“Why me?”
“You’re the tech guy.”
“I’m not the servant guy.”
“Just pull up the map, I’m going to go call Artanis.”
Aldo did as she asked. Just as she exited the room, she saw Kardok begin to bounce with glee as he poked at different locations swirling about in the holographic representation of the Galaxy.
“We figured it out,” Kira said excitedly, speaking to the tiny image of Artanis that floated over her wrist. “I should say, Kardok figured it out.”
“Good. No, great!” Artanis said. His voice was enthused, but his eyes still sagging from sleep. “I remembered reading something about Kardok’s previous position in his file.”
“Is there any chance Grimm will figure out that we’ve figured it out.”
“There always a chance of something going wrong with Grimm,” Artanis said with a sigh. “Which is why we need to act now—before he realizes his mole has been captured. Ready your crew. You’re leaving immediately.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Dario’s hands shook as he waited for the message from Thane to play. It was mere seconds but it felt like an eternity. The others were crowded around him, but he didn’t notice them. He hadn’t expected another message. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be happy or sad about the unexpected arrival. He was nervous—that much he knew for sure.
They would be leaving soon. It would all be over soon. The pirates were on board their ship. The T.A.F. fleet was at the ready. Everyone was prepared to leave.
But, he wasn’t.
He should have been the first to lead the troops out. He had so much at stake. Everyone had a lot at stake. But, for him, this was more than just defeating Grimm. This was freeing Thane; this was everything he had been waiting for far too long.
And yet, he couldn’t help but feel apprehensive. The closer they got to catching Grimm, the closer they got to destroying him, and everyone and everything with him. What if Thane didn’t get out in time? What if all of this would end up being in vain?
“You can’t tell him we’re coming,” Kira had said earlier, as they loaded the Curio with every weapon they could find.
“I know,” Dario agreed. “With all of this coming to a head now, it’s more important than ever to be discreet. There’s the chance that Grimm finds out… that he discovers what Thane’s been doing…”
“Don’t think about that,” Kira said firmly. “Grimm is too wrapped up in everything else to turn his suspicions to Thane now. It’s just best if we keep it that way. If Thane lets on, even for a second, that he’s on the brink of rescue…”
But was he? Or was he just closer to the brink of death?
“Dario,” Thane’s voice rippled through the flight deck, pulling his thoughts away from anything other than the image of the man filling the space in front of him. “Dario, sweet Dario. I fear this will be my last message to you. I know—he knows you’re coming soon. He knows you’ll figure out where he’s going. He knows you have the Arkadian working with you.”
Kira set a reassuring hand on Dario’s shoulder.
“He isn’t certain of anything, though. It’s amazing, Dario. I’ve never seen him like this. He’s frazzled. He’s fraying. His timeline, so perfectly planned, has been disrupted. He’s changing the plan.”
A gasp filled the room. It was silent, but deafening at the same time. Kira’s hand, still on Dario’s shoulder, tensed.
“He’s not going to the next star system. He’s moving in, closer to Terran Space,” Thane continued. “Not close enough to arouse suspicion, but close enough to make a statement. He’s desperate to be noticed.”
A smile crossed Thane’s lips. It was the first time Dario had seen him smile is a very long time. His heart fluttered slightly as he leaned in, trying to memorize the image before it flitted away.
“No matter what happens, you’ve done it. Remember that. You broke him. It’s both good and bad. He’ll be erratic. But, I’m hoping that with this transmission, you’ll know what to do. I’m sorry I can’t tell you more. But, know this. I’m proud of you, Dario. I miss you and I love you and I wouldn’t still be here if it weren’t for you. You’re what keeps me going.”
When the image disappeared and the room fell silent, the familiar empty feeling that accompanied the end of all of Thane’s calls settled into Dario’s chest. Everyone around him slowly resumed their busy chatter, but he couldn’t seem to make out what anyone was saying.
“It sounded like he was saying ‘goodbye’,” Dario muttered, still staring at the empty space where Thane’s image once hovered.
“He’s right, you know,” Kira said, breaking into his thoughts. “Thane—he’s right. You did this, Dario. You and Thane will be the ones that will ensure that this ends well.”
Dario looked back at her. She smiled at him, and he attempted to smile back.
“If he hadn’t sent that transmission, we would be leaving for the wrong star system right now,” she continued.
“Do we know where to go?”
“We have a pretty good idea. Somewhere close but not too close. There are only two star systems on this list that fit that description.”
“Two? Does that mean we have to separate again?”
“We won’t,” Kira said, shaking her head. “We started this thing together and we will finish it that way.”
“But which one do we go to?” Thor asked, walking over.
Kira turned away from Dario and addressed the entire group. “Process of elimination,” she replied. “Of the two options we have, we figure out which is closest to Grimm’s last known location. You heard what Thane said—he’s desperate. He won’t want to wait long.”
Everyone agreed and again the room filled with chatter. The list was pulled up again, along with a map of the Galaxy. Kardok studied the list, comparing the last site of the pre-emptive supernova and the two options that he chose as being the ideal locations for Grimm’s next attack.
“This is what we wanted to avoid,” Dario said, barely speaking above the other voices around him. “We wanted to avoid splitting our forces.”
“We wanted to avoid wasting time playing catch up,” Kira replied. “We know that Grimm is vulnerable right now. It’s something I never thought would happen.”
She turned to face him again, taking his hands in hers and pulling him away from the group. He followed behind her, not feeling the need to participate in the deliberation. He wouldn’t have been any help. As desperately as he wanted to find and rescue Thane, the fact that that would be the only thing on his mind meant he wouldn’t be able to think clearly.
“You know why Grimm is fraying right now, don’t you?” she asked.
“Because we’re getting close.”
“Because he’s planned for everything. He thinks he did, at least. He thinks he had everything figured out. He spent years devising this scheme. He thought of everything, except the one thing that has allowed us to stay on his trail this whole time—Thane.”
Dario’s eyes lit up a little, but the excitement quickly fell from his face.
“If it weren’t for him, for you, we wouldn’t know what to do. We would have been lost so many times throughout this journey.”
Dario appreciated her words but felt as if they rang empty. He didn't feel that he had done much to help them. He had done nothing more than fall in love and do everything in his power to hold onto that. He had been with his friends, his family. Thane had been alone this whole time.
There was something about that that made a weight of guilt sit heavily on his chest.
“But, what if… what if we go to the wrong place? What if he gets caught up in the fight?” Dario asked.
“He’s already caught up in the fight.”
“But, the dangers, the war, the…”
“Nothing is more dangerous than being close to Grimm. And not many people are closer to Grimm than he is. There is nothing out there more perilous than what he’s endured these last few months—and the many years before that. He’s kept his cool all along. He never aroused suspicion. If he can do that, he can do anything.”
Dario nodded.
“And, just so you know, I’ve already spoken to Artanis about Thane. He knows he’s out there. He will find him if we don’t.”
“Artanis? He will…”
“He is leading the other fleet,” Kira replied. “He’s not risking another under-cover surprise from Grimm. So, see? Everything is coming together. Everything is going to work out.”
“When did you get so optimistic?” Thor asked, walking up and wrapping his arm around Kira’s shoulders.
“I guess being around you has been rubbing off on me,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “I’m still not sure how I feel about it.”
“We’ve got it!” Aldo exclaimed, drawing their attention back toward the group. “We have the one!”
“You’re sure?” Kira asked, rushing over to them.
“Sure!” Kardok exclaimed, clapping his hands together.
“Then that’s it. We’re heading out. No time to double guess ourselves. Grimm already has a head start. Let’s move, people!” Kira exclaimed.
Everyone jumped into action. Kira radioed Artanis to confirm their plans. Alaria, Bron, and Vinnie hurried away to prepare the engines. Aldo called the pirates, to give them the updated coordinates. Kardok wandered back and forth a few times, not sure where to go, but clearly as anxious and ready as the others were.
Dario slipped the comm device into his pocket, holding it tightly for a second before releasing it.
“I will find you, Thane,” he whispered. “I promise.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Tensions rose over the next few days. Everyone on the ship grew more and more on edge the closer they got to their intended target. Artanis and his group was scheduled to reach their destination two days before Kira and her crew would reach theirs.
That day had come.
And the entire day, Kira and the others sat around the common area, checking their comm bands, and waiting for some update.
“I miss Rob,” Vinnie muttered as he paced back and forth. “If he were here, I wouldn’t be so bored.”
“What would you two be doing?” Alaria asked.
“I don’t know, snooping around the ship, mainly.”
“Snooping?” Bron asked.
“Exploring,” Vinnie corrected himself.
“You helped build this ship, Vinnie. There’s nothing around here for you to explore,” Dario pointed out.
“Fine, snooping. Rob was the best at eavesdropping.”
It seemed as if everyone straightened up in unison. It was clear they were all trying to reply different journeys in their minds, trying to figure out if they had done or said anything the more-than-just-a-repair-bot could have overheard.
The only one among them that didn’t seem to feel a sort of embarrassing dread looming over them was Kardok. He merely continued to bounce around in the far corner of the room, shadow boxing an imaginary opponent with the child-like joy of a kid who’s discovered a new game.
“Calm down,” Vinnie said with a high-pitched boyish laugh. “Your secrets are safe with me.”
No one seemed relieved. This only caused Vinnie to laugh a little harder as he walked away, joining Kardok in his intense, invisible battle.
“He’s good with secrets,” Bron said. “Really. He may be a nosey little shit. But, he’s like a vault at the same time. I’ve trusted him with a lot of my personal dilemmas.”
“What kind of dilemmas do you have, Bron?” Kira asked.
“Well, before all of this started, it was mainly things like, ‘shit, I stole something from the Vorian warriors again. They’re going to be pissed.’”
“Deep stuff there,” Aldo said.
“What about now?” Alaria asked, a playful smile wiggling across her face.
Bron's cheeks began to flush, but no one noticed. The comm band Kira had placed in the center of the low table positioned between them began to ping.
“Is it just me, or does that thing seem to be going off with more zeal than usual?” Dario asked as he eyed the glowing device.
“It’s just you, Dario,” Thor said, patting him on the back.
Kira wasn’t sure, though. She, too, noticed a little more purpose behind those incessant dings. She tried to hide the shaking in her hands as she lifted the device. If Artanis had found Grimm, it would take them an additional two days to change course and move to his location.
A lot could happen in two days.
Everything could happen. It could all be over.
Maybe that was a good thing? Maybe it would be best if Artanis took care of Grimm? Perhaps she and her group were too personally invested in all of this. He had hurt them all individually, in some way or another. Even Bron and Vinnie had been caught up in his storm of hate and fury, nearly losing friends in the countless battles they had embarked on during their pursuit of the crazed Colonel.
“Well, answer it,” Aldo urged.
“Right,” Kira said, shaking the device once and activating the call.
The image of Artanis that spilled out of the band caused them all to pull back quickly. He was ragged and tired and disheveled.
“What happened?” Kira asked before he could speak.
“We lost some ships,” he started, his words shaking slightly. “We lost some…”
Kira grabbed onto Thor’s arm, her entire body tensing with fear—fear for Artanis and his men, fear that they had missed the fight she had been preparing to fight, fear that their decision to split up had been the wrong one.
“But, we stopped them,” Artanis said.
A collective sigh of relief filled the room. Vinnie raced over, his steps light and quick. Kardok followed behind him, his steps shaking the ground beneath him.
“So, it’s done?” Kira asked.
Everyone seemed to notice the strange twinge of disappointment in her tone.
“We missed it?” Vinnie exclaimed, not trying to hide the disappointment dripping from his words. “You got Grimm without us?”
“No,” Artanis said, shaking his head quickly. “Not even close. He wasn’t here, Kira. He wasn’t here.”
“What do you mean?” Thor asked.
“I don’t think these were Grimm’s men, not directly. I think they were Mordecai’s.”
The name still made Kira’s skin crawl. Thor took hold of her hand and pulled her down next to him on the couch.
“But, we got Mordecai and his men,” Dario replied. “We got them…”
“Not all of them, I’m afraid. He must have groomed a second in command. Of course, he did. Of course, Grimm didn’t reveal all of his strength. He surprised us when Mordecai had troops of his own. We expected him to be working solo. Clearly, we were wrong—twice. Most of the warriors we faced here were Arkadians.”
“Arkadian!” Kardok exclaimed.
"There weren't any Arcanum among them and only a handful of former T.A.F. fighters. He's kept his strongest with him. Be aware of that. He still has his most skilled fighters with him."
“We shouldn’t have split up…” Kira muttered.
“It’s good that we did. These men were carrying several of Grimm’s superweapons. They were in the process of installing one when we caught them off guard. They didn’t expect us.”
“Is there any chance that there are still more out there? More renegade squads soaring through the Galaxy with weapons of mass destruction aboard?” Dario asked.
“We’re looking into that. There is no telling,” Artanis replied.
“This was what we feared,” Kira said. “We feared that his ideology would spread—infect others.”
“That isn’t your concern right now, Captain. That is an issue of diplomacy. We’ve been in contact with the Arkadians’ leader.”
“Arkadians!” Kardok exclaimed again.
“If that is the case, that is a long-term problem. That is something that I will deal with. You are a fighter, Kira. And now, it’s time for you to do just that. Go after Grimm. End him. End him now.”
“That’s an order I don’t have a problem taking,” Kira replied.
When the call ended, everyone sat motionless for a moment.
“So, this is it. This is really going to happen,” Kira said, shattering the silence.
“We’re going to face off against Grimm,” Alaria said.
“We’re going to end this,” Dario said.
