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Rei paced in front of her desk the next afternoon, her gaze remained fixed on the computer as though that would make something happen. She threw herself back in her chair and wrung her hands, glad she had voice-locked the room so no one else would witness their Captain having a nervous breakdown. She tried to think of any menial tasks to do, anything that would keep her mind off what she had learned the day before.
She seized a data pad and added up the totals of what they had earned to divide up later. Yeke had been right—it was a decent haul for a load that included weapons that had little appeal. The thought of the man brought a blush to her cheeks when she remembered how she had spent the night. Part of her—
The comm’s wail jolted her out of her thoughts. She swiftly pressed the buttons to answer the call.
“I confess I’m surprised to hear from you so soon,” Gen greeted, his silver eyes didn’t betray a hint of emotion. “Did something go wrong?”
“No, I just wanted to follow up on a few things that were brought up by my visit.”
“You didn’t find your answers, then. I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t say that.” She leaned against her desk, using the object and what it signified to fuel her next question. “Where did the Federation get the idea to infuse an Essence-less person with power?”
Now Gen’s eyes widened. “We’ve been toying around with it for a while now. Essence-less always are isolated in our society and they should be able to protect themselves. This would give them that ability and make them truly feel valued.”
“They wouldn’t have to have much power to do that,” Rei argued. “And shouldn’t there be some sort of volunteer phase before you roll out the whole program?”
“You were dying,” he pointed out. “We had to move fast.”
“And the tech you had back then could have patched me up in no time at all. You could even have kept me knocked out until everything was done and I’d be none the wiser. So, Gen, what was so special about me? Why did you drag me into your world?” Rei’s fingers dug into the wooden surface so hard her nails embedded themselves.
He considered his answer. “I don’t know why the President thought you would be a good candidate for our project. All I know is that in our general surveillance we found you, brought you on the ship to heal, and then...” He waved a hand nonchalantly. “Well, you know what they say.”
“And none of you questioned it?” Rei exclaimed. “The scientists I spoke with raised a good point: non-Essence-based ways are poor compared to Essence-based ways of doing things. So why did the Federation even put you on a surveillance mission of an Essence-barren planet? Even if your President were trying to bring them into the fold, a program like this would never be accepted. It’s still unproven unless they can get me to be their poster girl and Essence-less will always mistrust those who wield the power.”
“We are the stewards of the galaxy. We provide protection from the chaos and power they fear while they offer us valuable resources. And though they might not accept the power, they do have minds that can be put to use toward understanding it.” Gen leaned toward the monitor. “But onto business. You’re still undertaking this mission, are you not?
“We’ll be on our way soon.”
“Good. The fighting over whether or not to undertake the search of these objects has reached critical mass. Now we have both the Parliament and nobility weighing in.”
“They don’t want to rush out and uncover the mysteries of Essence?”
“They do, but you know government. The expenses of the trip must be justified, given troubles.” Rei raised an eyebrow. “Nothing that isn’t usually going on, but it’s making some anxious.”
“I can’t say I’m disappointed.”
“Nor I... though it’s made people more insistent than normal. I don’t know how long my significant credentials can hold them off.” He reached for something on the screen. “I’ll keep in touch if anything changes, but I hope the next time I hear from you it will be with news of your success. And remember, not a word to your crew.”
“Of course.” The screen went back to its desktop display. “So, we’re now to the point that you’re going to hide behind your precious President, Gen? I’m starting to think this relationship of ours has run its course.”
The computer flickered off and she headed for the bridge, eager to put her mind to work on something far removed from her parents.
“Anyone up for another hand?” Rei heard Foniac ask as the bridge door shut behind her. She climbed the staircase and paused. Most of her senior crew and Grandma sat around a makeshift table someone had set up. Kuv was the only one who didn’t appear to approve what was taking place, observing the others from a nearby console.
“The Captain would not approve of you doing this on the bridge,” he said, though Foniac ignored him and started to deal. “And each hand brings you closer to discovery.”
