Revolution: The Ship Series // Book Two (19 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

She's in for the surprise of her life.

Zax
choked back an anguished scream. He refused to give the civilian the
satisfaction of seeing the pain he had caused. Zax closed his eyes and fought
to calm down. All he could envision was the suffering being visited upon
Kalare. His friend, his dear, dear friend, had just heard her death sentence
announced and was likely experiencing its excruciating delivery. Zax had lost
the chance to save her but silently vowed to avenge her. If the civilian was
still in the compartment when the Boss appeared, Rege would also be dead before
the Omega’s lifeless body hit the deck.

“What the hell’s going on in here, Rege? I told you I
didn’t want any more violence!”

Zax recognized the voice. He opened his eyes and looked
at the hatch to see Imair enter the compartment. He noticed all of the
civilians stand straighter—almost as if they were Crew snapping to attention in
the presence of an Omega. She smiled benevolently at him.

“Hello, Zax. I’m certainly not surprised you managed to
find your way here.” She glanced at Sergeant’s Bailee’s unconscious form. “I
had a feeling we had a shadow in ChamWare when I was with you earlier. It makes
perfect sense for the sergeant to show up and try to interfere with my plans,
and he’d need your navigating skills and tunnel access to make that happen. We
never had an opportunity to test out that mist device before today, but I know
my engineers will be thrilled to learn it worked as intended.”

Zax struggled to reconcile what he was seeing and
hearing. His confusion must have been apparent because Imair grinned even more
broadly.

“I can see you’re puzzled, Zax. I’ll be happy to explain
and answer your questions in a moment, but I need to take care of a couple
items first. Rege—hand me that communicator.”

Imair took the comm unit proffered by Rege and fiddled
with its controls for a moment. She started to speak and Zax was astounded to
hear her words emanate from the vid screens in the room. It wasn’t her actual
voice, but rather the disguised one he had heard when the civilians first took
over the Engineering compartment. Zax had indeed recognized the speaker when he
listened earlier because it was someone he had heard repeatedly for the past
year.

“Greetings, everyone. It’s been a while since you last
heard from either me or the Captain. My apologies. We thought at the time we
had an agreement in hand which would allow us to end these hostilities, and I
had hoped to report more progress by now. Unfortunately, final resolution has
taken longer than planned. Regardless, I’m now confident we’ll be able to end
all of this unpleasantness
one way or the other
in a very short period
of time. Please expect to hear back from me soon.”

Imair looked down at the communicator and manipulated
its controls once again. The Captain appeared on one of the vidscreens. Since
it was only one screen and not all of them, Zax assumed it was a private
channel and not being broadcast to the entire Ship. The Captain looked up and
frustration filled her voice as she spoke.

“What exactly was that announcement supposed to mean?”

Imair grinned as she replied, even though it appeared to
only be an audio channel on her end and her visage was not being transmitted.

“I’m not sure what you could be upset about, Captain. If
anything, we should be the ones annoyed by all of your delays. We are almost
halfway to your 240 min deadline, and you have not yet delivered on some of my
demands we had agreed to. For instance, why haven’t the environmental controls
been transferred to Engineering yet?”

Hearing Imair say it was nearly 120 mins since her last
announcement made Zax remember the Captain was in her final preparations to
vent the Ship. He could see the Crew moving frantically all around the bridge
behind her on the screen and tried to imagine what it would be like to kill
nearly ten million people with the push of a button. Zax closely watched the
Captain’s expression and was duly impressed at how she gave away nothing. She
held her hands out in a pleading gesture.

“Look around me—we’re doing our best. I’ve got everyone
scrambling, but there was so much damage from the bombs and it’s causing us
problems. I’m confident we’ll have some good news to report in just a few more mins.”

Zax thought he caught a glint in the Captain’s eyes with
her last sentence. Imair’s tone and expression did not change as she responded.

