some of her fighters leaving the camp a few days ago.”
Aerie felt her eyes widen. “Mom,” she whispered.
“Is there any other movement?” Exton asked.
“That was it. The URS forces at Halifax are silent, and their other command centers around America are running through their routines.”
“Aunt Patty mentioned Panama earlier. What’s the news from them?”
“The cloud cover makes it hard to pull out any information from them,” Tyler said. “But the Craftcarrier’s movement toward Petra demonstrates they are significantly adding to its thickness.”
“We’ll have to notify the environmental protestors,” Exton replied.
“I take it you’ve heard back from Rhodey, too?”
“Yes. No nukes.”
“I’m still in position,” Tyler said. “I’m just behind the South Pole if you need me to send out more shuttles.”
“Hopefully, it won’t come to that,” Exton said. “Can you send me a feed from your monitoring cam?”
“Roger.”
Exton glanced over at Emery. “Have you been able to pick up anything on the—”
The monitor blinked, and Emery smiled. “Yes,” she said. “The Craftcarrier is just over the horizon. They’re still running more slowly than expected, even with Merra’s forces out there, but it is approaching steadily.”
A small boom echoed back, and Patty cheered. “We got a hit on one of the reverse stabilizers!”
Aerie glanced over at Brock nervously. “I guess this makes you miss the URS some, huh?”
He shook his head. “Not really. The URS had more organization and more people. And the NETech really helped. There was no discussion of plans.”
“My mother is a skilled pilot,” Aerie said. “And she’s used to getting her way. I’m hoping she’ll be able to stop the carrier before it arrives here, and that she’ll do it without losing any of our troops.”
“What about the other side?” Brock asked. “You know that there are a lot of people on the Craftcarriers. Over a hundred, easy, and possibly up to six hundred. What about them?”
“I ... guess they’ll die or they’ll surrender,” Aerie said. She brightened. “They might turn back,” she said. “They could go back to their regular position, and then they wouldn’t lose anyone.”
Brock gave her a reluctant smile. “You always were too idealistic,” he said. “That’s not how the URS works. Or really any good defense.”
Aerie slumped over. “It’s better than thinking of what’s really going to happen,” she said.
“I agree,” Brock told her quietly. “But it doesn’t help in the long run. Still, it’s something I admired about you.”
“Why?” Aerie asked. “If it’s no help in the long run?”
“Long-term goals are met by short-term battles,” Brock told her. “And it was ... nice to see someone with a different vision for the future of the URS, if you want to know the truth. You seemed to think everything would be alright in the end.”
“I still believe that,” Aerie said.
“You changed sides.”
“I was always on the wrong side,” she said. “The URS has no need for dreamers, for people like me. They had a vision. I didn’t want to conform to it willingly, or at least without a fight.”
“This is still a dangerous fight.”
“I still believe that it’s worth it,” Aerie told him. “If Exton has taught me anything, it’s that there is a price we pay for what we believe, no matter what it is.”
Brock hardened. “I don’t like him.”
“You don’t know him the way I do,” Aerie said. “I’ve watched him suffer so much, just because he loves me.”
“I guess I didn’t suffer enough then?” Brock asked.
Aerie blushed. “Brock, I—”
“No, don’t say it. I don’t want to hear it,” he said. “I know there’s nothing I can do.”
Aerie felt the sting of his remark, but, as he leaned back against the wall, she had hope that they would be able to be friends again, even if it was not going to happen right away.
“Exton, do you copy? Command, do you copy?”
Aerie glanced up, surprised to hear her mother’s voice coming over the comms.
“We read you, Merra,” he replied.
“We seem to be experiencing a problem,” Merra said. “Our comms are jammed.”
“How are you broadcasting to us?” Exton asked.
“I have no idea,” Merra admitted. “I’m further out from the carrier than the others are. I started getting static as they approached the craft.”
“It’s possible that they have a scrambler onboard,” Aerie said. “It can be used to break into the enemy’s comms as well as cut them off—”
A new voice came over the comm, as Merra’s line became full of static. “Is that you, Aerie, my dear friend?”
Aerie went speechless with fear and shame as she recognized Gerard’s voice. Her gaze met Exton’s, and she watched as he froze, torn between running over to her or replying.
She was glad when he decided to answer the call.
“That’s none of your concern, Gerard,” Exton replied.