“Relax, Kuv,” Chia snapped, her gaze locked on her cards as they arrived. “Our official business is done. We’re running a skeleton crew up here and this planet, overall, has very little left to offer us.”
“And it doesn’t you?”
“Anything worthwhile is done where I can’t get to now. Even my friends can’t get me in there.”
“Are you all right, Grandma?” Aede asked.
“Sixty credits!” she shouted as she jumped in her seat. Those around the table laughed softly, even Kuv. “What?” she asked. Her head whirled around to each of them in turn. “No one meet?”
“We’re not betting yet,” Yeke explained calmly.
“I see,” she plunged her head back down to study her hand.
“Besides, Kuv,” Foniac said, continuing their discussion, “we shooed everyone away to get some downtime, so technically we’re the only ones working.”
“You realize you’re making your argument weaker, correct?” he asked.
Foniac shrugged. “Honestly, I wanted to be up here because I wanted to know what’s our next step, but didn’t want to intrude on the Captain.”
“And she thanks you for that.” Rei made her presence known. She tried to school her expression as she closed the distance between them with her arms crossed across her chest. Their faces morphed into various degrees of guilt, except for Grandma, who continued to study her cards. “What’s going on here?”
“Cards. Want us to... um... deal you in?” Foniac replied.
“Why are they on the bridge?”
“Because it was close enough to be on hand when you finally came out to give us information?”
“I see.” Rei lowered her hands to her hips, fighting back a large smile. “As a matter of fact, I do have some info for you. Or should I say choice?”
“Choice?” Yeke frowned.
“Iteata or Selatta.”
“Wait, we’re finally going after that?” Chia asked.
Rei shrugged. “Don’t see why not. We’ve finished the business here and have else besides drinking our credits away planetside or in the Drunken Inventor.”
“I imagine our client is getting antsy too,” Kuv added.
“How are they handling our delay?” Aede asked.
Rei shrugged and wondered how the other woman was feeling about being shut out of these negotiations. “They’re handling it.”
“I’d suggest that we make our way to Iteata,” Kuv suggested. A holographic map appeared above the table. “We can get there within two weeks.”
“Two weeks!” Chia protested. “Are you going to be keeping the engines going if we’re pushing them that hard? I shouldn’t have to remind all you people that this ship might run well, but it’s still old.”
“I don’t believe that we’d have to,” Kuv argued, then traced the most direct route between their current position, adjusting their speed to something that resembled their typical traveling speed. “See? We should be fine unless we are delayed somehow.”
“It’s lightyears away from the nearest shipping lanes, so it’s not likely,” Aede pointed out.
“Good, no competition,” Yeke clapped his hands together.
“Didn’t you say that they wouldn’t be interested in this?” Chia asked.
“I said mercs didn’t want to touch, but I won’t rule out other pirates or bandits,” he clarified.
Rei rubbed her hands together. “Now that’s settled, back to this business here.”
Instantly, the guilty looks were back. “Sixty!” yelled Grandma.
“I should chew you all out—you know the rules...” She eyed each of them in turn. “But I suppose I feel generous today, so you’re off the hook as long as you deal me in.”
~*~
Rei felt the rumble of the engines lifting them into the atmosphere as she circled the punching bag. She had intended on hiding away in her room, but everywhere she looked she was reminded of the night before.
One night... that’s all it took for him to become a part of the fabric of the place.
She was aware of the door opening on the other side of the room, rescuing her from going down that dangerous path of desires and loneliness. She took a few experimental punches while she waited for whoever it was to approach.
“What do I owe this late-night pleasure?” she asked, changing her stance to bring her leg up and kick.
Yeke stopped between her and the punching bag without answering. Rei’s muscles protested with how sudden she ended the attack.
“What the hell?” she asked.
“What aren’t you telling us, Rei?” he asked.