“Regardless, we’ll have some new developments on this
end as well in that timeframe. I encourage you to remember who’s in charge
right now, Captain. Our control is about to become even more solidified, and I
would hate to see you break your word and not honor your earlier commitments.
There will be severe consequences for noncompliance.”

Imair delivered her last words with grave sincerity and
cut the connection. She turned to Zax.

“That woman thinks I’m an idiot. She’s in for the
surprise of her life. You must have a million questions for me, Zax, but I only
have a couple of mins available before I need to finalize our takeover. Ask
your most pressing one first.”

Zax actually had only one thought at that moment, and he
locked eyes with Imair. “How could you kill Nolly?”

A dark cloud passed over Imair’s face, but her
countenance soon shifted back to her typical neutral expression.

“Really, Zax? I give you an opportunity to ask me
anything,
and that’s the best you can come up with? I’m disappointed in you. I’m
sorry to hear he died as that was not my intent. It was critical that I
distract you folks for a while after I took off with the Boss. I only wanted to
hurt him, but I’m not much of a marksman and felt with only one shot I needed
to aim near center mass. I regret taking the life of a child, but I believe
even he would agree it was a small price to pay in order to preserve the future
for untold billions of civilians by putting an end to this Ship’s insane
Mission.

“You came close to really screwing up our plans, Zax.
Freeing the Boss and then helping to kill the Chief Engineer took away our best
chances of capturing the Ship. Thankfully your group did exactly what I
anticipated and went to Waste Management. The real value of all your strict
Crew training, as far as I’m concerned, is that it leads all of you to act very
predictably. I took a big chance by putting myself at risk to track you down
and infiltrate your little traveling party, but I did so with the confidence I
was almost  surely guaranteed to succeed.”

Imair looked over at the open hatch in response to the
sound of a group approaching and smiled. “Rege—help the cadet to his feet and
grab a blaster. I want to bring him along with us to the FTL compartment so he
can witness first-hand the end of the Crew’s command of this Ship.”

Zax used his empty hand to brush away Rege’s assistance
and followed Imair’s gaze as he got to his feet. His heart began to pound
furiously as he watched the Flight Boss enter the compartment.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

What
have you done?

Zax’s
body tensed as he surveyed the situation. A half dozen civilians poured into
the compartment alongside the Boss, and the man calmly spoke with one who
walked beside him. The Omega looked exactly the same as he had when Zax last
saw him. He expected the civilians to have been torturing the officer this
entire time and was perplexed when the man did not appear to have been abused
the way the Chief Engineer had earlier in the day. He could not in a million
years imagine what might have caused the Boss to break faster than anyone would
have anticipated, but the civilians must have done something truly dreadful if
Imair was so confident she was about to gain access to the FTL.

There would be no hesitation this time. Kalare’s murder
had cemented Zax’s resolve to complete the mission Sergeant Bailee had
assigned. His finger tightened on the trigger. He casually turned so his right
arm would be pointed directly at the Boss when he lifted the blaster for his
shot. As he did so, he made a mental note of Rege’s position. The civilian was
standing less than a meter away on Zax’s right side. He was laughing having
just awkwardly caught a blaster by the barrel which someone tossed to him. Zax
would have to move quickly if we was going to get off a second shot and kill the
civilian, but he felt confident in his abilities.

Zax stared at the Boss and casually lifted his arm to
fire the kill shot. Time felt like it slowed painfully, but Zax feared
attracting unwanted attention if he moved too quickly. The Omega stopped
speaking with the woman next to him, and his eyes swept the compartment as he
entered. His gaze paused for a moment and he raised his eyebrows slightly when
he saw Sergeant Bailee’s body, clad mostly in ChamWare, lying unconscious on
the deck. The Boss’s head continued to turn and his eyes went wide as they met
Zax’s.

“The cadet has a weapon!”

