Dangerous Evolution (28 page)

I heard Del’s voice from outside the pod, reverberating loudly
inside the tube. “Remember your promise to me, Commander. Save my people.” Then
the door above my head closed and I heard the sound of depressurization.

Seconds later, there was a violent jolt; I felt my stomach surge up
into my throat, then flatten out as I was shot out into space. The ejection was
anything but smooth—probably due to the unnatural speed the ship was moving, trying
to catch up with the Sentient fleet.

I felt the drive system kick in, then the monitor pulled back to
display my position relative to the other ships in the system. I was indeed
moving back in the direction of the
Na’ardeen
, while Del hurtled toward
the large cluster of fleeing and fighting ships. I also noticed that the
Sentients were closing the gap established earlier by Sector’s abrupt change of
tactics. They were rapidly catching up to the Sector fleet.

I was already starting to get some feeling back in my extremities,
but the sensation was maddening; like having an itch you can’t scratch. It was
made even worse by my need to stretch out and shake my arms and legs—an
impossible wish confined in this damned tube.

Del’s face appeared on the screen. “I’ve taken up position near
the rear of the fleet—very close to the majority of our larger ships. Those responsible
for making the final decision will be here, and I hope my proximity will make
them listen. If not, their destruction will greatly weaken our forces.” The
image shook and blurred out, then the screen returned to the overview of the
system.

I laid there in silence, hoping for the best, but somehow knowing
better. Nothing in this universe comes easily except the realization your
greatest fears. Hope and faith take work, but the bad things seem to happen
effortlessly, thriving despite valiant and courageous opposition. After a few
long moments, the screen flickered brightly before resolving into an image of
Del. The Sentient’s face spoke volumes of sorrow.

“They still refuse to listen,” it said dejectedly, “and are
presently trying to distance themselves from my ship.” It paused, then leaned
in closer to its console.

“Thov is a good officer, well respected by the fleet and The
Consensus. After what happens here today, Commander, work together with the
captain to make peace for both of our races.” An alarm started to wail in the
background and Del’s image shook. The Sentient staggered backwards before
leaning back into view. Smoke began to fill the screen.

“Goodbye, Commander.”

The screen went black, then returned to the image of the combined
fleets. I looked at the rear section of the Sentient formation—tying to spot
Del’s ship—but it was still in stealth mode. I watched as a group of large Sentient
vessels began to move away in unison—fleeing from the main fleet in reaction to
Del’s threat. Then they split apart and shot off in different directions,
desperate to put some distance between themselves and the Mass Nullifier.

But it was too late. That piece of the universe vanished.

The nullifier detonated, sending an incandescent explosion of
energy washing over the Sentient ships, reaching out in an expanding wave of
destruction to swallow them whole. It was as if the maw of hell itself opened
up and tore at the fabric of life, shredding everything it touched, and
dragging the tattered remnants down into oblivion.

My mind struggled to comprehend the level of destruction.

I watched as the zone of death grew larger, and felt real fear in
the pit of my stomach; a sensation I hadn’t felt since the beginning of the
Diaspora War. How far will it spread? How many will die?
Will it ever stop?
Then, as if it heard my silent plea, the destructive energy dissipated, leaving
nothing behind but the bright halos burned into my vision—and an area of space
cleansed of all matter…including life.

Del was dead.

My eyes gradually adjusted enough to see the aftermath on the
display; fully half of the Sentient ships had been vaporized, and the rest were
drifting out of formation…powerless. But it wasn’t just the Sentient ships I
noticed; the Sector fleet was also out of action.

Son of a bitch
, I thought,
How many of those bombs
did the Sentients have?

I squeezed my eyes closed tightly, trying to clear my still hazy vision.
After a few moments, the sparkly backdrop and glowing artifacts faded away. I opened
them again, then watched as the remaining Sentient forces fighting the
Na’ardeen
and
Invincible
peeled away—speeding toward the site of the gigantic
explosion.

To my great relief, the two capital ships were still intact. But I
saw that three of the
Invincible’s
four escorts were gone, and the
Na’ardeen
seemed to be maneuvering with some difficulty. Both vessels were recalling
their fighters and regrouping, and within a couple of minutes, the formation
began moving in my direction. With our trajectories matched and accelerating
toward one another, my escape pod quickly met up with the two ships.

As the
Na’rdeen’s
crew remotely steered the escape capsule
into an empty niche, I watched on my screen as a growing number of Sector ships
regained power and joined together—encircling what was left of the Sentient
formation. The attack force that had been fighting the
Invincible
and
Na’ardeen
positioned themselves a short distance away in a fractured grouping. It was
clear that no one knew what to do next.

They were all just…waiting.

The pod slid smoothly into place, and I heard the locking clamps
secure it to the ship. After a series of clicking sounds and electronic tones,
the door above my head opened and a blast of fresh air came rushing in. It coolly
flowed over me, and I took a deep breath, grateful to be rid of the stale smell
of the pod’s re-circulated atmosphere. The light shining through the hatch was
brighter than the pod’s feeble illumination, and it took me a moment to
recognize the face looking in at me. It was Val.

She reached in and started stroking my hair. “You could have been
killed you idiot.”

“I missed you too,” I replied rubbing my still sore eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine…but a little weak. Can you help me out of here?”

She stepped aside, and two sets of hands reached in to grab my
arms to help me slide out. Stinson and Captain Thov I saw. They sat me down easily
onto the deck then moved back; Val knelt down and ran a medical scanner over
me.