Her eyes went wide at the question. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb, I know there’s something that you aren’t saying and I want to know what it is. I know the others have their questions about everything too, but they won’t say anything, not out loud anyway. But we’ve known each other for way too long for things like rank to get in the way of questions.”
“Do you now?” Rei asked. “Don’t you think I have my reasons for keeping quiet?”
“What are they, then?”
“I can’t say. It’s... complicated to say the least. You know that I wouldn’t keep you in the dark on purpose.”
He threw his hands up in the air. “Do I? I’ve helped keep the whereabouts of someone I know the Federation would love to have back a secret without a second thought. Why the hell am I suddenly in the group of people who can’t be trusted with even something as simple as an explanation?”
Rei sighed, sadness filling her eyes. “I wish I could tell you everything, but I can’t. Honestly, Yeke.”
“What’s with you lately? Let’s put this aside for a moment. What about last night?” Rei looked down—here it was at last. “You were so upset about what you uncovered on that planet and you even convinced Chia to keep quiet about it. Then you leave like a madwoman this morning and lock yourself away in your office before anyone can stop you.”
“What’s your point?”
“My point is you’re scaring the crap out of everyone and it’s time to let us in or at least a few of us.” He ran a hand over the top of his head. “I went to your office to see you needed anything before I joined everyone up on the bridge. The door wasn’t locked, but you were too busy arguing with whoever you were on the comm with to notice.”
Rei stumbled backward. “I did what?”
“You weren’t thinking clearly,” he replied. “Besides, like I said I’m the only one brave enough to barge in without warning.”
“How much did you hear?”
“Enough to know that whoever it was has ties to the facility. Who are they, Rei? And why do you trust them?”
Rei’s eyes closed tight to keep her warring emotions from showing, though she knew Yeke could tell exactly what she was doing. “You’ve trusted me so far, Yeke. All I’m asking is for you to do it a bit longer. I know I’ve been off lately, but given that they’re hunting me again, and then this with my family...”
“All the more reason to let me in. Who’s to say this person isn’t just going to turn you over when you’re not useful anymore. I do trust you, but—”
“But what?”
“But what if your emotions for your family are still clouding your judgment? You’re the only one this guy has contact with and it’s clear there’s a reason for it.”
“You honestly think that I would lead this ship and people into danger blindly—or willingly?”
“I never said that.”
“Oh really? You just said my judgment was clouded,” Rei stood, her eyes glowing a dim blue. “Maybe you should go. Before either of us say something irreversible.”
“That’s probably a good idea.” He spun on his heel and strode out of the room.
Rei reached for the punching bag and tried to bring her power back to normal levels. Her fists stuck out, pummeling the inanimate object with no mercy. Damn him—why couldn’t he just let it go?
The bag exploded in a shower of debris; her Essence-aided blow having been driven right through it. Rei sank slowly to the ground. She hadn’t directly lied to him or anyone on the ship, she had just left out her sources. Gen’s warning made it clear what her options were. Her head lifted as a wave of horror washed over her. Maybe it was getting to that time. Things were getting too heated and instead of just one or two crew members in danger, there were so much more. That was what a Captain did, wasn’t it? They protected their crew and kept them flying. No matter the cost.
Yeke will never let you do it. He might be pissed at you right now, but he takes his responsibility as second-in-command just as seriously as you do yours as Captain. Really, Rei, quit being stupid. If you want to solve this, all you have to do is let him in and tell him what Gen told you. Then you can plan for whatever he or the Federation throw at you. Tears ran down her face. But why, what good will come of it?
Rei dragged herself back to her feet, then gathered up the wreckage of the punching bag in a cloud of Essence. It balled up tight so it could float into the trash bin. “Great, now Kuv’s going to be pissed at me too about losing another punching bag, but at least he’s pacified with credits.”
With a sniffle she hurried toward her quarters, grateful for the late hour. Once inside, she secured the door and grabbed her blankets and a pillow from the bed with such force that it sent the pillow he had used the night before to the ground. She dumped her bundle on the couch and fetched a glass for some water before tucking into the night. Settled beneath the blanket, she sat and waited for sleep to come.