“Oh, it’s the great Exton Shepherd, now, is it?” Gerard asked. “What happened to playing Captain Chainsword?”
“I came down from the Perdition specifically to ruin your day.” Exton crossed his arms as he turned toward the monitor.
“It’s a lost cause,” Gerard assured him. “I’m here on the URSS Rothsburton,” he said, “and I’m the one who is leading the charge against you.”
“What charge would that be?”
“You’re harboring dissenters and refugees from the URS,” Gerard replied. “You are breaking our law, so we will engage.”
“If you were smart, you would go back to poisoning the atmosphere around the equator,” Exton said. “If you come any closer, we will shoot you down.”
“I’ve already broken through your comm lines.”
“And we’ve already broken through your carrier’s defense.”
Gerard paused. “It doesn’t mean you’ll win.”
“And turning around now doesn’t mean you’ll never get your chance to battle me,” Exton replied. “But I’d still prefer less causalities.”
“There’s a reason we don’t call them formalities,” Gerard said. “I look forward to destroying you.”
The line went dead.
Aerie felt her knees go weak, as the voice of her torturer left the room full of an uncomfortable silence.
Patty broke the silence. “Are we able to reestablish communications with Merra and her forces?”
Emery shook her head. “No, but give me a moment. Maybe I can try to hack into their system and disrupt it from here.”
As the other techs resumed their work, and Patty and Emery focused on the comms, Exton made his way down to Aerie.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Aerie gave him a shaky smile. “Yes,” she said. Hearing herself say it aloud gave her more courage. She clenched her hands into fists. “And I can help you fight them.”
“I’m not letting you go into battle,” Exton warned.
“No, it’s not that. I can help with the comms,” she said. “I actually did go to work in the Comms Sec, remember? I know how to reroute their signals.”
Exton put his hand to his chin. “I suppose we could give it a try. It just might work.”
“Great.” Aerie glanced over at Brock. “Are you going to be okay here?”
“Exton, come here,” Emery said. “Tyler’s on the line.”
As Exton hurried back over to the main console, Brock gave Aerie a reluctant smile. “I’ll be fine. Eventually,” he said.
Aerie took his arm, briefly. “I know it’s hard for you to believe, but I know exactly how you feel.” She ignored the surprised look on his face and hurried to catch up to Exton.
Tyler was talking to him as she approached.
“—so I can’t connect with the fighters, either, or we’ll risk the integrity of the comms on the Perdition.”
Aerie stepped up. “Tyler,” she said. “It’s me.”
“Welcome back, Aerie,” he said, greeting her kindly. “It’s nice to hear your voice again.”
“You can thank Meredith for that.”
“I already have,” he assured her. “It’s nice to see Exton getting back to his usual, surly self. His extra-surly attitude was getting to be too much.”
Aerie laughed, before getting back to the business at hand. “I’m going to try to rework the comm signals,” she said. “I’ll need you to keep an eye out on the battle up there.”
“No problem.”
Aerie hurriedly glanced at the monitor. Emery skirted out from behind her.
“Can I help?” Emery asked.
“This console is similar to a URS design,” Aerie said. “Only there’s no NETech input. That’s probably how Gerard is connected to the main URS base from the Craftcarrier.”
“Probably?”
Aerie shrugged. “I’m familiar with the system,” she said. “But I’m not sure what they’re doing with the NETech right now. The regular comms, I can reroute in a few moments.”
She keyed in the familiar codes, hoping to get a response. As she began typing and looking for the backdoors to the carrier, Exton kept watch on the screens.
“How much longer do you need, Aerie?” he asked. “The Craftcarrier might be miles out from the shore, but Merra’s forces still need to hit the port and starboard stabilizers before it’ll go down.”
“I’m hurrying,” Aerie said. “I finished rebooting the signal reader. It’s widening its frame; that should make it capable of maneuvering around the URS jamming frequency.”
“How long?” Exton asked.
“A few moments,” Aerie called back.
“That’s not enough time.”
She gave him her best grin. “We’ll make it enough,” she said. She turned to Emery. “Can I get more power?”
Emery paused for only the slightest second. “Rerouting power,” she said. Emery looked back. “I’m diverting it from the main power source here at Petra. We only have a few moments before the cold will settle in.”
Another blast resounded over the screen.
“Merra’s team hit another stabilizer,” Emery informed them. “We just need two more.”
“Two more to stop it, and then we’ll see what we end up with,” Exton said.
