When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (89 page)

             
Her feet did
n’
t touch the ground as she sprinted from the communication room to the flight deck. There, prepping for a rescue mission, was a battered and bruised skiff. Once inside the support craft, sh
e’
d taken the copilot seat, drumming her fingers impatiently on the console while they cleared a path for takeoff. It felt interminable, and the pilot was
n’
t helping any by constantly asking her t
o“
stop making that awful noise
.
”

             
They rocketed away toward a small mote of light in the distance. Far away and to the left, relatively speaking, the battle for New Eden continued. The Terran fleet had decided, after some argument among the brass, that the enemy must have a limited supply of pilots and craft. With the home court advantage, it was only a matter of time before the show in the air became officially one-sided. So far, however, that had not been the case. For ever Y-fighter shot out of the sky, another three appeared from the belly of a frigate or cruiser or carrier. There was a supply chain hidden somewhere in the system, and the aliens had been successful at hiding it from every search.

             
In her chair, Kaileen could hardly sit still. Her heart was still racing from hearing Camero
n’
s voice over the radio. The last twenty-four hours had been harder than sh
e’
d imagined. Sure, the
y’
d talked about their relationship as casual, and it felt so. Being with him was just easy. It took no effort. Sh
e’
d hardly noticed how much sh
e’
d come to depend on him, rely on him to be there when she needed more than just another friend.

             
The radio crackled and she grabbed at the handset eagerly
.“
This is Orion One-One-Three. W
e’
re close, Cam. Can you signal us
?
”

             
Camero
n’
s voice was marred with static, but understandable
.“I’
ve got a pen light.
I’
ll flash out the window
.”
Two winks appeared from the distant shuttle
.“
Is that a Dodo
?
”

             
The pilot of the shuttle answered
.“
This is a Dragonfly, kid. Best small bird in the fleet
.
”

             
“
I’
ve always heard it called a Dodo because it ca
n’
t fly for shit
.
”

             
Kaileen laughed
.“
If your ego ca
n’
t take it, w
e’
ll just let you float your way home
.
”

             
“
I’
m going to get a lot of flak for this, I hope you appreciate that. Big Ace like me, limping home on the short bus
.
”

             
They closed the gap quickly, easing off the engines on approach before finally throttling backward to match Camero
n’
s momentum. His shuttle was still running dangerously hot from its exit out of Blue Space. The fact that the broken piece of junk had survived the voyage was a miracle. Kaileen counted no less than a dozen critical faults from the explosion. Camero
n’
s ride looked ready to fall apart at any moment.

             
“How you managed to keep that thing flying defies me
,”
Kaileen said. She was
n’
t joking, either. Massive decompression had crushed the stabilizer vents. It must have been a struggle just to maintain a straight heading. As she stared she noticed pieces of the transport were still falling off, like dandruff.

             
Ca
m’
s laughter echoed over the net
.“I’
m barrels of awesome. Sometimes I impress myself
.”
His mirth was cut off by a sudden and violent geyser of air shooting out the passenger cabin
.“
Though sometimes less so
.”
They were close enough now that Kaileen could see Cameron exit the cockpit and check on the area behind the door. A moment later he returned to his seat
.“
So, slight problem
.
”

             
“What was that
?
”

             
“Nothing to worry about. Just a small explosion of the main oxygen filtration system. W
e’
re venting all of our air
.
”

             
Her heart skipped a beat
.“
Seal the cockpit, switch to an area-based cycle
.
”

             
Ca
m’
s voice did
n’
t shake at all as he snapped toggles into position, altering the flow of breathable air in the shuttle
.“
Yes, m
a’
am. Sure do enjoy the whole being conscious thing. Would
n’
t want to jeopardize that
.”
He looked out the exposed window at Kaileen, smiling. He was so close she could see the glint of light in his eye
.“
Hey there, beautiful
.
”

             
“Cam
,”
Kaileen said, blushing
.“
This is an open channel
.
”

             
“Not saying anything they did
n’
t already know
.
”

             
Kaileen focused on her computer, initiating the magnetic towline and directing the field toward Camero
n’
s ship. She felt the connection pulling near her feet before the locking mechanism snapped on. Immediately the skiff jerked to the side, dragged hard by the heavier transport. The pilot gunned the engines in reverse, but the change in speed was barely noticeable
.“
Give us another five minutes and w
e’
ll have you guys out of there
.
”