~*~
The Drunken Inventor was unusually quiet for a day in the middle of space with little else for the crew to do. Not that Rei minded the silence; it saved her from facing awkward questions that would sour the flavor of the fish and rich vegetables in her Oij stew. Rei always requested it as often as she could and especially if she was feeling low about something. Despite the alien ingredients, it reminded her of the food she grew up with. Her spoon hovered above the bowl as someone approached. She gave them a casual glance out of the corner of her eye. Yeke had been right about one thing during their argument. There were only a few people who would be willing to call her out these days, and one of them was currently avoiding her.
“Afternoon, Grandma. How are you today?”
She stopped just in front of Rei’s table, “You... Yeke... not well?”
Rei let her spoon drop in the bowl. “What makes you think that?”
“You’re never together as of late. If one comes, other runs away. Otherwise, both are silent. Others are picking up on it, too.”
“I haven’t noticed.”
“Of course not, you are focal point of disturbance.” Her hand gripped Rei’s arms tight. “Tell what happened?”
Rei shook her head in dismay. “It was something stupid—what argument isn’t? I’m trying to protect everyone and he doesn’t see it that way. He has a point, but we have to do it my way for now.”
“Then why do you not tell him? Why not make him see?”
“Because I’m still not sure that I’m right, even after fighting with him about it. Maybe I should have told at least him what was going on. He is supposed to be my second in command and yet I don’t bring him in on information like this.” She offered Grandma a bitter smile. “Maybe it’s time to shake things up. What was good in the beginning isn’t good now.”
“But we want you.”
Rei chuckled, picked up her spoon, and let the broth fall back in the bowl. “That’s not exactly what I meant. I don’t pretend that isn’t some around here who would love to see me shoved off and left somewhere. The only reason they don’t speak out now is I have support and, as much as I hate to say it, power.”
“Why keep them around and worry about them?”
“Because you don’t cast people out just because they don’t agree with you. As long as I keep myself within their levels of tolerance, they’ll be content with what they get from me. Still, I can’t worry because this ship is my only home... But we’re getting distracted. What I meant was that maybe it’s time to separate myself from the whole situation. It had its uses in the beginning, but now no matter what I do I’m putting everyone in danger.”
Grandma’s eyes glowed. “And how do you plan on removing yourself from the situation?”
Rei shrugged. “There’s a couple of options that I’m considering.”
“You cannot leave us. You are the key to all their plans.”
“You keep telling me that, but isn’t that more of a reason to isolate myself? I know it doesn’t seem like the galaxy hasn’t been big enough for me to hide in, but I’ve also haven’t exactly laid low.”
“If you go alone, the key becomes theirs.”
Rei straightened. “What?”
“They seek to isolate. Then they can swoop in and take back what they see was stolen from them. If that happens...”
“If it happens?” Rei repeated.
Grandma’s body shook as though stricken with fear. “Death... death.”
Rei rose and held onto Grandma’s shoulders. “Stop!”
A final shudder went through the other woman’s body, then she sagged against Rei. “Must finish.”
“No, you don’t! I’ve heard enough!” Her grip tightened. “It’s not worth your health.”
“Is. You are precious.”
Tears threatened to fall. “Grandma...”
“I finish the vision now.”
“No. I’m serious about that. We know enough about what they’ll do if they get their hands on me.”
“Then what to do?”
“Then I might just have to suck it up, be brave, and go to fix what I can on the ship.”
“Good, you should go to him. Ship too tense.”
Rei’s brow furrowed. She had a suspicion their argument was affecting other people but didn’t think it was that bad. “We’re two people on a ship of hundreds. Most of them probably didn’t even notice.”
“Two important people,” Grandma insisted, she pulled away and rapped her hand against the table. The white glow returned to her eyes. “Ship is many pieces intertwined together. Harmony must be restored, or everything will come apart.”