“And, we’re going to get Thane back,” Kira added, smiling at Dario.
“Do you think there are more out there?” Aldo said, bringing back up the one thing Kira didn’t want to think about.
“I don’t know,” she said, shaking her head. “But, I do think that Grimm’s plan back-fired majorly.”
Everyone stared at her.
“Think about it,” she continued. “If he hadn’t been so worried about hiding the number of men Mordecai had with him, there’s a chance we wouldn’t have been able to defeat him when we went up against him.”
“We would have brought more men,” Dario pointed out.
“But how many more? Our forces were split then, too. You and Bron and the others were going after Grimm. He must have known we would do that and he thought that a fraction of his troops could stand up against a fraction of ours.”
“Where do you think they were, then? These secret fleets? Where were they when we faced off against Mordecai?” Thor asked.
“Some of them probably went to ambush you,” she reminded Dario, Bron, and Aldo. “You said that some of those ships got away?”
“Yeah,” Bron replied. “But we just figured they went to meet up with Grimm…”
“That’s what he wanted us to think. Yet again, he’s one step ahead of us!” Kira exclaimed. “But, it won’t matter anymore. Whether he’s one or ten steps ahead, we will have to meet at some point—and that time is getting very near. We will be arriving at our destination in a little less than 48-hours. And, something tells me he’ll be expecting us.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
They anticipated a pre-emptive move to come from Grimm’s side. Kira radioed the pirates as well as the other ships Artanis assigned to her fleet to enforce a rotation.
“I don’t care if the ship is on auto-pilot. I want at least two people in the flight decks at all times. Three on the larger ships. Max, that means you.”
The stolen Jaantu 7 ship was among the largest in their fleet. Kira was thankful that they had attacked them on the way to face off against Mordecai. She was also thankful for the Curio’s rough appearance that attracted the pirates to them.
Both things she would have to remember to mention after everything was over. Now, she had to focus on the immediate—not the past, not even the future. What was happening now would either make all of that worth it or not.
“And the control rooms should be manned by at least one individual. Again, two on the larger ships.”
It was a good thing that the Curio wasn’t among the larger ships. They would run out of people before they manned every position. Each group was allowed to come up with their own sleep rotations. She didn’t care how it got done, as long as it did.
Setting up their own rotation aboard the Curio was a hectic process.
“Kira needs to be on the flight deck at peak risk times,” Dario explained.
“And when are those?”
“What will it matter? If a surprise attack happens, she can be back up here in no time.”
“Just enough time for us to get blown up.”
“If they blow us up in a surprise attack, it wouldn’t matter if she were here or not.”
“What matters is who can fly the ship,” Kira said definitively ending all discussion on where she should be when. “Aldo and Bron, I know you both have experience.”
They nodded their agreement.
"Good. That means that the three of us will take eight-hour shifts. Now, who can man the guns?"
“I can! I’ll take two shifts! Hell, I’ll take three!”
No one was surprised at Vinnie’s enthusiasm. But, after some convincing, he acknowledged that he would need to sleep at least a few hours a day.
“Don’t want to be groggy when the real deal goes down,” Bron said.
“And besides, you’re also a great asset in the Control room. Alaria can’t be there twenty-four hours straight,” Dario reminded him.
“I have some practice with the guns,” Alaria spoke up. “Not much, but…”
“She’s good,” Bron said, smiling at her.
Her cheeks flushed as she giggled in response.
“Okay, then Alaria, you’ll be with Bron on the flight deck, Vinnie, you’ll be with Aldo, and Thor’s with me. We’ll need three people in the Control Room, as well.”
Alaria, Vinnie, and Bron volunteered for that.
“What can I do?” Dario asked.
“Kardok!” Kardok exclaimed.
“You two will be in charge of charting our course and keeping in contact with Artanis. We’re leading this whole thing, so we need to be as informed as possible. Also, I’ll need Kardok and Thor to run checks on all the weapons, make sure they’re ready for battle.”
“Damn… I like working with the weapons,” Vinnie muttered.
“You’re already doing a lot,” Kira said. “We don’t want to stretch you too thin. Dario, we’re going to need you to be as rested as possible. You’re our only medic on board. That means that while you may not have a lot to do right now, there’s a chance you will soon.”
That last piece of information left a hollow realization sitting in the air. They could be hurt. Any of them.
Once everyone knew where they were expected to be, they hurried off. A mixture of emotions floated in the air behind them—fear, determination, concern, purpose. It was that perfect mix of pre-battle buzz that always made Kira’s ears ring with excitement.
“I’m going to miss this, I think,” she informed Thor as they walked to their room.
Aldo and Vinnie would be taking the first round in the flight deck, meaning that Kira had some time to collect her thoughts and try to sleep.
“Having doubts about our plans, are you?” Thor asked as he walked along beside her.
“I wouldn’t say ‘doubts’,” she confessed. “Just more like personal reflection.”
“I hope I’m not one of the aspects that are being reflected upon.”
“Commander, are you displaying insecurities?”
“I wouldn’t say ‘insecurities,’” he replied, stopping outside of the door leading to their room. “More like… well, yeah, insecurities.”
“That doesn’t play into the whole badass, nonchalant, tough-guy persona you give off.”
“Well, let’s see… who’s normally insecure and filled with worry and someone I spend an awfully lot of time with?”
He eyed her playfully.
“I am not!” she said, pushing past him and walking into the room. “I am a very secure person.”
“When it comes to battles and flying and whooping ass, yes, you are. But, when it comes to relationships…”
She turned to face him. He stood still, letting the door slide closed behind him. She could see the stress of the mission was wearing on him. His eyes were still sparkling with mischief but there was a dullness to it that wasn’t normally there. His hair looked even more disheveled than usual, from the countless times he ran his fingers through it as they discussed their plans to deal with Grimm.
His uniform, which he continued to wear throughout the entirety of the mission, was wrinkled and the collar was undone.
“I guess we’re both wearing off on each other,” he said, smiling as he walked into the room after her.
“Is that a good thing?” she asked.
“I don’t see why it’s not.”
She sat on the bed and patted the spot next to her, beckoning him over. “I was talking to Ryker before…”
“I’m sure he had a wealth of knowledge to bestow upon you.”
“Not nearly as much as the drunken pirate.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” she said, shaking her head. “That’s something different. This, though, is about us.”
“You talked to your ex-boyfriend about us?”
“No. Not really. I mean, no, not at all. It’s just something he said made me worry a little.”
“Really? I’m shocked! I thought you were the secure one in the relationship,” he said, feigning an expression of surprise.
She nudged his shoulder with hers and shook her head. “Are you listening?”
“Very attentively,” he said, turning his body toward hers and taking her hands in his. “Continue. I promise no remarks until you’re done. Unless they’re merited. Which, up till now, I think they have been.”
She wrinkled her nose and glared at him.
“Okay. I’m done. I swear, I’m done.”
She let a quick silence fall between them, just to be sure, then she continued.
“He said that I was the reason he turned out this way. That I somehow drove him to become evil.”
“Can I talk yet? I definitely have something to say to that.”
“Alaria has already said pretty much everything there is to be said about it.”
“You talked to Alaria about this before me?”
“It’s not a big deal, and I didn’t want to make it one.”
“Then why are you bringing it up now?”
“Because I think that this,” she said, motioning between herself and Thor, “is a big deal. I think that this can be something huge—it is something huge. And while I don’t think I’ll turn you evil or anything, I’m just not sure what will happen when we’re not running after bad guys or saving the Galaxy.”
“We talked about that already,” he said, the twinkle in his eye growing slightly. “We’ll find something to do to pass the time.”
She laughed and shook her head. “I’ve never not been this person—Captain Winter. Or, at least, I’ve never not been completely dedicated to the T.A.F. The one time I tried it, the one time I let myself try to just have a relationship and be normal, it blew up in my face. That relationship is still haunting me, a decade later! I couldn’t be what he needed me to be, and…”
Her voice drifted off but the silence didn’t last. Thor chuckled and laid back on the bed, pulling her back with him.
“Kira, you already are enough for me. And, I’m not talking about the hardcore, ass-kicking fighter side of you. I’m talking about the side of you that stays up late talking to me, and the side of you that laughs when you’re afraid and makes sarcastic comments when you’re uncomfortable. I’m talking about the smart, sophisticated woman that I’ve spent the last few months with. Sure, we spent those months in prisons and on missions and fighting the forces of evil. But, what’s made that time more than just another job is that fact that I’ve been doing all of this with you.”
Thor was rarely a man to speak so much. He was the quiet, brooding type. He liked to live in the world of the obvious, the things that didn’t need to be said. That’s what made what he said mean even more to her.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m sophisticated,” she said, rolling onto her stomach and propping herself up on her elbows.
He smiled at her and reached out, running his hand through her hair.
“You might be right,” he said, smiling. “Maybe you’re not sophisticated but you are practical and self-less and…”
“Okay,” she said, leaning forward and cutting him off with a kiss. “I didn’t want this to turn into a ‘look how great Kira is’ kind of conversation.”
“Then tell me, what is it you want to say? This whole thing started with you mentioning that you might miss this life—the adventure and such.”
“I know that I don’t want to continue with all the missions after this. That’s something I figured out from the talk with the drunken pirate. I want to really enjoy my life—hopefully with you.”
“There you go being insecure again.”
“Okay, fine. I’m the insecure one,” she admitted, playfully punching him in the side as she slumped back down next to him. “I don’t want to have this life forever. But, I don’t know if I can walk away from it altogether, either.”
“What is it that you want, then?”
“I’m not sure yet. But, I just wanted to see if you would be okay with that?”
“You haven’t really given me anything be okay with or not okay with.”
“Just tell me, if going forward, I wanted to still do something, maybe still work for the T.A.F. in some capacity, would you be okay with that? I know it’s not what we’ve been talking about…”
“Kira, I don’t care what it is you do or what I do. All I care about is that we’re together.”
“That’s all I needed to hear.”
“You know,” he said after a few seconds of silence. “It’s been awhile since we’ve had a ‘look how great Thor is’ kind of conversation.”
“Oh, too bad. You already said you weren’t the insecure one,” she replied playfully.
“I believe I also said you were wearing off on me.”
“Well, I’ll tell you this. You get us through this mission alive, and I will shower you with endless praises for the rest of our lives. Deal?”
“I think I could live with that. I was really needing some motivation, too. Because just plain saving the Galaxy was starting to get a little old.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Their turn in the flight deck had come up, and Alaria was feeling particularly nervous about it. There was a lot of responsibility that came with sitting in that seat. Sure, she had done it before. And sure, it was important then.
But something about this time felt even more grave than before.
“It’ll be okay,” Bron encouraged her as he settled in at her side. “Kira is down in the common area, and Thor is just down the hall with Kardok going over the weapons. If anything major happens, they can both be in here in a heartbeat.”
“A lot can happen in a heartbeat,” she muttered.
Out the viewscreen, they could see an endless blanket of stars dotting the pitch-black horizon. To the right, they could see a few of the fleet ships flying in the distance. To their left, the pirates were keeping pace as they, too flew toward the biggest fight they would ever encounter.
It was odd that Curio was at the center of it all. When they first boarded the ship, it seemed as if it wouldn’t make it back to Earth. But now, it was the heart and soul of their entire mission.
“Are you surprised Kira didn’t opt for a different ship?” Alaria asked, hoping to fill their time and distract her from the impending sense of doom she felt sitting squarely on her chest.
“No,” Bron said with a grunt.
She looked over at him. His hands were holding onto the controls tightly but his eyes weren’t directed out the viewscreen. They met hers and he smiled.
“Okay, yes, I was a little surprised that she didn’t request a new ship the second we got to the Arbiter.”
“I’m glad she didn’t,” Alaria replied. “This ship has been wonderful.”
“You’re just being nice.”
“No! This ship has been everything we’ve needed the entire time. Okay, maybe at first it was a little rough. But, after all those upgrades we did before the Jaantu 7 mission, I’d say it’s one of the best in the fleet.”
“Well, I just hope she continues to prove herself. Because, if she doesn’t…” his voice trailed off. “It’s my ship and all, and I just feel responsible, I guess.”
“I’m sure she’ll do just fine.”
A strange silence descended between them. It was the kind of silence that made Alaria’s heart beat a little faster. It was one of those silences that made her ears ring.
“What did you mean before?” Bron blurted out suddenly.
“About the ship?”
“No, before before. When we were in that small conference room… right after the fight with Ryker’s men…”
“Oh.”
Her cheeks felt warm and her heart sped up even more. She turned to look out the viewscreen again, not wanting to look at him as she said what she was about to.
“I guess I just meant that… Well, you know Kira and Thor?”
“I’m familiar with them, yes.”
Alaria giggled. “I mean, you know how they feel about each other? Like, when Thor was hurt and Kira was a mess? Or whenever Kira gets nervous or upset, in the tense but not-overly-noticeable way that she does, and Thor holds her hand and she seems to feel instantly better?”
"Yeah. I mean, I don't notice the hand-holding thing. But, maybe that's just because I'm not as observant as you or maybe I'm just not as tuned into all that stuff. Or maybe…"
“I think I love you, Bron,” she said, cutting off his nervous rambling, even though she found it endearing.
“You… You… You… what?”
“It always seems like we’re in a flight deck barreling towards potential doom when we have one of these conversations,” Alaria said with a giggle.
“You what?”
“I think,” she said, her voice growing more high-pitched. “Well, after seeing you get shot and feeling like the only thing I cared about at that moment was making sure you were okay… I’ve never felt like that for someone before. I’ve worried about my companions before. I’m not heartless.”