The Boss’s words echoed through the compartment as the
officer hunched down in an effort to shield himself. Zax was confused as to why
the man would endanger an outcome he had to expect and should actually desire,
but in the end it didn’t matter. By ducking the Boss only hastened his demise
as the movement placed his head into the same plane as Zax’s arm. He pulled the
trigger for the kill shot.

Zax’s leg erupted in blinding pain. The limb had
shattered from the force of Rege wielding his blaster like a club and smashing
the weapon’s stock against it. The impact threw off Zax’s aim by a few
millimeters just as the trigger fully engaged. His shot bounced harmlessly off
a bulkhead as Zax crashed to the deck once again. He finally lost his grip on
the blaster which became visible as it skittered away.

Imair berated the civilians before the blaster shot had
even stopped reverberating.

“How in the hell did everyone manage to miss he was
carrying a blaster? Who frisked him?”

Rege moved to pick up the blaster and smiled as it went
invisible in his hand. He held it up for everyone to see.

“This is how we missed it. Looks like the Marines have
some tricks we weren’t aware of.”

Imair shook her head ruefully as she held out her hand
for the weapon. Rege handed it over and she tucked it into the waistband of her
pants in the small of her back. She spoke quietly with him while the activity
level in the compartment increased markedly. A group of civilians approached
the closed hatch and started to pick up the crates of explosives which were
stacked there. One held it open as the others carried the boxes into the
compartment beyond.

Zax laid on the deck and silently wept. Not from the
agony of his leg, but from shame. He had failed. In everything. Kalare was dead
and the Boss was alive. His friend was gone and soon all hope for the Ship
would be as well. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into the eyes of
the Flight Boss.

“What have you done?” Zax hissed through his tears.

“I’m sorry, Zax,” the Omega whispered. “I don’t expect
you to understand. I couldn’t let you kill me, though I respect you immensely
for trying. I hope you’ll some day look back and see why this was all for the
best. You’ve accomplished your duty today, Zax, better than I ever would’ve
dreamed.”

Zax was overwhelmed with an urge to spit in the
officer’s face. The man was allowing the civilians to win and appeared to be
doing so without any semblance of a fight. Why had Zax sacrificed so much to
try to save the Ship and protect the Crew if its second highest ranking officer
was willing to just up and quit? Imair appeared over the Omega’s shoulder and
pulled the man up by the arm before Zax could act on his disgust.

“Come on,
Boss
. Time to deliver my prize like you
promised. Let’s go visit the FTL.”

The officer pushed her hand away brusquely. “I’m not
going anywhere without the cadet.”

Imair looked at Zax’s tear-streaked face and his twisted
leg. “He doesn’t much seem like he can manage to go anywhere. Leave him be and
I promise no one will harm him. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we
can get him proper medical attention.”

The Boss, ignoring Imair’s directive, knelt down and
scooped Zax into his arms. Zax felt wildly conflicted. The Boss was willing to
throw all of their fates to the mercy of these horrific civilians, but for some
reason he still attempted to protect Zax. His body initially recoiled at the
man’s touch, but he fought to calm himself and eventually settled into the
Omega’s arms.

Imair frowned. “Fine. Have it your way, but he better
not disrupt things again or he’ll have more to worry about than a busted leg.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Please open the hatch.

The
Boss carried Zax and followed Imair to the hatch. She held it open as they
passed into the FTL anteroom. It was a nondescript compartment, though Zax knew
it was adjacent to the most heavily armored space in the Ship and multiple
meters of exotic alloys stood between him and the engine. The FTL device itself
was benign, but the Ship’s designers were well aware of its strategic value as
a target. The armor was intended to protect it from all enemies both alien and
Shipbound. Only the Ship’s total annihilation would penetrate all of its layers
of protection. That, Zax rued, or one of the Omegas with access deciding to
hand it over without so much as a whimper.