“Is the Kathya going to fall apart at the seams over a silly argument? I swear, some days you’re just a doomsday prophet, Grandma.”
The glow faded from Grandma’s eyes. “Some days that’s all there is to see.” Her clouded gaze locked back onto Rei and the older woman took her hand. “You must be brave one.” She started to pat the hand she held firmly in her grasp. “You must be it.” The patting grew more vigorous before she walked away and left Rei alone with her cooling meal.
~*~
Rei took a deep breath as she stopped in front of the door that led to where Yeke had found her when they were docked on Bruatin, wrapping her coat tightly around her body before she stepped out. Despite the frigid temperatures, she was always amazed at what Chia’s tinkering had done to their shielding—not that she’d ever say that to the engineer. The advances helped preserve atmospheric integrity by holding in what was present when the shield was engaged. The result was a breathable bubble even in the depths of space. Rei watched the starlight and distant planets reappear as the Kathya’s Ci engines, named partly after the inventor, shut down and switched to the standard drives. A faint trail of colorless Essence followed in the ship’s wake.
Yeke seemed to be watching the scene in silence, his coat nowhere to be seen. Rei frowned. He might have a somewhat higher tolerance to extreme temperatures than most, but she knew he had to be freezing. Her hand reached out of its own accord, barely hovering above the surface of his skin which confirmed his thoughts. He shifted his posture, causing Rei to pull her hand back as though she were burned.
“We always find ourselves here, don’t we?” She finally spoke up after a few minutes of silence. “I mean, this is where we spent our first night on the ship. We couldn’t believe that the two of us had just pulled off what we thought was the greatest heist of all time. You had that horrible cheap whiskey you’d swiped from somewhere to toast with. We unwound, and for the first time in forever I had hope for the future.”
She was babbling so she fell silent. They remained that way for the longest time, staring out at the stars as they went past. A large nebula cut through the black, the gasses a bright green and blue. It was so simple and yet so marvelous—a reminder of the small reasons she kept the journey with this ship going. Rei’s gaze fell and she noticed Yeke looking at the nebula just like she had been, but he seemed unaware of their shared interest.
“We really are two sides of the same coin,” she told him. “We’re both equally stubborn about what we want. We also know when to let that stubbornness fall away and begin the process of moving on.” She exhaled loudly. “I was wrong to keep that stuff secret. There was a time when it was necessary, but that’s not the case anymore, especially not for you.”
Yeke shifted slightly, though his gaze remained fixed on the scene around them. Emboldened, Rei continued. “The man I was arguing with when you came into my office the other day is called Gen. He was the one who helped me get out of their clutches.” She let the Essence on her body fall and examined the claws at the tips of her fingers. “He comforted me during the worst of it; when the pain got to be too much and I didn’t think I could take anymore. That kindness was why I allowed him to contact me. But lately... I’ve begun to feel his goodwill has reached its limits and that’s to say nothing of his actual threats.”
“Threats?” he repeated.
Rei swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. “If I didn’t keep quiet about where I got this job and why he threatened to bring the whole Federation down on your heads.”
“Wouldn’t you be caught too?”
Rei shrugged. “It was implied, but he was mainly targeting the rest of you.”
“That’s because he knows you couldn’t give a damn about your own safety,” Yeke argued.
“You can at least see why I took it so seriously.”
He sighed. “I can, but I don’t get it. What changed?”
“Based on our... discussion the other day I don’t think anything I do will stop him. He’s going to do whatever he wants, though we can keep him at bay a while longer.”
“How do you think we’re going to do that? Guy sounds pretty connected.”
Rei scuffed her foot absently. “Well, Kuv said it himself. We’re way out here now. I willing to bet little conversations like this aren’t going to be noticed. Less chance of them bugging our systems between Aede’s sweeps too. I’d like to keep this info between the two of us though.”