“Close enough,” Emery said, sticking her tongue at him.
He only briefly smiled back. “If we can’t get this up, I’m going to go out and fly myself,” he said.
“What? No,” Aerie said. “No, we need you here, Exton.”
“They need me out there, too, if we’re going to stop that carrier.”
“I’ll bet that’s just what Gerard wants, too,” Aerie snapped. “I know he hates you, Exton. You can’t let him do this to Petra.”
“I’m not letting him,” Exton argued back. “That’s the point. I’m not going to sit here when I can go help out there.”
“Just wait,” Aerie said. “I’ve got this.”
“Aerie’s good at not listening,” Brock said, making her face burn. “She did this in the cargo ship, too.”
Before Aerie could turn her ire on him, the comm signal began to hum.
Aerie cheered a moment later, as static came over the line and began to clear. “Got it,” she said. “Mom, can you hear me? It’s Aerie.”
“Aerie,” Merra replied. “I can hear you loud and clear.”
“Turns out the General was right,” Aerie said. “I got the jamming signal to stop.”
“That’s my girl.”
“Exton and Director Ward are here,” Aerie said. She gave Exton a smug, triumphant look as she added, “And they have some directions for you.”
“Merra,” Exton said, smoothly inserting himself into the conversation. “We need you to speed up the attack run. It’s still advancing.”
“I know. We’re trying to outrun some of the carrier’s battlements,” she replied. “Several of their ships have deployed, but not to attack.”
Exton blanched. “They’re not attacking you?”
“No. Looks like a suicide run,” Merra said. “Let me circle around and see what we can do.”
“Exton,” Tyler said, interrupting. “Gerard’s just made his exit.”
“That coward,” Exton grumbled to himself. “Are you sure, Tyler?”
“Yes. I was able to watch him take off using the monitoring system. It’s definitely him in the transporter shuttle. He’s headed north.”
“Can we stop him?”
Before Tyler could reply, Merra came through the comm once more. “I’ve got a good visual on the Craftcarrier’s position. We’re going to have to stop it now, completely, if we’re going to protect Petra.”
Aerie saw the tension in Exton’s face as he asked, “Is there any way you can—”
Merra interrupted him. “We’re going to have to aim for the main power core if we want to stop it now.”
“What? No,” Exton said. “The main power core will—”
“Missile’s away!” Merra cried.
Less than a second later, a sonic boom ripped through the room, causing Aerie to stumble. She gripped the console, but the room rocked as the nuclear engine of the Craftcarrier exploded. Several of the others yelled and shouted as they were thrown backward by the power of the explosion.
Exton crawled over to Aerie. “Are you alright?” he asked, as he hurried to pull her upright once more.
“I’m fine,” Aerie said. She glanced up at the monitor to see the carrier blow up in a bright light, before it flickered into static.
“I’m glad I was sitting,” Emery murmured, rubbing her temples. “That was some whiplash.”
“Are you okay?” Aerie asked her. “And the baby?”
Emery nodded, patting her stomach. “We’re fine, but I’m going to need to lie down after that one.”
“I’m surprised the building didn’t break,” Aerie admitted, as Exton focused on the flickering console display.
Emery smiled. “We knew we had to build Petra to last. Even though this sort of thing wasn’t what we were expecting, necessarily.”
“I can’t believe she did that,” Exton growled. “Blowing the main engine on a Craftcarrier that size will send the engine’s radiation leaking. It could damage our water supply and harm the crops.”
Aerie came up beside him as the monitor returned to normal. She heard the static from the comms, but there was no need to contact the others now.
Several fighters were flying back toward the campus, as the Craftcarrier, now in several large pieces, fell into the ocean water. Huge waves rose high into the air, as if to embrace the fiery remnants pouring down from the sky.
“Shut the hangar doors,” Exton called. “We’re going to have a small tsunami on our hands.”
“Hang on, I’ll be there in a sec,” Merra said, her voice breaking through the silence on the other side of the comm line, just as Patty pressed the button.
“No, Mom, don’t!” Aerie called, watching in horror as the large hangar doors began to close.
The doors shut, and Aerie saw Merra’s fighter slip inside, but her other forces swung around and headed toward the distant mountains, and the base was swept up in the displaced seawater.
“She doesn’t listen at all, does she?” Aerie asked through gritted teeth.
“Well, what do you know,” Exton said. “Maybe you’re more like her than I thought.”