Once the Boss provided his biometrics to the reader
which controlled the final hatch, it would open and the civilian scum would
pour in and rig their explosives around the engine. The Captain would never
risk the destruction of the FTL and would be forced to acquiesce to the
civilians’ demands. The distances involved in interstellar travel were so vast,
only the engine’s ability to instantly jump from one star system to another
allowed the Ship to move far enough fast enough that humanity could survive.
Their food and energy reserves would be depleted long before the Ship reached
another system at sublight velocity.

Imair continued towards the interior hatch which led to
the FTL, but the Boss halted. She realized he was no longer behind her, turned,
and snapped.

“You’re the one who told me we needed to rush. Get
moving!”

The Boss looked around the compartment and gestured
towards its many occupants. “Not until you get all of them out of here. There
will be plenty of time for your team to load in the explosives later. When I
speak with the Captain, I don’t want anyone present except you and the boy.”

Imair stormed back to the Boss and forced her face as
close to his as she could without crushing Zax between them in the officer’s
arms. “What makes you think you’re in a position where I should give a damn
about what you want? How about I send someone to grab the controller and we can
have a little fun with your collar?”

Zax held his breath in suspense for nearly a min as
Imair glared at the Boss and the man stared impassively back at her. The
civilian finally gasped in surprise when the lighting in the compartment
switched to amber and a loud klaxon wailed. She swiveled her head all around
trying to identify the threat. The Boss grinned.

“
That
is why you should give a damn about what I
want. The Captain has disabled the life support systems throughout the Ship.
The alarm here and in Engineering Control is only informational because we’re
covered by an emergency system and will be fine, but oxygen replenishment is
about to cease almost everywhere else. You don’t have to worry about any of
your people running out of air, though, because the Captain is also preparing
to vent the entire Ship and send all ten million of them into space. Assuming
she continues to follow the procedures to the letter, it will all be over in
less than three hundred secs. You’ll eventually figure out how to force me to
open that hatch and get you into the FTL, but I’m beyond confident that I can
hold out against any torture for at least that long.”

Imair paused for a moment, but then stepped back and
bellowed over the combined din of the alarms and the civilians’ activity.
“Clear the compartment! Everything’s going according to plan, but I need
everyone
to leave. Now!”

The civilians initially froze from indecision, but
Imair’s final exclamation sent them scurrying out of the compartment. Rege
herded everyone out and then shut the hatch as he was the last to leave. The
Boss gently placed Zax down on the deck and held out his hand to Imair. The
civilian handed him the communicator and stepped back. The Omega fiddled with
the controls for a moment, and then the Captain’s image appeared on the
vidscreen mounted on the wall. Zax could see the Boss was broadcasting his own
image as well. The Captain recognized her fellow Omega and smiled.

“I didn’t expect to see you right now, Boss. You must be
aware of what I’m doing, so I hope you can understand this really isn’t a great
time for a chat.”

“My apologies, ma’am, but that’s entirely why I’m
calling. I need you to put a halt to your plans and stand down.”

The Captain appeared confused for a moment but then
grinned. “That’s a good one, Boss. I’d almost think you were trying to make a
joke if I didn’t know you so well. I really do need to get back to business
right now.”

“Ma’am—I regret to inform you that Alpha has invoked
Order Sixty-Six, and as the second highest ranking officer I’ve concurred.
You’re being relieved of your rank effective immediately.”

The Captain’s mouth dropped in response to the Boss’s
statement. She paused for a moment until she regrouped.

“Where are you right now, Boss?”

“I’m in the FTL anteroom, ma’am. The civilians will be
entering the engine compartment momentarily to rig it with explosives. I’ve
negotiated with their leader and Alpha to craft a solution which will end this
uprising without any further loss of life. I will retain my position and command
of the Crew, albeit under the oversight of our new civilian President. The
civilians will use their ability to destroy the FTL engine to guarantee Crew
compliance going forwards. You’ll rescind the order to vent the Ship, reengage
all life support, and return to your quarters immediately.”

Zax could not believe his ears, but the rationale behind
the Boss’s actions had become crystal clear. He not only saved his own skin by
allowing the civilians to enter the FTL compartment and take the device hostage
but also maintained his position of power even with the transition to civilian
control.