“No, you’re definitely not heartless…”
Bron seemed as if he were in a trance. She turned to look at him. His face was twisted into a grin like she had never seen before. Still, he didn’t seem prepared to reply or say anything more. So, in order to fill the anxious void, she couldn’t think of anything to do but keep talking.
Now she was the one nervous rambling.
“It’s just with you it was different. It wasn’t just concern for your well-being that I was thinking about. Of course, I was thinking about that. But, I was thinking about how horrible my life would be if you weren’t in it. If you had never been in it. And how much I wanted to be sure that you would be still. It made me realize…”
Her babbling was cut short when a deep, gruff voice came over the intercom.
“We have movement on the port side,” Max, the head of the renegade pirates said.
“What does that mean?” Alaria asked, reaching quickly for the controls. “What does that mean?”
“It means that Kira needs to get her ass up her now!” Bron said, yelling into the intercom.
Everything suddenly started happening very fast. In the screen linked to the rear-facing camera, Alaria could see dozens of ships hurtling up on them very quickly.
“I thought he said port side,” she said as she clung to the controls.
“They’re behind us now, too,” Max’s voice came over the intercom again.
“Now he tells us,” Alaria muttered.
Where the hell are you, Kira?” Bron yelled into the intercom again. “Thor! Kira! We have movement all around us!”
“Oh, no,” Alaria muttered. “What do I do? What do I do?”
The ships to the right and left of them broke away, swiftly moving into formation as they awaited the arrival of Grimm’s troops. Bron moved the Curio to the front of the line, as Kira had informed the pilots to do in case of an emergency such as this one.
“Bron, what do I do?” she asked again.
“You get to the control room, now,” Kira said as she burst into the room with Thor on her heels. “Bron, you stay up here and man the turret guns. Radio Vinnie, tell him to…”
“I’m here!” Vinnie cried, running into the room after Kira and Thor. “I’m not going to miss this!”
“Good,” Kira said, taking her seat in the Captain’s chair Bron had just vacated. Alaria jumped up just as Thor appeared at her side, ready to take her place, as well. “Alaria, bring Aldo with you to the control room. You’re in control down there, okay?”
“Thank you,” Alaria sighed as she rushed toward the door. “Somewhere I actually know what I’m doing.”
Just as she reached the door, a strong hand landed on her shoulder, pulling her back.
“Wait,” Bron said as he spun her around.
Without caring about the others in the room and without worrying about making a fool out of himself, he leaned in and kissed her. The second their lips touched, an unexpected calm rushed over them both.
“I love you, too,” he said as he pulled back.
She didn’t have time to respond. The sirens were beginning to ring and the tension in the air had risen to a level none of them had ever experienced before. But, as she ran down the halls toward the control room, she couldn’t seem to wipe the smile off of her face.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
They were coming from all directions. Kira’s eyes couldn’t move fast enough as she read the screens around her. Each time she looked away and then back at one of the monitors, more red dots seemed to appear.
“Do you think if we win this one, we can just go home?” she asked, hopeful.
“Sure, but that means Max will have to lead the troops to find Grimm,” Thor replied.
“Well, we can’t let that happen, now can we?”
“I heard that,” Max said gruffly over the intercom.
“Oh, you know it was said with love.”
“Whatever you say, Captain,” he replied.
She had come to appreciate the fact that he called her Captain. It took a while, but now it seemed to be the only way he referred to her. That, or “Cap” when he was drunk. Regardless of her superior position on this mission, she couldn’t help but feel a great deal of respect for the pirate Captain. He was skilled; he led his men well. She knew she could trust him, and now that was exactly what she needed to do.
She watched as the ships around them continued to zoom in. The closer they got, she was surprised to see that they were not the high-end fighter jets they had been facing all along. They were older ships, slower and equipped with weapons that had been out of date for some time.
“We’ve weakened his forces,” she said triumphantly.
“Well, I say now we finish them,” Thor replied, staring at the screen in front of him.
There were eleven ships in their fleet; Grimm had eight coming toward them. To Kira, it was a good sign, and she found herself excitedly leading her troops into battle.
She barked out orders, sending her commands through the closed-circuit intercom that spread across all the ships under her order. They moved swiftly, overtaking one ship then the next. Max and the pirates were facing off against three of the ships; the T.A.F. fleets were busy with three of their own.
That left two for her.
She eyed them as they swarmed in around her. Their movements were slow, but that didn't mean they were weak. Their weapons were old, but that didn't mean they were bad. They got first-hand evidence of that when they both simultaneously loosed their cannons. She had to move, quickly, but she knew the ship would take a hit.
She pulled up on the controls, avoiding the projectile that was headed straight for the hull. That left the one coming up on their rear, which grazed against the port side of the ship as she tried to turn it hard right.
The shields shuddered and a warning came up on her screen.
“Alaria, can you fix that?” Kira asked.
“I’m already on it.”
“Good, because another one is incoming!”
Kira tried to pull the ship to the right again, but the missiles were coming in from above and below, one right and one left. Thor was able to take one out with the cannons, and Vinnie and Bron deflected one slightly with the turret gun. But still, the left side of the Curio was grazed again.
Kira was done playing games. She didn’t like being trapped in the middle. Throwing the controls forward, she propelled them out of the direct line of fire before either ship had the chance to reload their cannons. Now, they were in chase mode.
“Thor…”
“Got it,” he said, knowing what she was going to say.
He released two cannons simultaneously. One collided with the ship following behind them to their right. Sparks filled the air, but the shields held. Bron and Vinnie, also not needing to be told what to do, began to pummel the ship with turret rounds.
“Thor, again!” Kira shouted, just as both of the ships behind them loosed a new pair of projectiles.
Thor sent the missile flying. She held course long enough to see a bright orange explosion fill the air behind them. Then, she dove the ship down, letting the two missiles zip overhead.
“The explosion should have weakened the other ship’s shields,” she said.
Still, the remaining ship posed a threat. Angered by the loss of their companion, it seemed as if it burst into overdrive, gaining on them quickly. The cannons were abandoned in exchange for a pair of turret guns of their own. The rain of energized bullets splattered against the Curio’s hull.
The shields systems began to whine again.
Kira dove the ship down, but the bullets followed. She rose, but again, the pinging continued.
“Stay still, damn it!” Thor said. “I can’t get a clean shot.”
“I’m more worried about preventing them from getting one,” Kira said, noticing their pursuer’s cannons lowering once again. “They’re trying to weaken our shields.”
"It's working," Alaria said desperately "I can't keep up with the damage."
“Vinnie, Bron, return fire. Don’t stop until…” Kira began.
“We never did!” Vinnie shouted back, his words tense and filled with energetic excitement.
“Thor, I’ll give you three seconds,” she said, letting the ship level off.
Thor quickly scanned the screens, searching the sights for their opponent’s most vulnerable point. Kira watched as the cannon behind them filled with flame.
“Two…” she said.
“One!” he yelled, releasing the missile.
Before he finished the count, she pulled the ship up. They all held their breath as they waited. They didn’t breathe again until the warm rush of an explosion washed over the ship, shaking it slightly with the aftermath of their victory.
“Max,” Kira said, spinning the ship around and scanning the sky behind them.
“We’re here, Captain. We’re all here. We’re fine.”
Kira relaxed back slightly. They were clearly getting close. It would be mere hours before they reached Grimm’s hideout. And, with each second that passed, it became more and more clear that they were going the right way.
“This is good,” she said happily. “Very good.”
“Getting attacked is good?” Bron asked.
“Getting attacked by ships in that state is. He’s pulling his resources. He’s floundering.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
The star system was just up ahead. Kira’s body filled with adrenaline.
In the hours between Grimm’s ambush and the time they finally arrived at his hideout, Alaria was able to repair the shields. Dario had sent an update to Artanis, who was already en-route to their location.
They were so close. But, at the same time, they were still so far. Scattered around the star system were hundreds of asteroids. Maneuvering through them was difficult, and only made more complicated by the random mines that had been hidden in the tight spaces between them.
Kira and the Curio lead the way, slowly creeping along. Her eyes were glued to the screens. Anything that looked out of place was avoided. Anything that looked too perfectly in place was avoided, as well.
“Where do we go now?” Thor asked.
“There is only one asteroid large enough for a big-headed maniac like Grimm to hide out in,” she replied.
“Atmosphere?”
“When are we ever that lucky? We’ll need to use the combat suits.”
“Combat suits? Hell yes! I’d say that’s lucky!” Vinnie exclaimed. “And before anyone can say it—no. I am not staying here to look after the ship. No way in hell am I…”
“You’ll do what you’re told,” Bron said gruffly.
“Just because you’re all big and Bandurian doesn’t mean you get to tell me what to do.”
“No, but because I’m your guardian and big and Bandurian does,” Bron replied.
“This is shit, you know that?”
“If you’d shut up for a second, I was going to say that you’ll do what you’re told when we’re out there. That means you follow all of the orders Kira gives and any I throw in, as well. No running off on your own like you did on that mining colony. We’re not going to waste time saving your ass again.”
“Really? Really? You’re letting me go?”
Vinnie began to jump around the flight deck, his arms flailing in the air.
“We won’t reach the damned asteroid if you keep distracting me,” Kira said over her shoulder. “All that jumping around is making it hard for me to concentrate on not running into one of those mines out there.”
“Right,” Vinnie said, calming down instantly. “Right. I’ll go get the suits ready, then. And the weapons. Oh! Yes! I’ll go get the weapons! Which one do I want? Oh, I don’t really care! Something big, though.”
He rushed toward the door, trying not to bounce too much as he waited for it to open.
“Don’t forget the combat suits!” Bron called after him as he raced down the hall. “He’s going to forget the combat suits the second he steps into the armory. I just know it.”
“Thor, radio Dario and tell him to make sure Vinnie gets the suits. And that he doesn’t accidentally blow himself up or something,” Kira said.
“Whoa,” Aldo said, walking into the room. “The kid almost took me out running down the hall. You’d think someone opened a damned toy store or something out there.”
“He’s fifteen,” Bron reminded him.
“Oh, right. I keep forgetting that.”
Aldo walked further into the room, standing behind Kira and Thor as Kira continued to navigate through the asteroids.
“Hovering is distracting, too, you know,” she said. “Why do people not realize that I’m doing something important? Just because there aren’t ships swarming us doesn’t mean that we’re not still in danger.”
“Whoa, sorry,” Aldo said, stepping back. “She’s pleasant today.”
"She's trying to keep you alive," Thor said over his shoulder. "What are you doing up here anyway?"
“Do I need an invitation?”
“You need a reason. You’re supposed to be in the control room with Alaria.”
“I was just wondering why we haven’t seen more of Grimm’s troops since the last fight?” Aldo asked.
“Why? Do you miss them?” Bron replied with a grunt.
“I miss working alone,” Kira muttered.
“It’s just strange, isn’t it? Don’t you think he’d have more defense here?” Aldo continued.
“I think the mines are pretty defensive,” Thor replied, taking the words out of Kira’s mouth.
“Other than that. I know we said that he’s running low on forces. But surely, he has something more. He’s not just going to let us waltz in there and catch him, is he?”
“We’re all forgetting one very important part of Grimm’s equation,” Thor said, standing up and pushing everyone back from where Kira was sitting.
“What’s that?” Aldo and Bron asked in unison.
“The Arcanum—the thing that started all of this.”
“Right,” Bron and Aldo said, again in unison.
“Everything we’ve faced up until now was meant to weaken our numbers. The less of us there are left, the less chance we have of getting past his—to use Aldo’s phrase—robo soldiers.”
“It’s kind of fun to say, isn’t it? You have to admit,” Aldo said proudly.
“Damn it!” Kira exclaimed suddenly.
Immediately following her outburst, the ship began to shake violently. Kira fought with the controls, struggling to keep them on course. Thor rushed back to his seat, ready to strike whoever had fired at them.
Everyone tensed as they waited for the swarm to descend upon them.
But then, nothing.
“Well, there’s one less group of fighters to help us go up against them,” Kira said. “Why don’t people follow orders? Was it complicated? Don’t veer off course. Stay directly behind me.”
“What happened?” Aldo asked, his voice shaking from the scare.
"One of the fleet ships went a different route," Kira muttered, glancing quickly at the screen to her right.
Everyone followed her line of sight. There, the remains of a T.A.F. vessel floated aimlessly around. A collective sigh escaped them all.
“No,” Kira said, cutting them off. “No sighs. This is bad.”
Just as the last word slipped past her lips, one of the detached pieces of the exploded ship floated weightlessly into the side of one of the asteroids, knocking it off course and straight into another mine—this one closer to their location.
The ship shook again. Aldo was thrown backward, straight into Bron, who caught him and immediately threw him forward. He splattered against the ground. As Kira worked to keep the ship stable, a ball of fur began to bounce around behind her. Aldo flailed about, trying to regain his footing, but failing miserably.
Bron couldn’t help but laugh as he held onto the console.
"This is not distracting at all!" she shouted over her shoulder, pulling up just as a chunk of asteroid zipped toward them.
Another explosion rang out as yet another mine detonated nearby. The chain reaction she feared had started.
“Was it so hard?” Kira said again, pulling the Curio up past a chunk of the wayward T.A.F. vessel came plummeting toward them. She slammed her fist down on the intercom, radioing the ships behind them. “We have to break formation. These things are going to start to blow all around us. Everyone, just don’t get blown up! That is an order!”
With that, she pulled the ship hard right. Ripples of flames and chunks of asteroids big enough to gouge a hole that would immediately suck the oxygen out of the Curio flew through the air.