Yeke nodded. “I can get behind that. Some of the crew might be able to keep somethings quiet, but we’re not exactly champions on subtly.”
“Chia still hasn’t told you what we discovered, has she?” Rei asked.
“No.” Yeke frowned. “And it’s not like I haven’t tried!”
“The papers we found in the safe have what looks like a formula that can grant Essence to Essence-less.”
“Wait. Wait. Wait. That would mean...”
“You caught it too, huh? Gen looked at me like I had another head when I asked him what gave the Federation the idea to experiment on how you could give someone the power to use Essence. According to Chia’s friends, the formula in the safe doesn’t work. It’s more of a weapon in its current stage.”
“Who the hell would turn that into a weapon?” Yeke exclaimed.
“Think about it. You remember how I described it going into my body?” Rei folded her hands across her chest. “It knocks the wind completely out of you and then you can feel it...”
“All right, I get the point. Why didn’t you say anything about it before now?”
Rei clasped her hand behind her back to keep them from fidgeting. “I think I was simply in denial. It was so bad that I think I freaked Chia out. That’s why she was perfectly willing to keep quiet until I was ready to deal with everyone knowing.”
“So, what did this Gen guy say?”
Rei let out a bitter laugh. “Avoided it completely. So now I’m left to wonder if my parents aren’t slaving away in some Federation lab somewhere because I know that this formula played a part in why they vanished.” Her voice broke for just a second. “Not that I could ask him. Isn’t that just typical, Yeke? I call him a coward, but I can’t bring myself to ask him the most important question I have.”
Yeke sighed, then pulled her close. “To be fair, you did just go through a world-shaking realization that they had a bigger role in what was done to you than you ever thought possible.” He gave her a wry smile. “I’m not even on speaking terms with my family anymore and I wouldn’t be able to ask that. So, are we good? It’ll be a pain in the ass to break in a new captain.”
“Why does everyone automatically assume that I’d leave the ship?”
“Because to prevent the crew from having to pick sides, you’d be the one to jump ship first so it doesn’t come down to it.”
“Fine, but I can’t promise I won’t complain when you get ridiculous on me.”
Yeke’s mouth twisted as he thought. “Hey, let me sit in the next time you two have one of your little meetings. And before you even try to argue against it, don’t worry, I’ll be like a bug on your wall. He won’t even know I’m there.”
Rei opened her mouth to automatically shut him down but thought better of it. Did she want to wreck the bridge she just mended? “I’ll try to make that happen. Contact with him can be sporadic at best.”
Yeke beamed at her. “That was better—” The ship rocked beneath their feet. They leaned heavily against one another to stay upright. “What the hell was that?”
Another ship grazed the shields above their head as it fired more pulses at them. Rei planted her feet and reached for her comm. “What’s going on, Kuv?”
“We’re being fired on, Captain.”
Yeke reached for his comm. “We can see that!”
“Where are you?” Aede asked, confusion evident in her voice.
Rei sighed and rolled her eyes at Yeke. “Never mind. Do we know who is attacking us?”
“We haven’t been hailed yet,” she replied. “Hang on—they’re finally trying to communicate with us. I’ll patch you both in so you can hear.”
“Surrender. You Federation flunkies know better than to trespass in our territory,” a gruff voice ordered.
“Your territory?” Rei said. “I didn’t know anyone could claim deep space like this. Who are you, even?”
The ship came around for another pass. Rei could see the Kathya’s shield quiver under the frequent assault, but it stood strong. “Federation heathen... you’re testing our patience,” the voice continued.
“You had patience? You fired on us without warning. We’re not Federation and we don’t even have the signature of one of their ships. So let me repeat myself, who are you?”
She heard weapons, much smaller ordinance than what they had been using, smatter the forward shielding.
“They must be running low on power, those are weak Essence-based munitions,” he said. “It’s like they’re just shooting us with ordinary bullets.”