“Shocked again, huh? Don’t worry, the effects are already subsiding.”
She placed one of her soft hands on my face—her cool palm on my warm cheek. “You’ll
be back to normal in a little while.” I smiled at her in response then spoke to
Thov.

“Captain, is the situation secure enough to transfer Mendoza to
the
Invincible
?”

“I believe so, Commander. Everyone is on a defensive footing now, trying
to assess the situation. It’s a fluid state of affairs, but if the ambassador hadn’t
minimized the explosion, I don’t think any of us would be here to worry about
it.”

“Minimized?”
I asked in disbelief.

“Yes…by a large margin actually. I will contact Captain Prescott
and have your soldier transferred immediately.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

Val patted me on the knee. “I’ll go along with her to make sure
there are no complications.” She helped me stand, then checked me over once
again before heading off to the lab. As I watched her walk away, she looked
back and smiled.

I turned to Thov. “I suggest we go to the hub and try to steer
this situation to our advantage.”

“I agree, Commander.”

We walked briskly, and although my legs were doing their level best
to obey my commands, I faltered a couple of times. I politely waved off
Stinson’s repeated attempts to steady me.

“I didn’t know Sentients could paralyze someone like that,” I said.

Thov made a dismissive gesture. “Most of us can’t. As you’ve seen,
our soldiers can fire bracers with a stun setting, but to control the energy
bare handed is almost unheard of. Del was gifted in many ways, Commander; even
with so many dead and dying, the loss of the ambassador was particularly tragic.
It will be felt for a long time to come.”

As soon as we reached the hub, Captain Thov called Prescott to
arrange for the transfer; Mendoza and Val would be safely onboard the
Invincible
within the hour. I felt better knowing that Mendoza would finally get the care
she so desperately needed.
One burden gone,
I thought,
but an even
larger one loomed.

The
Na’ardeen
was monitoring a great deal of communications
traffic between the Sentient vessels, but they still refused to speak with Thov
or any of the Sector representatives. The majority of their fleet had finally restored
power, but they were seriously out-gunned and completely surrounded. Most of
the larger Sentient ships had been disabled or destroyed, and if any stealth
ships
had
survived, and were foolish enough to try a sneak attack, they
would be instantly vaporized by the formidable Sector presence. The Sentient
armada had been gutted, and I was proud and thankful that the Sector forces were
acting with such restraint. But I also knew that temperance wouldn’t last
forever.

What were the Sentients going to do now?

“Captain,” one of the hub officers called out, “we are being
contacted by Captain Tizo of the Vallisa.”

Thov’s voice held hope. “I know Tizo personally. Put it through.”

“Captain Thov,”
the disembodied voice
started,
“We will not surrender to these humans. We will die first.”
Tizo’s tone was defiant and resolute.

“No one is asking for your surrender, Tizo. We are asking for you
to
listen..
.to calm down and think. Do you
really
believe that I
am a traitor? That I would protect or help anyone—especially humans—if they
were responsible for this virus?  You’ve been to Seveq; you know what I’ve
lost.”

I caught Thov’s attention and indicated that I wanted to speak
with Tizo. When it became apparent that a reply wasn’t forthcoming, Thov
continued, “I have a human representative here that wishes to speak with you.
If you care about your family… about all of our families; listen to him.”

“Very well.”

I cleared my throat and leaned against the console in front of me—numb
limbs still trying to betray me and send me to the floor. “Captain Tizo, my
name is Commander Benjamin Malik, acting representative for Sector Security.” I
paused to let that sink in, for whatever it was worth.

“We are
not
responsible for the sickness plaguing your
people. In fact, as we have been
trying
to tell you…”

Calm down Malik.

“The information we’ve sent you is all true. We provided you with
the actual cure, developed by the same hand that created the virus, Doctor
Rroske. We have also transmitted that information throughout Sentient space so
your planets can begin manufacturing the medicine. It will take your people
time to gather the necessary materials and start producing the cure, but we
have the ability to do so right now. Together, we can save millions of Sentient
lives.”

The reply was quick.
“How do we know we can trust you?”

There was a pleading quality to the voice—nearly imperceptible—but
there nonetheless. They were looking for hope, I realized, but afraid to
believe it was possible. There was a chance here—a tipping point I intended to
use.

“You don’t. But I trust Captain Thov and
its
judgment, and so
should you. I propose that your ship follow the
Na’ardeen
and two of our
own ships to a laboratory where we can rapidly manufacture the cure. You can
participate in every stage of the process if you wish—evaluating everything as
you see fit.”

Val said she would be happy to produce the cure; I hope she
doesn’t mind visitors.

“After production is complete,” I continued, “you can return here
and transfer the remedy to your other ships, for transport throughout Sentient
space. In fact, if I can secure Sector approval, maybe we can lend some of
our
faster ships to the effort as well.”

I was promising a lot and knew it, but we had an opportunity here
for real peace, a chance to save trillions of lives. They
had
to agree.

“Why…human? Why help your enemy?”

“Because I made a promise to Ambassador Del; because it’s the
right thing to do; because there has been too much death already, and most
importantly, because we don’t
have
to be enemies.

“Captain Thov,”
Tizo said.
“We’ve known
each other for a long time, and I do know the losses you’ve suffered. I might
be able to believe that either you or Ambassador Del might be traitorous, but I
can’t possibly conjure up enough imagination to think both of you were. If I
have your word that these humans will help; I will agree.”