The ships behind them began to scatter, some flying straight to their doom
“This is what happens when people don’t listen to me,” Kira muttered.
Straight ahead, another asteroid loomed, weightlessly. It bounced as the ripple of a nearby mine exploding sent a burst of energy pouring through space.
Kira held her breath as she pulled the controls up. The explosion rang out. It was close enough to knock them into a shard of a ship floating to their left. The sirens once again began to ring.
“I just fixed that!” Alaria called out. “The shields aren’t up to this, Captain. They’re already weak from the last fight.”
“Noted,” Kira replied, diving down as yet another chunk of metal floated in their direction.
She scanned her screens. Everywhere, all she could see was fire and metal and death. Her heart sunk as her determination faltered.
“We have to get above it,” she ordered. “Whoever can, get up! Get above the asteroid belt.”
She pulled the ship up as high as she could, dodging the debris that littered her path.
They were safe, but there were others below them, still caught in the deadly maze of metal and rock and explosives. They were helpless, and Kira was helpless to save them. She couldn't risk doing anything more than waiting.
Explosions rang out, each one bringing with it the heart-breaking realization that their numbers were falling. Lives were being lost.
How many more would have to die before they finally ended Grimm?
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
The calm after the storm.
There was something both peaceful and terrifying about it. It took Kira a long time to release the controls. Thor, too, sat motionless in his seat, still staring out at the destruction that littered the space around them.
“How many ships did we lose?” Kira asked, her voice weaker than she had intended it to be.
No one answered.
“How many?”
“Six,” Dario said, walking into the room. “I’ve been in contact with the others, and we lost six ships in addition to the initial ship that set off this entire mess.”
“Dario, are you okay?” Bron asked. “Is Alaria okay?”
“We’re fine. A little frazzled, but fine,” Dario replied, patting Bron on the shoulder. “I think she wants to make sure you’re okay, too.”
Bron lit up. A smile that was impossible to notice spread across his face.
“Should I go… or, will you go…?”
“Go see her,” Dario said, patting him on the shoulder again as he rushed out of the room.
“How many does that leave us?” Kira asked. “How many do we have?”
“Four,” Dario replied remorsefully. “Only four.”
“Who?”
“Two of the fleet and two pirates…”
“Who?” Kira demanded.
She didn’t mean to sound as harsh as she did. She was completely rattled. They had come to the pinnacle of the fight. Grimm had been saving his strongest forces for them. They were there, inside of the only asteroid that remained intact, floating just beyond their viewscreen. They had prepared; they had planned.
So had he.
In the end, they would be all be in the same position. Forced to abandon their thought-out strategies and let brute strength decide the fate of everything—everyone and everything.
“Max,” she continued. “Is Max still there?”
“He’s there.”
She exhaled slowly, relieved. Out of any of the forces sent to fight alongside her, out of all of the T.A.F. personnel and high-ranking officials, Max—the philosophical, drunken pirate—was the one she wanted most at her side when she went into this.
“Good, very good,” Kira said. “And, Artanis? How far out is he?”
“A day and a half.”
“Shit. We can’t just sit out here for that long and wait for our numbers to grow. We have no choice. We have to do this—alone.”
“Dario, call the other ships, tell them that we’re moving in,” Thor said.
“Since when do you give orders?” Bron asked.
Everyone looked at Kira, waiting for her to make the final call. She nodded, looking at each of them individually before letting her eyes meet Thor’s. He smiled at her. It wasn’t a frightful smile, like the one she returned. It was bold and confident, and oddly reminiscent of the first day they met. There was something rugged behind it. It was the smile of a man that had nothing and everything to lose at the same time. It was the smile of a man who was ready for a fight.
“Aldo, Vinnie,” Kira said, not looking back at them. “Get the combat gear ready. Vinnie, get the weapons—all the weapons.”
“Shit yeah!” Vinnie exclaimed, running out of the room.
Aldo followed behind him, somewhat less enthusiastically. And then they were alone. She didn’t stop when she pushed herself up out of her chair. She walked straight toward him, her arms extended and her heart pounding wildly against her chest.
“Are you ready for this?” he asked as he embraced her tightly.
"I don't know," she confessed. "I've been waiting for this moment for so long. But now that it's here, all I want to do is go back in time and postpone it. I wish I could go back to all the moments we've shared—you and me and Bron and Alaria and all of us—and just make them last a little bit longer.”
“Don’t do that,” Thor said firmly. “Don’t talk like this is the end.”
“But it is, it might be…”
“It’s not,” he said, holding her tight. “It’s the beginning. It’s the beginning of everything that we’ve been wanting. All we have to do is get through this.”
“But, this is…”
“Just like any other mission. We’ve faced so much together. This is just like all of that. Don’t let it be more than that in your mind. Don’t let it get to you.”
“You’re right,” she said nodding firmly and stepping back. “You’re right. We have to do just that. It’s just like every other crazed mission we’ve embarked on, and we’re all still here, right? Glorifying this will give it power. And that’s what he wants. I won’t do that.”
“And what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to end him. I’m going to make him wish he never knew me.”
“He probably already does.”
“Oh, he has no idea. If he thinks he can hold a grudge, he has no idea. I’m going to show him what destruction really is. I’m going to show him what loyalty and purpose really look like. I’m going to rip him apart!”
Thor smiled that smile again and took hold of her hand. "There you are. I knew you were in there somewhere. Now come on, Captain Winter, we have a coup to end."
As Thor lead Kira to the armory, Bron and Alaria were locked in their own encouraging, emotional, passionate sort of exchange.
The control room was easily one hundred degrees when Bron walked in. Alaria stood there, in the center of the mess of cords and switches that made up the heard of the Curio’s true command center.
“You’re okay!” she exclaimed, running up to him and throwing her arms around his neck.
With an amazing strength, she pulled him down to her level, planting her lips firmly to his. The room seemed to get a little warmer.
“We don’t have long,” he explained. “Things got bad.”
“I noticed.”
“I think we’re going out there.”
“Now?”
“Now is better than never.”
“Never might be okay.”
Alaria giggled as she pulled back from him, brushing a stray strand of platinum blonde hair from her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed from the heat and her entire body seemed to glisten with sweat.
“Maybe you can stay here… keep an eye on the ship,” Bron offered.
“Hell no,” she replied, shaking her head firmly. “I was joking, Bron. We’re going to do this. We’re so close!”
“But, what you said before, about worrying about me… Well, I worry about you.”
“Good. Then I’ll worry about myself less.”
“That’s not necessarily what I want.”
She giggled and his heart leaped.
“You worry about me and I’ll worry about you. Okay? We’ll have each other’s back. And you know Vinnie will always be there, ready to pop up from behind some rock or run around some corner with a gun twice his size, ready to blast anyone that tries anything funny.”
“Shit, Vinnie… someone else for me to worry about.”
She smiled and stepped forward, taking his hands in hers. They were easily twice the size of hers. As he wrapped his fingers around her palms, they seemed to disappear. Something about that made her feel even safer. If there was anyone she wanted looking out for her, it was him.
“We can both worry about him, too. Because you know he’ll be worrying about all of us. That’s what so great about our team, Bron. We all worry about each other.”
“I’ll worry about you more,” he said.
She giggled and pushed herself up to kiss him again. “It’s not a competition.”
“No. But I’d win.”
“Let’s worry about winning the battle first, okay? But, for the record, I’ll be worried about you more than the others will, too.”
They left the stuffy control room hand in hand.
Dario was happy for them. He felt good knowing that someone would look after Alaria if he couldn’t.
At first, the Bandurian black-market dealer would have been the last man he would have chosen for his adoptive daughter. But, over the last few months, he had more than proven himself. And now, as he watched the couple make their way toward the armory to equip themselves for the battle of their lives, he knew there was no one else he would have her going into it with.
“You ready for this?” Kira asked, walking up behind him.
She was already in her combat suit. The sleek black material shimmered softly in the lights as she moved.
“I am,” he said with a firm nod. “Well, I think I am.”
“He’s in there, Dario. He’s right there.”
“But ‘right there’ is on the other side of an army of genetically modified fighting machines.”
“And on the other side of them is the man you love. You’ve come this far, you both have. You’ve survived pirates and bounty hunters and fleets of warriors and Jaantu 7. You can survive this. And when you do, Thane will be there waiting for.”
Dario’s eyes lit up as he nodded his head firmly.
Together, they returned to the armory, where the others were busy preparing for their arrival at Grimm’s hideout. There was an energy in the room, a buzz of nerves and excitement. The excitement mainly came from Vinnie, who ran back and forth, his combat suit half hanging off his thin frame, examining each of the weapons to make his final pick.
Kira appreciated that; she appreciated his energy. They could all use a little bit of his enthusiasm. So, she let it float through the air for a few moments as everyone around her absorbed it.
Then, she gave the order.
“Everyone, to the airlock. I’ll bring the ship in.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
The inside of the large asteroid was exactly that—the inside of a large asteroid. There were no high-tech labs hidden between the black crevices. There were no trap doors, through which an army of enhanced fighters might descend upon them.
There was nothing more than rock and empty, airless Space.
Kira led the ship in as far as she dared, bringing it to rest under a large stone formation. The remaining ships in her withered fleet followed suit. No one dared break formation.
“Do you think we were wrong?” Thor asked when she joined the others in the airlock.
Everyone was wearing their combat suits—the dark black material making them seem like shimmering figures moving around in the darkness cast over them by their ominous surroundings.
“No,” Kira said, shaking her head. “This is it. This is definitely it.”
“I expected so much more,” Aldo said peering out the industrial strength window separating them from the outside.
“Don’t underestimate Grimm,” Kira replied. “He spent years hiding in plain sight, formulating his plans while he was still an active member of the T.A.F. He’s a master of disguise.”
“So, he turned himself into a rock person?” Vinnie asked, looking out the window over Aldo’s shoulder.
“If only it were that simple,” Kira said, stepping forward and putting herself between the others and the airlock. “Everyone, helmets up!”
As she gave the order, helmets went snapping into place, appearing from the backs of their sleek, shiny suits. When everyone was ready, she nodded to Thor, who initiated the depressurizing mechanism.
A pop and hiss later, and they were ready to open the door. At least, the door was ready to be opened. None of them were completely ready to do it, though.
Kira didn’t hesitate, though. She knew if she waited too long, the fear she felt building up in her stomach might prevent her from doing so. Taking hold of the handle, she threw her shoulder into the thick metal door with a forceful grunt.
The second the door flew open, they jumped into action. Everyone’s weapons were in their hands as the burst out into the cavernous space. The darkness immediately seemed to swallow them up.
“Stay close to the wall,” Kira spoke into her suits intercom. “Max, you there?”
“Here, Captain.”
“Good. And the others? I need reports from all ship leaders.”
The confirmation came in. That meant that they had fifty in their numbers. Kira led her group of eight; Max had twelve men with him, and each of two remaining T.A.F. groups had fifteen.
How many would Grimm have?
As they maneuvered slowly through the tunnels, Kira found herself reliving the very mission that started this entire thing—the mission to the Empyrean’s hideout. The similarities sent a chill running up her spine.
Except, on that mission, she remained on the ship.
This time, she was leading the troops. They didn’t leave anyone behind to guard their vessels. It was a tough decision to make. But, given their recent losses, it was the only option they had. They couldn’t risk going up against Grimm without their full force.
If they stole their ships, they’d just have to steal theirs. Bron claimed to have enough experience in that area, that it wouldn’t be a problem if the situation arose.
They crept in silence until they came to a fork in the road. The two tunnels in front of them seemed identical—dark and ominous. They would have to split up, yet again.
“Max, you’re with me,” Kira said.
Something inside of her was pulling her right. Something told her to go that way. If she was going to do that—follow that feeling of dread—she wanted to be sure she brought with her the people she believed to be most well equipped to face what she feared was waiting for them down there.
“Even if you told me to go the other way, I would have followed you,” Max said, shouldering his way through her group and standing at her side. “You feel it, too. Don’t you?”
Kira waited for the others to take their path to the left. She watched as the perfectly trained T.A.F. fighters filed down the tunnel and disappeared into the darkness.
“I don’t know what it is,” she replied.
“Gut instinct, Captain. Only the best have it.”
“Should we call the others back?”
“It’s your call.”
She was about to do it, to call the others back when a blood-curdling scream filled her helmet. Everyone around her shrunk back against it, wincing as the sound continued.
“What’s going on? What’s going on?” Kira asked, yelling over the sound.
“Captain, they’re here! The Arcanum! They’re here!” one of the fleet leaders replied.
“We have to help them,” Kira said, spinning around to face the others.
“No!” the fleet leader said, his words coming out as screams. “No! Grimm isn’t here! Keep going! Keep going! It’s a diversion. You can still find him!”
Something inside of her pushed her forward. Her feet began to move, faster than she thought was possible. Thor ran to her right, Max to her left. They wove their way down the long, dark tunnel, driven forward by nothing more than sheer determination.
They didn’t even hear them coming. It wasn’t because of their focused mindset. It was because of their swiftness. A group of Arcanum appeared out of nowhere. The soldiers were fast, swift, and agile. Guns were drawn and shots were fired.
They moved too fast.
They couldn’t find them in their sights.
“Keep going!” Max yelled over his shoulder.
“We can’t leave you,” Kira replied.
“You have to,” Max urged. “We’ll detain these clowns. You keep going!”
She wanted to object, but they were too close to stop now. She scanned their surroundings. A dozen Arcanum soldiers bounded to and fro, descending on them from above with weapons drawn. One sliced at one of Max’s men and pulled back before anyone in their group had a chance to consider retaliating.