“Or they’re gearing up for a major assault and want us to drop our guard,” Rei argued. She looked upwards. “And I don’t want to find out which it is.” She opened the comm channel to the attacking vessel again. “I think it’s common manners to give your identity if you’re trying to destroy a ship. You’re firing at the Kathya—an independent transport and living vessel and, last I knew, flying through empty space wasn’t a crime.”
She closed the line again and waited. The ship’s fire just increased in intensity. “I’ve never met someone so damn stubborn about a pointless attack,” Yeke muttered. “Well, that wasn’t Federation that is.” He guided her to the hatch.
Rei forced him to pause for a moment before opening it. “I’m giving you one last chance to answer us,” she told the other ship.
Yeke opened the hatch with a shake of his head and they rushed inside. Just as it was about to shut, Rei’s eyes widened to see another ship approach, their cannons visibly lowered into firing position.
“Crap,” she muttered.
“Shields are probably about seventy percent,” he answered her unspoken question.
“Foniac, move us into a better position to attack and Kuv, get ready to give them hell,” she ordered. Her hand toggled the comm channels. “You leave us no choice. We might be a passenger vessel, but that doesn’t mean we won’t defend ourselves.” She paused for a moment, then swapped over one more time. “Rei to Aede.”
“I’m monitoring all of their comm traffic. So far they’ve only issued basic commands within the ship.”
“Good. Fire at will, Kuv,” she ordered. “We’ll be back up there in just a few.”
Side by side, the pair raced through the dim hallways. The faint impacts against the shields came from all directions. Thankfully the hallways were clear until they met a mass of people scurrying toward areas of the ship closest to the escape crafts and other shuttles midway through the ship. It was organized chaos, with order kept members of Kuv’s security forces and with a few engineers. Their efforts seemed to be working overall, although a few children had tears streaming down their faces. Rei’s heart went out to them as she eased into the swarm to get across. Grandma appeared in the midst of the crowd and their eyes locked, the older woman gesturing at the throng around them.
Rei paused. People were suddenly moving with a degree of calm they hadn’t before Many urged the most vulnerable people through the doorways first before they followed. Rei’s eyes went back to Grandma as she pointed at the pair of them with a small smile before allowing herself to be helped through a door.
The ship lurched to the side, forcing everyone in the corridor to balance awkwardly to stay right. Rei set off in a jog to make up for lost time. Yeke drew ahead of her, stopping just in front of the lift and looking back at her expectantly.
“Stairs,” she gasped. “I refuse to trust that thing during an attack like this.”
A few stragglers seeking refuge emerged as they made their way a few doors down. “What?” he asked and opened the door for her. “Would it be so bad to get stuck with me in the lift for a while?”
Rei glared at him as she pushed past and took the steps two at a time. “Sorry, that fantasy of yours will unfortunately have to wait. We need to know who’s trying to make us the universe’s newest debris field and stop them.”
“Glad to see I’m not the only one running late to the commotion.” Chia’s voice came behind them. Rei glanced over to see the engineer floating herself upward through the opening of the stairwell.
“We’ve already been in touch,” Yeke informed her. “And I see you share Rei’s aversion to lifts during an attack.”
“Actually, I found them too busy to deal with right now. Honestly, I’d still be in my lab, but I recently completed some upgrades to our weapons and need to make sure Kuv doesn’t blow us up when he deploys them.”
“You couldn’t just tell him what to look out for over the comm?” Yeke asked.
Chia’s ears twitched. “Once again, you miss the point of being able to witness your creations in action.” She eyed them as they reached the next landing. “You’re going far too slowly,” she proclaimed.
Rei felt her feet immediately leave the ground, surrounded by the glow of Chia’s Essence. The other woman brought her hand forward and all three of them soared through the open part of the stairwell until they reached the top. She set them down gently. Rei opened the door to the walkway and led them through.
“What’s going on?” she asked the moment they cleared the final stair into the bridge.
It was an odd calm, everyone at their stations and giving the systems their orders. “The shielding is now at forty percent, Captain. We’re holding right now but if we keep getting this bombardment...” a crewman at the frontmost console reported.
