Lieutenant Chan was waiting in the bathroom with four of his men. That meant we had seven against eleven. But we would have the element of surprise.

“How long do you think it will take for you to get into position?” Jameson asked Chan.

“This one is the farthest,” he said, indicating the hatch on the far side of the bridge.

We hadn’t told him Pavo was in the datapad, just that it was a datapad that happened to have had a schematic of the main deck on it before the systems went down.

I was sure he hadn’t believed the captain when he said it, but he also knew not to ask.

“It’ll take the longest to get there,” Chan added. “Possibly ten minutes at least.”

“Send your most able men out now, then,” Jameson instructed. “And for star's sake, don’t make a noise and ruin our advantage.”

Chan nodded at two of his men. They looked fit and able, and also small enough to make the swiftest progress in the small tubes we’d all be using.

“Yes, sir,” they both said in unison, their voices low and steady.

I watched them both crawl into the hatch Jameson and I had just crawled out of, as the captain and his chief of security went over the schematic again.

“Sir, if you don’t mind,” Chan said, “I’d like to stick to your six.”

“That works for me,” Jameson said. He eyed the two remaining midshipmen and then pointed to the life support hatch in the ceiling on the diagram. “This is the trickiest,” he said. “Sound could travel up there. You’ll have to tread carefully.”

“We can do it, sir,” one of them said.

“You won’t be able to see when we’re in position,” Jameson added. “So, you’ll have to be ready to act as soon as Chan and myself exit. We should be able to signal the others and time our attack together.”

They nodded.

“Off you go,” Chan said.

They watched as the last two midshipmen entered the hatch and then Jameson turned toward me.

“Commander,” he said. Chan arched his brow. “Lieutenant Chan and I will go through the hatch. You’ll stay in here.”

“With respect, sir; no,” I immediately replied. Chan’s eyebrows went even higher. “I can’t offer assistance from in here.” I meant Pavo couldn’t if I wasn’t able to type in what was happening. And I wouldn’t be able to tell what was happening from in the head.

“Point made,” Jameson conceded.

A rush of relief coursed through me. I’d been worried, of course. That…incident in the tube when he’d kissed me had left me wondering if he’d now become overprotective. Sam hadn’t, but I’d also seen the battle with himself he’d undertaken on occasion. The need to protect me weighed against the need to treat me as a soldier. As a capable and competent addition to his squad.

Jameson wanted me to be his 2IC; he had to treat me like a 2IC.

“You’ll observe from the hatch until we have the situation resolved,” Jameson ordered. “Do not, no matter what transpires, reveal your location.”

Chan’s mouth opened as if to say something, but Jameson and I were too busy having a staring match to care. He wanted Pavo protected. I understood. But standing back while shots were being fired was not something I was good at.

“Sir?” Lieutenant Chan finally said, winning his own internal battle to challenge his captain. “I’m not sure I understand. Lieutenant Kereama is seconded to security. She is more than qualified to join us. And we need the numbers.”

Jameson spun to look at Chan; a brief flash of surprise crossing his features. I was sure he had forgotten the security chief was even there.

“I have promoted Kereama to my First Officer,” he said. “She now carries the rank of Commander.”

Chan hesitated and then said, “Yes, sir.”

Jameson reached forward and placed a hand on Chan’s shoulder. “You’re going to have to trust me, Jason. There are things I can’t explain right now. But I have my reasons and they are valid.”

Chan looked at me and then slowly nodded his head.

I realised then that no matter what had transpired inside that maintenance tube, Captain Jameson and I would never get to kiss again. We couldn’t. Not now I was his second in command. I wondered if he realised that yet, too. Or if it wouldn’t hit him until this was all over.

A part of me was relieved. I wasn’t sure I could fall for another man who put himself in front of danger just like Sam.

And part of me was breaking. If only I had stayed a pay-for-passage.

Jameson turned to look at me. “Stay hidden,” he said, and then climbed through the hatch.

Lieutenant Chan met my eyes and said quietly, “Commander.” He may not have liked it, but he was an officer who followed orders.

I watched him climb in the hatch and then pulled out the datapad. I wouldn’t get to use it in the tube as Chan could see what I was doing and I wasn’t risking Pavo even that much.

We’re going in, I typed. Stand by.

STANDING BY, ANA

GOOD LUCK

I slipped the device back inside my uniform shirt and climbed in behind Lieutenant Chan. By the time I made it to the hatch that we’d used earlier to overlook the bridge, the chief and captain were in position.

“One flash,” Jameson said, looking through the grille. “They’re in position.”

“We have to assume the second team is as well,” Chan said.

“Still no luck with the systems,” Jameson added, probably for my benefit. Or more precisely, Pavo’s when I could tell him. “But they haven’t given up.”

“On your count, sir?” Chan said. He handed Jameson a laser pointer. “One long flash, then two short,” he added.

Jameson sucked in a breath of air, looked past Chan to me, and then gave the signal.

It happened fast. Jameson pushed the grille forward and rolled out onto the bridge firing. Chan pulled himself forward, a second or two delay until he, too, could roll through the now open hatch and onto the bridge behind the captain.

Plasma fire scorched walls immediately, even bounced into the hatch opening where Lieutenant Chan had just been lying. I stayed back and listened to the shouts and bursts of electricity and cries of pain that followed. Archibald was screaming orders. The smell of burned flesh reached my nostrils. An explosion sounded out, electrical, console at a guess, and then smoke wafted into the hatch itself.

I pulled my shirt up to cover my nose and tried to breathe only shallow amounts. My hand fisted around a plasma gun, my face pressed into the gel coating of the tube. I closed my eyes against the sting of smoke all around me. The sound of fighting and shooting was loud, amplified in the small space I was in. I needed to see what was happening, but I was pinned down and had my orders.

I had never felt so useless as I did right then.

Finally, the sounds of plasma fire became less frantic, the smoke dissipated a little and only moans of pain could be heard now and then. I waited, holding my breath for as long as I could manage, and then pulled myself forward.

Archibald was standing in the middle of the room, the captain at his feet, bloody and battered. Chan and his men, one of which looked unconscious or possibly dead, lay in various positions beside the flight crew. Two mercs were tying them up. Their guns were in a pile over by the ops table.

I pulled back, breathing hard. It hadn’t worked.

I stared at nothing as I strained to listen. Archibald hadn’t spoken yet.

I had my orders. I had to protect Pavo.

I wanted in that room so bad.

I pulled the datapad out and typed in a message.

Didn’t work. Captain and men caught. Archibald still in command.

THAT IS UNACC…ACC…ACCEPTABLE

<warning>

I stared at the warning message. At the stutter that even occurred when Pavo had no voice.

The ship was under the control of a psycho killer. The captain and his chief of security were prisoners. And the AI had a malfunction.

Pavo. Are you OK? I wrote.

I AM NOT FEELING WELL, ANA

I NEED TO

He didn’t even finish the sentence.

What should I do? I asked.

I DO NOT KNOW

And then Archibald started talking.