Thor was the only one that seemed to not be completely overwhelmed. He dove forward, sending a knife into the side of one of the enhanced fighters and spun around, just in time to knock the gun out of the hand of the man who had rushed up behind him.
Behind them, down the tunnel in the distance, Kira saw a light.
“There!” she yelled, charging forward.
She ducked as an Arcanum rushed up at her, appearing in front of her as if coming out of thin air. She pushed her gun forward and pulled the trigger, not stopping her forward sprint. She heard footsteps behind her.
Who? Who had made it out?
She continued to run, glancing back. She saw Thor and a relieved sigh escaped her. Behind him were the others—all of them. In the distance, the sounds of the fight going on between Max and his men continued to ring out.
She swallowed her fear and pushed on.
When they burst into the illuminated space, they stopped suddenly.
There were no doors, there were no windows. There was simply a barrier—an invisible barrier that they could all feel wrapping around them. It was a lab of sorts—poorly stocked and dingy. But, it was definitely being used for something more than running a few simple experiments.
The equipment laying around them was unlike anything they had ever seen before.
“Is this where he makes…?” Thor began.
But there was no time to ask; there was no time to answer.
Another rain of Arcanum descended on them.
Screams filled the air, and then, the scent of blood.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
There were more of them—more of the enhanced fighters seemed to pour into the room. They were everywhere. Thor pulled Kira to the edge of the room, shooting down one of the soldiers who had begun a blindingly fast zig-zag sprint in their direction.
Kira, too, lifted her gun. She shot at everything that moved too fast to be human. It was complete chaos. Splatters of plasma crashed into the walls; bolts of energy exploded in the air, filling it with the taste of electricity.
It was overwhelming; she couldn’t make out what was happening. But then, her eyes locked on a scene that made it seem as if all time slowed down.
She didn’t see the blade go into her side but she did see Alaria sink to the ground, blood quickly pooling around her.
“Alaria!” Kira screamed, her voice shrill.
“No, no, no!” Bron exclaimed, rushing across the room.
He lifted his gun to shoot at her attacker, but the Arcanum soldier was gone before he even pulled the trigger. The burst of energy hit the wall and bounced off, sending blue and green sparks flying into the air.
He fell to his knees beside her.
He didn’t hear the sounds of battle going on around him anymore. He didn’t care about the fight; he didn’t care about Grimm. He only cared about her.
“Alaria, Alaria, please,” he begged.
Blood was pouring out of her side and her breathing was shallow and labored.
“Alaria,” he said again.
“Bron,” she coughed. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Bron.”
Her words were small and slow. He took hold of her hands, not sure what else to do. “Dario,” he muttered. “You need Dario.”
He scanned the room. The sounds of the battle suddenly came flooding back to him. Everywhere he looked he saw them—the Arcanum. They were zipping to and fro, some of them laughing as if it were nothing more than a game to them.
Dario was too far away. He was hidden behind one of the large consoles on the far side of the room, Vinnie next to him. They were both taking turns popping up and shooting at whatever near them moved.
“Bron,” Alaria coughed.
He turned to face her again. Her eyes were drifting shut and her breathing was slowing even more. His eyes began to burn with tears.
“I love you,” she said.
“Don’t do this,” he said, shaking her softly. “Alaria, don’t you dare do this! Kira! Thor! Someone!”
They heard him; they knew. They all knew what was going on, but they couldn’t get to him. They couldn’t do any more than they already were. Aldo took down a soldier who had turned his back to him and set his sights on the injured Telani woman and her Bandurian companion. Kira had diverted another who hoped to finish what his colleague had started.
“Go,” Alaria said softly. “Fight. Win this, okay?”
And with that, her eyes drifted shut. Bron let out a painful, remorseful cry as he scooted back quickly, his entire body shaking. He didn’t realize that Dario and Vinnie had made their way over to him. He didn’t realize that Dario was now leaning over Alaria and Vinnie was shooting at someone rushing up behind him.
He only knew that he hurt and he had to do something about that.
“I’ll kill him!” Bron exclaimed, rushing forward and taking hold of the soldier who had dealt the blow to Alaria’s side.
The enhanced fighter zipped to the right, moving even quicker than Thor was capable of, and laughed as Bron went sputtering past him. Bron ran into the wall, denting it slightly before he turned and charged again.
There was a rage in his eyes, unlike anything Kira had seen before. The solider he was after had his attention set on the large Bandurian man barreling toward him. Taking advantage of that, Kira fired a shot at him.
It hit him in the leg, causing him to fall to the ground just as Bron pounced on top of him. She didn’t get to see what happened next as a pair of arms, larger than her thighs, reached out and grabbed her.
She tried to throw her elbow back into her aggressor's stomach but hitting it was like hitting iron. It hurt her more than it hurt him.
She tried to fight against his hold.
He held her tight and pressed a gun to her side. She swallowed hard, trying to land a blow in his stomach one more time.
And then, a snap.
It seemed to ripple through the air. But, when the arms around her went limp and she pulled away quickly. She noticed that no one else around her had heard it. No one else except for Thor.
He had broken the man’s neck before he could finish her off.
“That’s quite enough of that,” a cold, familiar voice called out.
Instantly, all of the Arcanum soldiers around them stopped. They pulled back and surrounded them, but the shots no longer rang out. Thor, Aldo, and Vinnie lifted their guns to continue shooting, but that same voice stopped them.
“Don’t be foolish,” Grimm said. “You’re losing. But, if you put your guns down now, I might just let you live.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
There he was. She couldn’t believe it. He was standing there, just feet away from her, smiling at her in the way he so often did—condescending yet twinged with pride.
His hair was white and his clothes as perfectly pressed as they always were. Despite the clear signs of aging on his face, he looked the exact same. The closer he got, though, she began to notice that there was something different about him. It was his eyes. They seemed wider than usual—filled with the crazed sparkle of a man on the edge.
Still, crazy looked good on him.
“Kira,” he said, walking toward her. “Take that damned combat suit off. You don’t need it in here.”
Thor moved quickly, placing himself between her and him. His body language was defensive and his movements swift and filled with authority.
“It could be a trap, Kira. Don’t listen to him,” Thor said over his shoulder.
“I’m not wearing a suit, Commander Rockhold,” Grimm replied coldly. “I know you were never the brightest of the troops, but surely you’re not blind.”
Thor tensed, and Kira reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder and pulling him back toward her.
“What if he’s enhanced. What if he’s done something to himself so that he can breathe down here? What if they’re all enhanced?” Thor asked.
“He didn’t,” Kira said, looking back over her shoulder.
In the corner of the room was Alaria, surrounded by Bron, Dario, and Vinnie. Her breathing had slowed so much, it was almost impossible to see the slight rise and fall of her chest as she fought to stay alive. The gash in her side had gone through her suit. The damage it had done was life-threatening. But, if the air in the room lacked oxygen, it wouldn’t have mattered.
She would be dead already.
Before Thor could stop her, she released her helmet, letting it slide back into its place in the back of her suit. She took a long, deep breath.
“That’s it, Kira. You were always so good at taking orders,” Grimm cooed.
His words were dripping with condescension. His men, lining the walls surrounding them laughed in a way that made Kira’s blood boil. Grimm took a step to the side, peering at her from around Thor’s massive shoulder. He grinned.
“It’s too bad, though, that you were so damned stubborn,” Grimm continued. “We could have done so much together, you and me. I had so much planned for us. With you by my side, I would have had this all wrapped up years ago. Now, I’ve spent years trying to find a way around you.”
“You’re the one that brought me into this,” Kira reminded him.
"It is true. You may consider that a lapse of judgment on my part. If you did, of course, that would be because you have forgotten who you're speaking to. I do not have lapses in judgment."
“Then why did you choose me to take Thor to Jaantu 7?”
“Because I thought I had trained you better,” Grimm snapped. “Commander Rockhold is a confident, skilled, smooth-talking man with looks that most women would find attractive. I assumed that if he did escape, you would be the only one to withstand his charms. You used to be so much more focused, Kira! You would have never let something like him distract you from a mission. And now look at you!
“I never thought you would be the one to go against orders. I never thought you would be the one to fall in love and risk throwing away your entire career. It would appear I was wrong.”
“It seems it’s been far too long since you worked with me, Grimm,” Kira said, gritting her teeth. “Because I always go against orders.”
“You never went against mine and you wouldn’t have if it weren’t for him!” Grimm shouted, suddenly losing the composure he was known for. He glared at Thor, who returned his angered stare.
“Kira,” Bron’s voice was shaky. “She needs help.”
Kira turned to see Bron standing nearby. His eyes were red and his shoulders slumped forward. Blood covered his arms. Dario was still tending to Alaria as best as he could, but his movements said it all—his shaking hands and soft sighs, the sweat covering his brow and the tears that streamed down his face.
“You said you would let us live,” Kira reminded Grimm, turning to face him again.
“I said I might.”
Kira looked back at Alaria again. Vinnie was no longer hovering over her. He had joined Bron and was standing nearby, as well. Even he seemed devastated. There was no spark of energy in his movements or enthusiasm in his eyes.
“We’re tired, Grimm. We’re tired and weak and injured. Please, just let us get her help,” Kira pleaded, looking back toward her former Commanding Officer.
“I don’t know her,” Grimm said, his composure returned and complete disinterest dripping in his words.
“You son of a bitch!” Bron exclaimed, rushing forward.
His hands were extended in front of him, ready to take hold of Grimm by the throat. Before he was able to take two steps, though, one of Grimm’s Arcanum soldiers raced forward and tackled him to the ground.
“I don’t know him, either,” Grimm said, staring down at Bron. “Which means he’s expendable.”
He lifted his hand as if to give an order, and Kira moved forward quickly, putting herself between Grimm and the Arcanum holding Bron to the ground.
“What do you want from us?” she asked. “Just tell us what you want.”
“I want you to join us,” Grimm said firmly.
Aldo let out a mocking sneer and Kardok said “us” angrily.
Kira shook her head. “What do you mean, ‘us’?” she asked. “You and these soldiers?”
“He was referring to me,” a robotic voice bounced off the walls.
Everyone turned to face the man—or the thing that resembled a man—that entered the room. An air of confusion fell among them.
“Well, show some manners. Especially you, Commander Rockhold,” Grimm said, turning to face Thor again. “This is the man that created you.”
Thor's hands balled into fists and his entire body tensed. Kira shot him a warning look, knowing that even with his enhancements, he wouldn't be able to take down either of them without facing the wrath of the dozen Arcanum soldiers still surrounding them.
“Modessi,” Thor snarled.
“That’s impossible,” Aldo spoke. “You’re dead. I mean, you’re supposed to be dead.”
“Do I look dead to you?”
The robot-man stepped further into the room. Nearly all of his body was made of metal. His face was draped in some substance that was supposed to resemble skin but did a poor job. His eyes were nothing more than empty, open orbs, and his movements were stiff and mechanical.
“You don’t look alive,” Aldo remarked.
“Big talk from a creature not worth the oxygen you’re breathing,” Modessi snapped in reply. “Why is he still alive?”
Modessi made his way over to Grimm, and for the first time, Kira saw something in Grimm’s expression she had never seen before—respect and fear.
“If we hurt any of them, she won’t agree to work with us.”
“That’s what you want now, is it?” Modessi replied. “It wasn’t two weeks ago you wanted her dead.”
“Clearly, I underestimated her.”
“I warned you.”
“I should have taken your advice, Victor.”
The two men talked as if no one else was in the room. They didn’t look at any of them or address any of them directly. They simply chatted as if they were old friends catching up in the empty hall of an old office building.
“We don’t need her.”
“We do. You’ve seen what she’s capable of,” Grimm insisted. “We wanted to create the ultimate Terran race—she’s the prime candidate.”
“This is creepy,” Aldo whispered to Kardok who clapped his hands together to agree.
“It’s not just creepy, it’s insane!” Kira exclaimed. “I’m not going to work with you, Grimm. I’ll never work with you.”
“You don’t have a choice!” Grimm yelled again.
Everyone in the room, except for Modessi, shrunk back. His words bounced off the walls and echoed around them.
“I will kill them all, Kira! Don’t tempt me, I will! I told you never to care about anyone. And look what you’ve done! You’ve made yourself weak. I can control you, don’t you see? I can make you do what I want because you’re foolish and vulnerable.”
“You need me,” she said, stepping back slowly. “You need me, don’t you?”
Grimm stepped toward her, quickly closing the space between them. “Your weakness can be my strength. They follow you; they always follow you—blindly, to their deaths they follow you!”
“You have no one else,” she said, standing her ground. “This is all you have, isn’t it? These men here? They’re all you have left.”
Grimm went rigid, his eyes burning into hers. And then, she saw it again—fear. Now it was her that took a step forward. She sensed Thor move toward her but ignored him. The others in the room seemed to hold their breath as they waited for her response.
The only sound was Alaria’s breathing, heavy and strained.
“I won’t do it,” she said firmly. “I won’t. I can end this, right now. I can end you, Grimm. Without me, you have nothing left. I won’t let you use me. You don’t scare me anymore.”
Grimm threw his head back and laughed. “I was hoping you would say that,” he said, evil wrapped around his words.
With one swift flick of his hand, he summoned two of his men into action. They swarmed upon them. Kira spun around, ready to fight. But, it didn’t matter. They weren’t coming for her.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Thor fought back against their hold, throwing one of them off of him. The Arcanum soldier went flying back into the thick metal wall, leaving an indent behind as he slid to the ground. It wasn’t a victory, though. Just as quickly as he was gone, another was on him.