The Captain grimaced. “I always figured you had
something like this in you, but Alpha insisted I support your rise to command
every step of the way. What happens if I refuse and press this button here to
commence the venting?”

“Frankly, ma’am, the same thing that happens if you
agree. In either case, you’re going out an airlock. The difference is that if
you don’t cooperate, it will only happen after you’ve endured ghastly retribution.
I urge you to do the honorable thing. Halt your orders. Step aside. Our time
has passed, ma’am. We need to give the civilians a chance to run the show now.”

The Captain cracked a wry smile. “I honestly have a hard
time disagreeing with your sentiment, Boss, but it seems strange that you’ve
somehow managed to finagle things so you’re still effectively in charge.”

“Ma’am, this is not an outcome I sought. I’ve spent the
day doing everything I could to block the civilians from achieving their goals.
Once I was captured, it became clear to Alpha this was the best remaining
outcome. I urge you to stand down, ma’am. We lost. They won. The best thing you
can do now is accept your own death and with it spare the lives of ten million
innocents.”

The Captain looked pensive for a moment before she
spoke. “I will do it on one condition, Boss. I want you to be the one pressing
the button which sends me out the airlock. No coup is rightfully complete until
the new leader is baptized with the blood of the old.”

The Boss looked to Imair for her approval. The civilian
had watched the back and forth with intense interest and smiled when the
Captain bitterly spat out her final words. She nodded to the Boss, and he
repeated the gesture to the Captain. The video connection with the bridge went
dead and a few secs later the klaxon silenced and the lights returned to
normal.

“Well done, Boss,” Imair said. “I can see we’re going to
work very well together moving forward. I must say, though, how surprising it
is to learn the depths of the Captain’s mistrust of you. It’s clear I need to
keep an eye on you, even more so than would be obvious given the way in which
we’ve been thrust together. Regardless, it’s time for you to deliver the last
part of our deal. Please open the hatch.”

The Boss didn’t look at Imair but approached the hatch
in response. As he did so, a small control panel lit up blinking red and he
placed his hand upon it. After a moment, the panel flashed yellow and the Boss
spoke, “Alpha-1178-Zeta-07291.” With the access code completing the process,
the panel glowed green and the hatch began to slide aside. What had appeared to
be a normal hatch from the outside slowly cracked open and revealed itself to
be unimaginably thick.

The Boss returned to Zax and scooped him up once again.
The man’s expression was one of remorse initially, but he switched to a tight
smile as he spoke to Zax.

“Come on, cadet. We might as well get you a glimpse of
the FTL engine as long as we’re here. Who knows how long it will be before it
gets destroyed.”

The hatch had completed its ponderous opening process by
the time they approached it. The Boss stepped into the compartment, and Zax was
underwhelmed as he looked around. It was even more boring in appearance than
the anteroom which preceded it. The Boss carried him near the device which
stood alone in the middle of the room. Zax’s breath was taken away as he viewed
the FTL engine up close.

It was a sphere which measured a meter in diameter and
from afar appeared to be dark and lifeless. Zax’s first glance had suggested it
was of uniform color and density, but a closer inspection revealed it shimmered
with twinkling lights. The more Zax focused, the more he saw the lights
actually appeared to be stars, constellations, and nebulae. It was almost as if
someone had captured a galaxy within that sphere, and Zax was thoroughly
mesmerized as he stared deeper and deeper into the device.

Zax reverie was broken when he felt the Boss jostled.
The civilians had begun to stream in. The Boss turned to exit the compartment,
but he crashed into a civilian as he did so and lost his balance. They both
fell to the deck and their combined mass came down on Zax’s shattered leg. The
pain was so intense that he lost consciousness, but not before he made note of
the gleeful expressions on the faces of the civilians as they carried in their
crates. Crates filled with explosives which guaranteed their control of every
decision which would be made on the Ship going forwards.