             
Inside the cockpit, Cameron sighed with relief
.“
Sounds good from here.
I’
m gonna take a nap
.”
He looked at his riding partners. Adeline had a seat cushion covering her mouth and screamed a litany of curses every time the ship bucked. Jerry seemed to be rallying
.“
How about you, Chief? You ready to get off this tin can
?
”

             
“Oh, this has been one for the books. Seems a shame to end such a fun ride early
.”
He coughed so much Cameron thought he might not stop
.“
You have to go to Chirac Aghamad. He will know what to do about Jonah
.
”

             
“Jerry
,”
Cameron said
.“
You have to let this be for now. Ther
e’
s a war going on five feet away from us, and i
t’
s about something more important than politics. Jonah is
n’
t going anywhere, and if this Foundation you talked about is half as powerful as the stories make them, the
y’
ll be able to survive without us for a hot minute
.
”

             
The dying man winced
.“
You have
n’
t heard a thing. You think
I’
m just a senile old man, spitting stories out to make myself sound important
.
”

             
“You were the Chief of Staff to the most powerful man in the galaxy. I do
n’
t think you need any help sounding important
.
”

             
“The Foundation is real
.”
He coughed, more blood dribbling down his chin
.“
And if you do
n’
t help them understand what has happened, Jonah will take them by surprise. The
y’
re not omnipotent. The right leverage in the right place will bring the house of cards tumbling
.
”

             
Adeline leaned over, wiping away the froth
.“
Jerry, calm down. W
e’
re almost home
.”
Her voice shook, but her face glowed with renewed energy.

             
“No
!”
Jerr
y’
s eye grew wide and he grabbed his aide by the collar and brought her in close
.“
Go to London. The Abbey, the
y’
re in the Abbey. If you tell them this, the
y’
ll know I sent you
.
”

             
Adeline looked at Cameron, shaking her head
.“
I do
n’
t know. Cameron, I ca
n’
t believe this
.
”

             
The pilot felt a strong grip on his wrist. Jerry could barely speak, but his pleading tone was apparent
.“
I wo
n’
t be able to just up and leave, but you owe this to him. If h
e’
s wrong, you end up with a short vacation in London
.”
Cameron paused, swallowing a lump that fought to stay in his throat
.“
If h
e’
s right...if the Foundation is real, you and I are part of something bigger than we can imagine
.
”

             
She fumbled under her seat, pulling out the half-empty bottle of liquor
.“I’
ll do it, Jerry
.”
She sniffed, wiping her running nose on the filthy sleeve of her blouse
.“
I promise
.”
She started to uncap the bottle, but Jerry snatched it away.

             
“I need you to learn this phrase
,”
he said in a raspy, fading voice
.“
Learn it and never forget
.”
He said it three times, then made them repeat it ten more. Finally, he was satisfied. Jerry pulled off the cap of the bottle and took a swig
.“
Damn. Do
n’
t they know I hate vodka
.”
He smiled, his breath slowing down until it could
n’
t be heard anymore.

             
Silence fell inside the cockpit and Cameron felt as far from certain as he had ever been. He could feel the battle being fought outside, even though the nearest ships were well beyond visual range. After enough time flying in space, one recognized the pressure change caused by an explosion. But even with that as a backdrop, his allegiance was torn. The war was
n’
t for political gain or strategic resources. Humanity was fighting to survive. But if the human race fell into the hands of a madman, how quickly would their enemies capitalize and crush them? Which was the greater threat now, from without or within?

             
Strobes cast fast moving-shadows over his face as the station loomed into existence. Cameron had another problem. Jerry had said many wild and interesting things during their day together. In fact, the man had barely slept at all. But one thing that stuck in the pilo
t’
s mind was how high up the infiltration of Red Hammer had been. Arthur was the High Chancello
r’
s aide, and not a new replacement or substitute. Arthur had been there for years. Who in Primus worked for the terrorist organization? Or on New Eden? Or still in the Council? Who could he trust?
Captain Newman? Commander Osaka? Adeline? Any of them could be agents for the other side.
It was too much to take in.

             
As the shuttle barreled into the hangar, Cameron wished for a brief moment that he could talk to his friend Josh. If nothing else, it would be nice to know he was okay. But even that thought quickly turned sour. No, he had a decision to make. And he would make it on his own. He rose and looked out the window, a smile creeping onto his face.