He struggled against them as the pulled him back. Kira tried to reach out to him, but Grimm’s cold, firm hand landed on her shoulder.
One of the men pulled an energy blade from the scabbard hanging at his side. The blade buzzed to life. Kira’s eyes filled with tears as the man held it close to Thor’s throat. Thor instantly stopped fighting.
"I didn't want to take it this far," Grimm began before bursting into another bout of villainous laughter. "I'm joking. I did; I did want to take it this far."
Bron, Vinnie, and Kardok were preparing to move in, but Kira waved them off. Her eyes were locked on Thor’s. He shook his head and smiled weakly.
“Looks like we didn’t need to worry about all those plans, huh?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “No. Let him go. Grimm, please. Let him go.”
“Kira, no,” Thor said firmly. “I’m not worth it. I’m not.”
Alaria coughed, pulling everyone's attention suddenly to her. Dario remained at her side, his eyes filled with tears and his hands covered in blood. He shook his head, a sign of defeat. Kira's gaze shifted to Bron. His eyes were glued to Alaria. He, too, was shaking his head solemnly. Vinnie sniffled and Aldo sighed. Kardok rocked back and forth, not sure what else to do.
Grimm spun her around. His hands on her shoulders felt as if they weighed a hundred pounds. She wanted to give in under their weight. She wanted to collapse onto the ground and beg him to let them all go. She wanted to do anything to save them—all of them.
When the door through which Modessi came in flew open, everyone jumped. What other surprise did Grimm have waiting for them?
“Grimm, I…” a familiar voice spoke. “Whoa.”
“Thane!” Grimm snapped, spinning around. “What the hell are you doing here? You know you’re not allowed in this part of the laboratories! I gave you direct orders!”
Kira peered around Grimm’s shoulder.
Thane was frozen in place. His eyes were locked with Dario’s. Even from across the room, the tension between them could be felt.
“Thane!” Grimm roared. “I’m speaking to you.”
Without taking his eyes from Dario, Thane replied. “I came here because…” his words shook as he took a slow step into the room. “Well, because…”
Dario got to his feet but didn’t move from Alaria’s side. Everything seemed frozen in time. The air seemed suddenly tinged with metal—even more than it had been before. There was an energy that seemed to follow Thane into the room. It was as if something was pushing at his back.
“Because I needed to…”
“Thane! Shit!” Grimm exclaimed.
“Kill him, too,” Modessi mused.
Grimm turned on his heel, as if considering the idea, and looked at his robotic companion. With a slow nod, he lifted his hand.
“No!” Dario called out.
But, before the order could be given, before Grimm could react with the full amount of surprise that Kira sensed spreading through him, the room suddenly filled with the sound of footsteps echoing down the hall.
“You see, Grimm,” Thane said, suddenly self-assured. “You cocky bastard, you self-important son of a bitch, I came here because I needed to show them where you were.”
As he finished his statement, a swarm of bodies flooded into the room behind him. Max lead the charge. His face was bloodied and his armor tattered. Still, he marched forward with purpose, leading a small fleet of men, just as battered and worn down as their leader. Still, they moved with determination as they swarmed the small, suddenly cramped place.
Everything began to happen again. It was as if the time that stood still upon Thane’s arrival suddenly worked to play catch up, moving into overdrive.
The renewed burst of energy spilling into the room sent them all into action. Thor dove forward, ripping his arms free of the men holding onto him. He threw one of them to the ground and spun around, ripping the blade from the other and shoving it into his gut.
Max and his men swarmed the room. Bodies once again began to fly about. Kira moved to join the fight, but something held her back.
Grimm spun her around forcefully, thrusting his free hand forward.
The blade ripped clean through her armor. She didn’t feel it at first. All she felt was a surge of warmth spread throughout her entire body, racing up her right side. She gasped for breath, but breath didn’t come.
Grimm held her tightly as she fought to remain upright.
“If I’m going down, you’re coming with me, Kira. We started this together and that’s how we’ll finish it.”
Thor’s world came to a screeching halt the second he saw that dagger go into her side. He felt it; he felt the blow and gasped for breath with her. Rage filled him—rage on a level he had never felt before.
“You son of a bitch!” he cried, throwing himself forward and tackling Grimm to the ground.
Grimm laughed, causing his anger to boil up even more. The sounds of the fight going on around him continued, raining down on him, driving him, filling him with purpose.
And yet, the sound of Grimm’s laugh seemed to be the loudest sound of all.
“You’re all dead,” Grimm said, laughing hysterically. “It’s going to blow! The whole thing is going to…”
Thor silenced him with one shot, placed square between his eyes.
He rushed back to Kira’s side, collecting her in his arms. All around them, their team worked to battle the Arcanum. It seemed as if it would never end. Shouts, cries, and gunshots—blood, sweat, and tears—he didn't know what to do now.
“Tell me, Kira!” he yelled. “Tell me what to do!”
She didn’t answer.
“We have to get out of here,” Dario said, running up behind him. Thane was close at his side.
“He’s rigged this whole thing to blow. Modessi escaped to initiate the sequence,” Thane added.
The rest was a blur. The running, the tears, the sheer panic. The fight was nearly over, but fear still clung tightly to his chest. He held her in his arms. Her breathing had slowed and her eyes refused to open.
“Kira,” he begged as he held her tight. “Please, Kira. Don’t leave me.”
CHAPTER FOURTY
Her hands twitched as she reached for the controls. The beeping around her wouldn’t stop. Something was happening. Something was coming for them. She tried to find the way out; she fought to take control, but she couldn’t.
“Kira,” Thor’s voice broke through the beeping.
“Turn those damn sirens off,” she said. “I’m working on it!”
Her voice came out weaker than she had wanted it to. She continued to fight to stop the beeping. She just had to stop it.
Thor reached out and took hold of her hand.
“Kira,” he said, leaning in and smiling down at her. “You’re not piloting the ship. And, trust me, you don’t want the beeping to stop.”
Her eyes flew open and she gasped for breath. The sudden expansion of her lungs sent a blinding pain surging up her right side. She exhaled quickly and pinched her eyes shut again. It was bright out there—very bright.
Wincing, she opened her eyes again. Thor’s face was the first thing she saw and tears instantly filled her eyes.
“Thor” she gasped, trying to reach out to wrap her arms around his neck, but another bolt of pain prevented her from doing so.
He met her halfway, leaning in and gingerly kissing his cheek. His face was filled with scruff. It usually was, but this was different—thicker. He smelled a little too.
She wrinkled her nose and pulled back. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked.
Thor sat back quickly and laughed. "It's nice to see you too."
“No, I mean, you smell like you haven’t showered in days.”
“I haven’t,” he said, leaning back in the chair he was seated in and slipping his hand into hers. “I’ve been here at your side the entire time.”
She looked around her, taking in her surroundings for the first time. There were screens hanging over her head, one of them producing the incessant beeping she hated so much. It was a heart rate monitor. Out the large, floor to ceiling window to her right, she saw Space—huge and open and beautifully terrifying Space.
“You’re in Medical aboard the Celestial.”
She looked back at him, noticing the gash sliding up the left side of his face for the first time. It had already healed but it left in its wake a line that sliced eerily close to his eye. His left shoulder was bandaged, as well. But, other than that, he seemed fine.
“You’re okay,” she said. “Are you? Are you okay?”
“I’m okay. A few quick blasts from one of those fancy heeling guns and I was good as new.”
“And we’re on board Artanis’ ship?”
“Does this look like the Curio’s medical bay?” Thor asked with a chuckle.
He was right. The Curio’s Medical was nowhere near as state-of-the-art as the room she was lying in.
“The Curio,” she gasped. “Who’s piloting the Curio? Did the Curio make it out? Oh, shit, Thor! Where is everyone else?”
Her sudden outburst made her entire body ache. The tension was not good for recovery, and she was feeling that full force. The beeping over her head increased. Thor squeezed her hand and leaned forward again.
“One of Artanis’ men Is piloting the Curio. It made it out.”
“The others?” she asked.
The beeping increased again.
“Alaria,” she whispered. “Alaria was hurt. Is she… Is she okay?”
“She’s here, in the next room.”
“Thor, tell me how she’s doing.”
Thor didn’t reply. He just shook his head. Again, the tears filled her eyes and she inhaled sharply, not caring about the pain that raced through her.
“Tell me everything,” she said after a moment of mental preparation.
“Maybe I should wait until you’re better…”
“I’ll get better, though. Won’t I? I’ll get better, but Alaria…” she choked back a sob. “Tell me, Thor.”
“Good news or bad news first?”
“Bad. I want to hear the bad first.”
“We lost Max,” Thor said quietly. “He went down fighting, Kira. But, he went down.”
She gasped, holding back the fresh batch of tears. “I never got to tell him ‘thank you.’ I never got to tell him how much he meant to the fight. I never told him how much I appreciated…”
“He knew, Kira,” Thor replied. “He wouldn’t have fought like that if he didn’t know.”
“What else?” she asked, fighting to regain her composure.
“The other pirates went with him. Most of the T.A.F. fleet were lost. And…” his voice trailed off.
“Thor,” she begged.
“And Aldo…”
“No!” she exclaimed. “No! Not Aldo! We brought him into this, Thor! We…”
“He lost an eye,” Thor finished.
“He what?”
"He lost an eye. Took a dagger straight to the orbital socket. Lucky for him, his brain is in a different place than ours. That rat's head of his saved him—brain's farther back and higher up. If it had been anyone else…"
“Damn you, Thor! I thought he got killed. You nearly killed me with that!” she said, relaxing back as a wave of pain rippled up her side.
He smiled. “Sorry. But, you didn’t let me finish. You need to be more patient, Kira.”
“Damn you,” she said again. “And since when do you use words like ‘orbital socket?”
“In case you didn’t notice, I had a pretty close call with one of mine,” he said, motioning toward the left side of his face.
She smiled and reached her hand up, pushing through the discomfort. Resting her hand on the left side of his face, she traced the scar with her thumb.
“It’s sexy,” she said.
“I’m glad you think so,” Thor replied, leaning in and resting his forehead against hers. “Kira, you scared the shit out of me. I thought…”
“I’m okay,” she said, kissing his cheek. “I’m okay and you’re okay. We’re okay, Thor. We’re here.”
“We are,” he nodded and pulled back.
“Any more bad news?” she asked.
“Alaria’s condition isn’t good. Bron’s been in there with her the entire time. He’s a wreck.”
“Dario? How’s Dario doing?”
“He’s a wreck, too. I don’t know if he’s slept at all since we left the asteroid. It helps that he has Thane here with him, though. I think.”
“Thane?”
“He made it out with us. That’s part of the good news.”
“Anymore bad?”
“No.”
“Then let’s have the good stuff.”
“We won, Kira,” he said, smiling brightly. “We did it. Grimm, he… well, his buddy, technically, detonated another superweapon. It was crazy. We had to race out of there. Bron flew the ship out. He did great, especially considering… We made it out in time. I killed Grimm myself. After what he did to you… And Modessi was still in there when the whole thing blew. They’re gone. They’re gone and it’s over.”
“Over?”
“It’s over. As far as Artanis can tell, there are no more of his forces out there. Mordecai’s men are gone, Grimm’s men are… well, they’re floating through Space in little bits right about now. It’s over! We’ll be back to Earth in two days.”
“Two days? How long have I been…?”
“Six.”
“And you’ve been here the whole time?”
“I would never leave you, Kira.”
“You could go shower,” she said, smiling. “I mean, it’ll only take a few minutes. I’ll still be here, you know. I’m not going anywhere. I have nowhere to be. For once, I have nowhere to be but right here. Waiting for you…to shower.”
He laughed and a single tear streamed down his cheek. “Look who’s talking miss, I’ve been lying in a bed for a week, with machines around to tend to my physical hygiene needs. Not all of us have gotten so much pampering.”
“Is someone jealous?”
“You’ll just have to make it up to me. The pampering and the hours of worry and the sleepless nights…”
“I will,” she said. “Don’t worry. I’ll pamper you all you want once I’m up and around.”
“Well, I guess I should go shower and clean up then,” he said, pushing himself up.
“Wait,” she said, reaching out and grabbing his hand just as he turned away.
Mustering up all the strength she could, she pulled him back toward her. The second his lips crashed into hers, all the pain she felt evaporated. In a flash, everything they had been through washed over her. The battles the missions the nights spent worrying and talking and escaping to a place where they could feel safe together. It was all so present and yet so distant.
It was all worth it for that moment. That kiss that surpassed all those moments, wiping them away with the sheer force of passion and love that spread between them. Their past was suddenly just that—the past. All she could see now was their future.
CHAPTER FOURTY-ONE
Over the next two days, her recovery increased. She was able to get up and move around with minimal discomfort. All reports showed her making a full recovery. That was a meager comfort.
Alaria was still very much at risk.
The first thing she did once she was up and around was wander the short distance from her room to the room where Alaria lay. Walking into the room was like walking into an alternate space. While the entire ship seemed to be buzzing with their recent victory, that one room seemed to be suspended in the past—in the heat of the moment, with everything still on the line and so much still at risk.
“Kira,” Bron said, looking over his shoulder at her.
He hadn’t heard her come in. It wasn’t until she set her hand on his shoulder that he turned to look at her, his eyes bloodshot and his face drawn with the lines of worry that come with sleepless nights.
“How… What…?”
She wasn’t sure what to ask. She knew Alaria’s condition. She knew what the doctors were saying. She knew it wasn’t good.