“They haven’t called any more reinforcements,” Aede said. “I can see communications going between the two vessels, but they’re a bit tricky to break into so we can hear.” Chia went over to Kuv’s station and began to give him instructions in a low whisper. “I’ve also been trying to break into their systems and figure out what their story is, but they’re riddled with viruses and worms just waiting for the files to be downloaded.”
“You sure it’s not someone we pissed off on a job? Sounds like something they’d do,” Yeke asked.
“Out here?” Foniac asked. “We’re not even running a flight plan right now.”
“This stuff is hardcore but mostly old tricks the Federation used to use to disable ships that were close to disabling their vessels,” Aede continued. “I don’t see anyone we’ve encountered using it, but I don’t dare download anything they have unless it escapes my countermeasures.” She bit her lip.
“Grandma is in the safe areas,” Rei informed her. “We saw her on our way up. But good call, we don’t need that on our systems.”
“If I could isolate it, I might be able to do something,” Aede said.
“Can you get a read on what they’re outfitted with?” Yeke said.
“Yeah,” Aede said. “Rather generic shielding and weapons. They seem to rely on old tech and Essence, but they have plenty of ammo aboard. Both have taken a beating, though the first ship is worse. It won’t take much more to get rid of the shields.”
Rei walked over to an empty console and watched the readout, Yeke on her heels. The ship shook, the lights dimmed as power continued to be diverted to more critical systems. She looked up as Foniac guided the ship around a volley of shots, narrowly missing them. Once again, she marveled at the team of Foniac and Chia, keeping such a large ship agile with their respective skills. She saw the pilot run a hand over her Mohawk before gritting her teeth and continuing the intricate dance with the artillery.
“How soon do you want this done?” Chia asked.
“Sooner rather than later,” Rei replied.
“Then give them whatever ultimatum you want and come over here.”
Aede nodded and Rei activated her earpiece. “This is the Kathya calling unknown vessels. Surrender or be destroyed. Make your choice.”
Tension lit the air as everyone looked at the screens in front of them. “Foniac,” Yeke said softly. “Ease up for a second. They’re going to take a break before they respond.”
Rei made her way over to where Chia entered in the last commands on the console while Kuv watched intently over her shoulder. She studied the others while she waited. Aede frantically typed, trying to find one last secret while Foniac gently guided them to where they would fire.
“Your answer?” Rei asked.
The first ship fired at them, the shots obstructing their view for just a moment. The second ship, however, was quiet.
Rei closed off the communication line. “First ship is priority. What do you need me to do?” she asked Chia.
“We’re locked on, but we need you to send enough Essence to the weapon since it’s been dormant since I finished this.”
“It needs a jump start?” Yeke asked from near Foniac.
“This time it does, we had to completely drain the lines. Most of the time it will use what the ship stores for its weapons, though the operator can fuel it with their own in a pinch.”
“How do I do it?” Rei asked.
“Put your hand on the console and just ease it through the system. I have the connection open for you already. It shouldn’t affect anything else as long as you don’t put too much into the system at once. Remember, let the weapon do the work.”
Rei closed her eyes and concentrated on not sending too much. A moment later, she looked up at Chia. “It worked?”
“We should know in a moment. You managed to not blow anything up, so that’s a good sign.”
Heads all over the bridge turned toward the front window as three blue pulses cruised toward their target. Pulses from the first ship intercepted the first two. Several more fired in quick succession and set course for the first ship. It exploded in a haze of blue, the shock wave rattled the Kathya for just a moment before everything went still. Rei gazed out the window as the light faded, the only thing left of their target was a field of debris.
“We surrender,” a woman’s voice came over the common communication channel. “We surrender.”
“Weapons are powering down on the second ship,” Yeke said.
“Tell them we accept and to prepare to be boarded,” Rei told Aede. “I want answers as to why we were just attacked.”