“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” Bron replied, ignoring her question and turning his attention back to Alaria. “We were all worried.”
“Bron, you need to…”
He looked back at her quickly.
“Take care of yourself,” she finished, finally letting her eyes drift past him and toward the petite frame of the woman lying in the bed.
She was pale—noticeably pale. Which, for someone like Alaria with a sheer white complexion, that meant she looked almost transparent. Her eyes were closed, but through the thin veils of her eyelids, the veins were protruding. Her arms seemed pencil thin and the slight rise and fall of her chest was barely noticeable. She seemed to disappear under the sheer white sheet—blending into it and melting into the bed.
“You have to eat, to sleep…”
He continued to stare at her blankly.
“But, I know you won’t,” she said, moving to the side of the room and pulling a chair up to the side of the bed. Sitting down next to him, she continued, “I know I wouldn’t. I know Thor wouldn’t. He didn’t. I didn’t, when he was injured.”
“What do I do, Kira?” Bron asked. “How can I fix this?”
"You can't, Bron," she spoke softly but bluntly. "You can't do anything more than you are. You couldn't have done anything differently."
“But…”
“Don’t do that. Don’t.”
“But…”
"I know you're replaying that moment in your mind again and again. I know you're pulling it apart and trying to figure out what you could have done differently. But, don't. You don't want to live in that moment, do you? After everything, you two have been through? All the great moments you've shared. Do you want that to be the moment you play on repeat in your mind?"
“No, but…”
“But nothing. Living in that moment won’t change it. But hope… That can change a lot. You just always have to have hope.”
“Hope,” he muttered.
She sat there with him for a long time. She couldn’t bring herself to leave. It felt wrong. She was fine, but one of her own was not. It was something a Captain never wanted to experience. There was a lot of guilt that went into it, a lot of doubt.
She tried to take her own advice but it was hard. Could she have done something differently?
“Kira!” an excited voice finally pulled her out of the self-induced trance she had fallen into.
It was Aldo. He waddled into the room, eyepatch covering his left eye, and didn’t hesitate as he wrapped his arms around her.
She pulled back from him, surprised.
“I thought hugging was something you people did in this group,” he said.
She smiled and hugged him again. “It is.”
“I heard you were up and around and I assumed I’d find you here.”
“I was going to come see all of you.”
“I know,” he said with a lopsided smile.
“How are you? Your eye…”
"I think it's actually quite becoming, don't you," Aldo said, taking a step back and strutting about a little. "They offered to fit me with an artificial eye, but given everything that we just went through with those enhanced freaks… I mean, I don't mean freaks. Because, you know… Thor."
Kira smiled. “I think he would understand the phrase.”
“I’m trying to get better at that, you know. At least with you guys. After everything, I figure I at least owe you all that much—for a few days at least.”
“Don’t worry, Aldo, you’re one of us. You can be whoever it is that you are.”
“Well, now I’m a badass,” Aldo said with a grin, gesturing toward the side of his face. “Which leads me to my original point. I’m keeping the eye-patch. I always wanted a ‘thing.’ I think I’ve found it.”
“I never took you for the positive type. You always seemed to be more of the sarcastic, smart-ass type.”
“Like I said, it’s just something I’m trying out for a few days. It’ll probably wear off. I assume there’s a sort of no-bullshit attitude that comes with one of these bad boys. So, once we’re all settled in, I’ll work on acquiring that.”
“We’ll be back to Earth tomorrow,” Kira said, turning back to Bron. “Alaria will get more help there—all the state of the art medical equipment and all that, everything she needs.”
Bron didn't look back at her as she sighed. He slipped his hand under Alaria's, holding it gingerly. Aldo and Kira instantly fell silent. The beeping coming from Alaria's heart monitor machine was weak and slow. Her injuries were primarily internal, meaning that below the serene veil of her fragile, weak frame a battle was raging—a battle none of them knew how to fight. It was a battle none of them could fight for her.
“You can go,” Bron said over his shoulder. “Really, I won’t mind. I know you want to see the others.”
“I don’t want to leave you like this,” Kira replied. “I don’t want to leave her…”
She felt a lump rise in her throat as the realization of Alaria’s condition fully set in for the first time. The memories of their missions together raced through her mind. The sound of her giggle played on repeat. She wanted to see her bright blue eyes again and watch her bounce gracefully across the room.
“What are you all so worried about?” she would ask. And with a quick, fluid motion, she would toss her beautiful blonde hair over her shoulder and smile.
But, she didn’t. She just continued to lie there. Kira’s heart sunk into her gut as she swallowed back the tears.
“Dario will be back soon,” Bron replied. “Go see the others. They’ve been missing you.”
“Okay,” Kira said softly.
She moved toward the door, following behind Aldo who glanced back at Bron one last time before pressing his hand into the reader. As the panel slid open, Bron got to his feet. In a rush, he walked up to Kira and wrapped his arms around her. His embrace was tight and strong and full of emotion.
“I really am happy you’re okay,” he said. “I really am. And, I wanted to thank you for bringing me into this.”
He pulled back and laughed. It was a small, weak laugh, but it was true.
“If you hadn’t stormed into my Hangar and needed my help, I would have never left the Bazaar. I would have never met Alaria. I hurt so much right now. But, at least I know what it is to have something that makes hurting like this so worth it.”
Kira smiled up at him and hugged him again. “Thank you, Bron, for coming along on this crazy adventure. For letting me use your ship—which is not a piece of shit, by the way—and for being an amazing friend.”
When she left Alaria’s room, she felt both better and worse. The impending dread, the emotional pain of potentially losing someone sat heavily on her heart. But, the love and raw emotion that was displayed there—that was what they had been fighting for. It was the opposite of everything that Grimm had stood for. And, it was real and alive and safe because of them.
CHAPTER FOURTY-TWO
In the time remaining aboard the Celestial, Kira reconnected with everyone. She spoke with Artanis, who praised her crew for their fearless display of courage. He talked about the future of the T.A.F. and the new regulations that would be put into place to prevent something like that from ever happening again.
Kira didn’t speak her mind, for once.
She doubted that any regulations would be able to keep them safe from another Grimm. She remembered Max’s words, and let them silently play in the background of their conversation. She did inform her Commanding Officer of plans, though.
“Admiral,” she said as they were preparing to end their conversation.
Thor was with her, as were Aldo and Thane. For the first time that she could remember, she wasn’t meeting with Artanis in a stuffy conference room. They were in the Celestial’s large common area, seated in the corner of the room, forgotten amidst the hectic movement of T.A.F. personnel preparing for their arrival to Earth.
“I was meaning to talk to you about something.”
Artanis froze as if anticipating what she would say. She looked back over her shoulder at Thor who smiled and her and nodded.
“I think after all of this, I’d like to look into changing my role in the T.A.F.”
“That is usually something that’s decided by your Commanding Officer, Captain,” Artanis replied.
“Which is why I’m talking to you about it now.”
Aldo and Thane shifted their weight nervously. It was clear that they were both surprised and felt out of place.
“I would like to request a position in the Academy,” Kira continued. “I would like to be a trainer.”
Aldo coughed, showing his surprise. Thane shifted his weight again. Thor rested his hand on her knee. Artanis didn’t flinch.
“You’re one of the best we have—the best, maybe.”
“Maybe?” Kira asked.
"I don't think your ego needs any more stroking, Captain."
“Maybe a little,” she replied. “It’s always nice to feel appreciated. And if this isn’t the time for a little praise, I don’t know when is.”
Artanis smiled and leaned back in his chair. “Is this really what you want?”
She looked back at Thor. His expression didn’t change. He looked at her, his eyes fixed on hers, telling her that it was all up to her. They had discussed her decision the day before. He supported it whole-heartedly. He, too, would request a position in the Academy with her. It was a perfect balance. It allowed them to live a life free of supposed suicide missions and danger looming around every corner. But, it also gave them the chance to still be a part of something they believed in so strongly.
“I’m sure,” she said, looking back at Artanis. “I can’t keep doing this, Admiral. I love it; I really do. But, I’ve found something else that I love, as well. And, I want to enjoy that.”
He agreed to take her request under consideration, mentioning how valuable she was and that they would hate to see her go. But, she knew that tone that he had. He would grant her request. It was the same tone he used when he had to pass through one of her crazed approaches to battle or get her out of trouble with the High Command.
It was the fatherly tone he so often used with her that communicated both his apprehension and his pride at the same time.
With Artanis’ stamp of finality, they all began to go their separate ways. But, she still had one person to talk to before preparing for their arrival to Earth.
“Thane,” she called out to him as she hurried after him.
He waited for her to catch up. As soon as she was at his side, he assumed the same awkward persona she remembered from their time together in the locker room. It felt like an eternity ago, but still, standing there, watching him dance around nervously made it feel as if it were just yesterday.
When he reached out and took hold of her, hugging her tightly, oddly, she wasn’t surprised.
“Thank you, Kira,” he said.
She heard tears in his words. He continued to hug her, sniffling into her ear and trying to compose himself. In the distance, she saw Dario, walking toward them.
“Thank you, Thane,” she said emphatically as she pulled back from him. “You saved us—more times than I can count or even remember at this point.”
“I should be thanking you,” Thane said, stepping back as Dario moved to join them. “You kept this one safe.”
He reached out and wrapped his arm around Dario’s shoulders. Watching the two of them embrace filled her once again with the feeling of purpose and satisfaction that came with knowing that they had done something good. There it was again—love.
“Not to mention, you got me out of that hell hole,” Thane continued.
“You were the one that got us out,” Dario reminded him.
“I wouldn’t have had the strength to do it, though; I wouldn’t have had the courage if I hadn’t known that you were out there, waiting for me” Thane replied, turning his full attention to Dario.
The two men locked eyes, and for a second, Kira felt as if they were in a different place. It was a place where she was not. She cleared her throat and they both looked back at her quickly.
“I get the feeling that I will not be needed here going forward,” she said.
Dario smiled. It was a weak but heartfelt smile. It was clear that Alaria's condition was burdening him greatly. There were bags under his eyes that dimmed his smile and his posture was a constantly shifting paradox between elation and fear.
Kira excused herself and wandered around the ship for a little while. It wasn’t long before she found herself back in her room. She was still staying in Medical, although she had been moved to a room that was less hospital and more apartment.
Thor was there waiting for her.
“We did it,” he said as she moved to lie down on the bed. “Not only did we survive the battle with Grimm but we also solidified our plans for our future.”
She snuggled up next to him, resting her head on his chest. Her side continued to bother her slightly, but she didn’t care much. The pain was worth it, just to be there with him, knowing they were both okay and that they had done what they had set out to do.
“Are you going to miss it?” he asked. “The adventure and the rush?”
“No,” she answered quickly. “I don’t think I will. For so long, that adrenaline rush I got running into battle drove me. But now…” she looked up at him. “Now, I have something else that makes me feel even more alive.”
When they finally reached Earth, they were swept up into a whirlwind of excitement. As they were ushered off the ship, crowds gathered around the long ramp leading out the belly of the Celestial. Kira walked at the front of her group, her side bandaged tightly and Thor’s arm wrapped around her shoulders.
Behind them, walked Dario and Thane, with Vinnie on their heels. Aldo and Kardok came next, and last, Bron walked alongside the hover-stretcher that carried Alaria.
It seemed that everyone around them knew their names. “Captain Winter!” a group of children called out in chorus. “Commander Rockhold! Dr. Marner!” Their names were filling the air around them. Kira didn’t know where to look, so she kept her focus on the ground, measuring her steps as she went along.
She only slightly heard them. She glanced back at her crew, letting a bubble of pride fill her chest.
Her eyes landed on Alaria. She would have been so excited to march off that ship. She would have bounced her way through the crowds, gracefully smiling and waving at everyone around them. Now, though, she didn’t even respond to the countless people around her calling out her name.
The path they were on led them straight to the T.AF. High Command building. Stepping inside the large complex was somewhat of a relief. After the last of their parade made their way inside, the large doors were shut and the sounds of shouts and cheers were instantly silenced. Alaria was immediately taken to Medical, where she would be seen to. Bron and Dario wanted to go with her, but they were informed that their entire crew was expected in a meeting.
“It’s not our entire crew, though,” Bron muttered as he watched them lead Alaria down the hall.
“She’s in good hands,” Kira said, standing next to him, also watching their companion go. “They’re going to help her, Bron. They are.”
He grunted and turned to march down the long, imperial-looking hallway. Some of the damage from Grimm’s initial coup was still evident, but the clean-up had unfolded quickly. There was only trace evidence left—a few walls that still had gouges carved into them and a handful of repair groups milled around.
“Captain Winter and crew!” a loud voice boomed as they walked into the large, court-room like conference room. “Come forward.”
They all moved slowly, tired and wanting nothing more than to retreat to wherever they would be staying while on Earth. Rumors had been going around that they would be put up in one of the nicest hotels on the planet, and their accommodation would be covered by the High Command.
"In response to your recent displays of bravery, we would like to take a moment to acknowledge everything you have done for our planet and the entire galaxy," the booming voice continued.
Seated around the tribunal in front of them were a group of about a dozen men and women, dressed in robes and positioned high above the rest of the room. It was hard to tell which of the figures produced the voice, as it echoed off the walls and seemed to hang in the air, coming from nowhere and going nowhere.
“That is very kind,” Kira said, stepping forward. “But, we are very tired and truly want nothing more than to go on our way. We did just face death and all.”
A laugh filled the room.
“This won’t take long,” the voice said again. “It’s more a matter of technicality. Just a few motions to address. The first will deal with Dr. Marner.”
Dario stepped forward, still holding onto Thane’s hand who stood slightly behind him.
“First, I would like to thank you for your efforts to inform us about Grimm’s activities all along. You and Thane both did so much to ensure that this mission was successful. For that reason, and given that you both have lost employment due to your former employer’s demise, we would like to offer both of you positions on the High Command. Your insight and ability to remain calm in the face of danger is something we value very highly. Will you accept?”
Dario’s face lit up and he pulled Thane forward with him. The two men embraced as they thanked the High Command and graciously accepted the positions.
“Next, I will discuss the futures of Miss Alaria Starfire and Mr. Bron.”
“Alaria isn’t here,” Bron grunted as he stepped forward.
“I am aware of Ms. Satarfire’s condition. And I would like to inform all of you that she will receive the best care we have to offer. In the meantime, I will present our proposition to you and you can make your decision whenever you’re ready.”
Bron nodded.
“We would like to offer both of you positions on the T.A.F. official engineering team. We saw what you did with the Curio, and we are impressed. Your construction and her ability to keep it functioning—together, we think you can both create new and exciting vessels for our fleet.”
Bron’s cheeks flushed slightly as he nodded. For the first time in days, Kira saw a smile slide across his face.
“I told you the Curio wasn’t a piece of shit,” he said over his shoulder to everyone.
“And you will be provided with whatever parts you need, I should add. Meaning you can give up your life of criminal activity. If you are so inclined.”
“Wait, wait, wait!” Vinnie exclaimed, stepping forward. “I helped build that ship, too! She’s as much mine as she is…”
“Vinnie Longo,” the voice said as everyone turned their attention toward the teen who stood with arms crossed over his chest. “We had something different in mind for you. You are young and already ahead of others your age in terms of intelligence and ingenuity. We would like to offer you an advanced place in our robotics program. Provided you do one more thing to prove yourself.”
“Prove myself?” Vinnie said, throwing his hands in the air. “I think I’ve done more than…”
His words trailed off when a familiar hunk of metal rolled into the room.
“Rob!” Vinnie exclaimed, running up to where the robot came to a halt.
“We have reassembled your robot as best as we could. The parts were sent here from the Glory for analysis after the fight with Ryker Doone’s men. We would like you to finish the job, though, using the materials we have available here. We would like to see what you can do. You have free reign to impress us.”
“Assholes think I need updates,” Rob said, his voice slightly more mechanical than it used to be.
“Oh, and we couldn’t figure out how to remove that feature,” the voice continued. “As endearing as it is…”
“I’ll make him so badass!” Vinnie cried. “But, I can’t promise that I’ll change that. It’s who he is. And, I like who he is.”
“The love of a boy and his robot,” Kira muttered to Thor who chuckled.
“Regardless, you have two weeks to show us what you can do. We are hoping to upgrade our military capacities in the field of robotics, something I doubt you’ll have trouble with.”
“Oh, hell yeah!” Vinnie cheered again. “Rob, I love you, but you are going to be so awesome when I’m done with you.”
“Aldo Firax and Kardok,” the voice beckoned them forward. “We would like both of you to come to work with us—Aldo, we would like you to work in communications and Kardok, we would like you to work with training recruits in hand-to-hand combat.”
They both accepted without hesitation.
“And lastly, Captain Winter and Commander Rockhold. I have to admit, this was the hardest decision we had to make.”
Kira and Thor stepped forward, their hands linked.
“Admiral Artanis informed us of your desire to retire from combat. You can image our apprehension at granting that request. Fighters like you two don’t come along every day.”
Kira held her breath.
“We considered offering you both a handsome retirement package in exchange for four more years of your service. But something tells me, money isn’t your driving motivation.”
“Money is nice,” Kira said with a shrug. “But I didn’t go into this business for money and I won’t stay in it for that reason, either.”
“I assumed as much. So, after a long deliberation, we’ve decided to grant your request. You will both be assigned to a division of recruits. This first group will be a trial, though. If we see that your abilities are better put to use in the field, we will reassess our decision.”
“Really?” Kira ad Thor asked in unison.
"Really, and somehow, rumors of your decision have already begun to spread throughout the Alliance. Not surprisingly, we've seen a jump in enrollees into the T.A.F. recruitment program. All of the new recruits have requested you two, as well. We will let you both decide how you will choose which incoming fighters to work with."
For the first time in a long time, Kira was excited about the future. There were no apprehensions or fears. The only thing she felt was eager.
CHAPTER FOURTY-THREE
Two weeks went by quickly. At first, being back on Earth was strange. It was made even more unusual by the fact that everywhere she went, people recognized her. They called out her name and shook her hand and flooded her with praise she still wasn’t sure she deserved.
She did take a week off, spending time with her family before returning to the T.A.F. High Command to begin her new career. Thor had the chance to meet her parents and her sister. He didn’t have family around of his own, so he immediately took to them and they to him.
They got a place together near the High Command building of operations. Even though they would still be spending significant amounts of time onboard space stations and running drills in Space with their recruits, there was something about having a place to call home that they both wanted and needed.
“We’re going to be late,” Thor said, rolling out of bed next to her. “We have to report in fifteen minutes.”
“Damn, and I thought we were finished with all this running around at the T.A.F.’s behest nonsense when we returned from saving the Galaxy,” she grunted.
“You’re the one that wanted to work with them still,” he reminded her. “I would have been happy getting a little space station of our own and floating aimlessly through Space for the rest of my life.”
“You would not have been okay with that,” she said as she pulled on her new Training Officer uniform. “You’re the one that’s been researching drills and techniques all damn week.”
“I’m a driven individual, what can I say?”
They walked together toward the place where the T.A.F. had designated their potential recruits to gather. It was one of the older buildings in the T.A.F. complex, but it would serve their purpose. There was a combat section, a flight simulator, and one of the interrogation rooms Kira found herself suddenly eager to enter.
This time, she would be on the other side of the table. She had always wondered what that would feel like.
The second they entered the large room, a flurry of whispers filled the air. “Oh, shit. I’m so nervous. She’s shorter than I imaged she would be. He’s kind of intimidating. Maybe I don’t want to work with him.”
It took a few minutes for them to silence the group, but once they did, they immediately began barking their orders and everyone jumped into action. Kira had the feeling she would thoroughly enjoy this new job.
Their day was half-way done when a ping coming from her comm bracelet immediately pulled her attention away from the group of recruits she was instructing on the flight simulator. Thor’s comm bracelet was pinging, too. They looked at each other from across the room.
“It’s Alaria,” Kira whispered, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, everyone. We have to stop for the day. We will pick up here tomorrow.”
Although there was a very heavy air of disappointment that followed the young, eager recruits out of the room, they all went without question.
“What do you think it is?” Kira asked Thor as they walked quickly toward the Medical facilities. “Good or bad?”
“It just said ‘come immediately’,” Thor replied. “That could mean anything.”
He was right. They wouldn’t want to give bad news over the small, annoying pinging devices. But, would they give good news that way? Hell, Kira would have been happy with any news. Instructions weren’t information. And she hated that.
Their last report left Alaria’s condition unchanged. Despite all of the high-tech equipment and the countless operations she had endured, it seemed that her wounds refused to heal. Infections followed quickly behind each treatment that tried to combat them. And her strength decreased as each day wore on.
“What is it?” Kira asked as they barged into her room. “What is it? Please, tell me. No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know. No, I have to know.”
Everyone was crowded around Alaria’s bed. Bron turned to face them as they walked in, tears in his eyes. Kira’s heart leaped into her throat as emotions flooded through her.
“No,” she said softly, shaking her head.
Dario, too, turned to face them. He wasn’t crying, though. She looked back at Bron, who smiled.
“They’re tears of joy, Kira,” he said, his voice laced with happiness.
“What?” Kira asked, pushing past the others.
There, lying in the bed, was Alaria. Her eyes were open, and a plate of half-finished food sat on her lap. She looked up at Kira and giggled, quickly wincing in pain as the shaking of her torso flooded her with discomfort.
“Alaria!” Kira cried, reaching out to hug her but pulling back.
Alaria smiled. “It’s okay,” she said, lifting her arms.
Kira embraced her tightly, but not too tightly. Alaria giggled again, and the sound made Kira’s eyes water.
“I’ve been waiting to hear that giggle for far too long,” she said as she pulled back.
“She’s not completely out of the woods yet,” Dario said. “But, the doctors say that this is a great sign.”
“Shit, I’d say,” Thor said, stepping forward and smiling down at the frail woman in the bed.
“How long has she been awake?” Kira asked.
“We paged you the second her eyes flew open,” Bron replied.
"I only beat you here because I was in for a check-up," Aldo informed them, motioning toward his patch-covered eye. "And, Kardok came along because he, well… He likes the food."
“Food!” Kardok exclaimed, eyeing the tray in Alaria’s lap.
“No way,” Alaria said, shaking her head. “I’m starving. I woke up starving! Can you believe it!”
Kira smiled and shook her head. “I can’t believe it,” she replied. “I can’t believe any of it. Alaria, I’m so happy you’re better!”
“Not better yet,” Alaria corrected her. “But, I will be soon. I know I will be soon. I could sense you all here, you know,” she continued. “I think that’s what really helped me hold on. It’s like I knew what was happening the whole time. I knew you came to visit me often and you cried for me and you held my hand and…” her eyes drifted to Bron. “And I knew you never left me. I wanted to hold on for you. I couldn’t leave you, Bron.”
Bron leaned in and kissed her softly. It was a sweet, tender, delicate kiss that lasted just long enough to make everyone feel unwelcome.
“That’s enough of that!” Vinnie said, wrinkling his nose. “There are other people here, you know.”
Alaria giggled. “I know. And I’m so thankful for each and everyone one of you.”
“It’s so great to be all together again,” Kira said. “I’ve missed you—all of you. I’ve missed this.”
“You see us every day,” Aldo remarked.
“Not like this, though. This is different.”
“Well,” Thor said, clearing his throat nervously. “If it’s okay with you, I would like to make it even more special.”
A heavy silence fell over the room. Kira turned to face him. His hands were in his pockets and they were shaking. Suddenly, she, too, felt herself begin to tremble.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
Everyone held their breath as Thor fumbled with a small box he had in his right hand.
“I’ve been waiting to do this,” he began, his voice cracking, “until everyone could be here for it. I guess I could wait longer. Maybe I should wait longer.”
He slid the box back into his pocket.
“No!” everyone in the room cried in unison.
Thor chuckled and Kira felt her face flush. He shrugged and turned his attention to her, stepping forward and taking her hands in his.
“Kira, we’ve talked about our future together for a long time now. And, we have it. We have our life, we have our friends—our family. We have everything we ever wanted. There’s just one more thing, though, that I’ve been wanting this whole time.
“We’ve fought together; we’ve fought each other, even. We’ve saved each other and we’ve saved the Galaxy. We’ve met amazing people and we’ve had amazing adventures. I want to face every adventure yet to come with you. Whether it’s training new recruits or learning how to cook or flying into the depths of Space yet again or maybe even starting a family or our own… I want to do everything with you because you make me better. You make me stronger. You make me happier than I ever thought I could be, and I don’t ever want to give that up.”
“Kira,” he said, opening it to reveal a ring. It was small and sparkly and perfect. “Will you marry me?”
She gasped. Even though she knew it was coming, she gasped. Everyone in the room continued to hold their breath, waiting for her response.
“I…” she started, looking back at all of them. “I’m not usually so good with the whole public displays of affection thing.”
“Trust me, we’ve seen you display your affection publicly before,” Bron said with a grunt.
Vinnie laughed and Alaria beamed. Dario smiled at her and nodded.
“Thor,” she replied, looking back at him. “I couldn’t imagine spending my life with anyone else. I’ll admit, this whole marriage thing might be a little scarier than the whole battling Grimm thing…”
“Really?”
“Well, maybe not that scary. But, it does terrify me. But, I’ve done so many things that terrify me with you by my side. Knowing you were there always gave me the strength I needed to be the best Captain and leader that I could be. So, knowing you’re going to be by my side forever gives me the strength to face this fear, as well.”
“Don’t sound so enthusiastic,” Aldo muttered.
Thor chuckled and smiled down at her. “Don’t do something you don’t want to,” he said.
“Are you kidding me?” she replied, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him. “I want to! I really want to! Was that not clear?”
“No,” everyone muttered in response.
Thor laughed again. “It sounded more like you were hyping yourself up for another mission.”
“This kind of is another mission, though. It’s new and scary and completely uncharted territory for me. But, as long as I’m embarking on it with you, I’m ready. I’m ready and I’m excited and…”
“Are you saying ‘yes’?”
“Yes!” she exclaimed, kissing him again.
The room erupted with cheers. Every face around them beamed with joy.
“I knew you could do it,” Vinnie said, walking over and reaching up to pat Thor on the shoulder.
“What?” everyone asked, suddenly confused.
“Oh, yeah. I knew he was going to pop the question. Rob recorded him practicing that speech over and over and over again while we were heading off to fight Grimm. I probably could have quoted it with you. But, I didn’t want to steal your thunder.”
“You nosey little shit,” Bron muttered.
“What? It was Rob. Sure, he told me. Because I asked him. But, I didn’t ruin it, did I? I told you I was good at keeping secrets.”
There was still a lot of uncertainty in the Galaxy; there always would be. But, one thing was certain for Kira and her crew—they would always have each other. What they had created could never be defeated—love and trust and loyalty.
No one could wipe that out.
It didn’t matter what superweapons were created or what egotistical maniac lurked around the corner. They would always hold onto what they had—they would always hold onto one another.
**THE END**