Chapter 29
News
Ambrun Goolith was forbidden to give her any medical help. Instead, she was picked up by the same guard she’d bitten and carried to the shuttle bay. There, she was placed on the floor and left to await the arrival of the small craft as he stood nearby to make sure she didn’t go anywhere. The irony of her situation was not lost on her.
There was no further communication with D’har Stek. She could only imagine what the man was currently doing, or who he was talking with, since the disclosure of Neverwylde. With the Seneecians’ little secret now exposed to every galaxy in the League, the pressure would be on Seneecia to explain why they’d kept it under wraps. More so, if Five and his species were deemed to be cognizant and a dominant sentient lifeform, the Seneecians’ attempt to keep that knowledge silent was a major breach in their treaty with the GLP.
Add to that the possibility of new and potentially more powerful weaponry and technology being discovered, and the Seneecians could be looking at major consequences. Nobody liked the idea of starting an all-out war, but in this case, Seneecia would be faced with the equivalent of nearly two hundred planets converging on them with every armed warship at their disposal.
She smiled, recalling how excited Jules was during his transmission. If Jules was that enthused, she could imagine how motivated the others were with the discovery of this previously unknown phenomenon. And Dox…
He’s like a child who’s been dropped in a planet-sized toy and candy store. I hope someone is watching out for him. Making sure he eats and gets enough sleep.
When the craft arrived, two medical techs were on board to tend to her during their return trip. Once she was back at the outpost, Colonel Pfeiffer came to see her in the medical bay.
“That was a pretty gutsy thing you did,” he complimented her.
“I had to say it. They’re trying to sweep everything under the rug, as if it never existed, or was too inconsequential to notice.”
Pfeiffer looked to the physician. “How is she doing?”
“Shattered scapula and clavicle. Her spine’s also been knocked slightly out of alignment.” Dr. Ashter turned to her. “Which could explain why you’re temporarily paralyzed. Once you go under, I can reset it, and also start a program to stitch up those bones.”
“What about internal bleeding?”
Ashter shook his head. “None that was detected, although some of her organs show signs of bruising. From the looks of things, Lieutenant Chambliss hasn’t had the chance to fully recover from her initial ordeal back on the planet.” The doctor gave her an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry. We’ll have you right as rain in no time.”
“How long will it take?” she asked. “I need to get to Seneecia as soon as possible, before they take out their anger on Kyber. He won’t live through another attack like the one in the shuttle bay.”
Pfeiffer held up a hand. “The Seneecian Triumvirate have been notified about the false allegations that have been placed on Kyber. They’ve also been made aware of our discovery of Neverwylde. We’ve been told Kyber is currently in a medical stasis, and will remain there until his condition improves.”
“And then what? What’ll they do to him after he comes out of stasis? Colonel, I have to go—”
Again, the colonel waved off her protests. “I will be the first to admit that judiciary and governmental jets are slow to fire up. However, in this case, the GLP has already dispatched a ship from Saragotauri to rendezvous here within two days. At that time, you’ll be taken aboard to accompany members of the High Council to Seneecia. Oh, before I forget…” Reaching over, the man removed the translator from her ear. Holding it up for her to see, he gave her a wink. “Neat little gizmo, this translator. Not only can it translate, but it also records and transmits all conversations once it’s activated.”
Kelen raised an eyebrow in surprise, and Pfeiffer nodded.
“Yep. Even when you were unconscious, it caught every conversation that occurred within range around you. And trust me, Lieutenant, what we captured is enough to convict and send D’har Stek and D’har Plat to Orboros for a very, very long time. But the best part of all is that it caught the entire attack on you and Kyber from the moment your shuttle landed on the Var Yuheri. Unfortunately, there’s no video evidence, but the audio is sufficiently clear. Between that and the assault on you that occurred on the Bridge, there is plenty of evidence to get the GLP involved.”
The man placed a hand on the dome as it slowly lowered over her. “Rest and heal, Chambliss. I’ll take it from here. I promised you’d get to see Kyber again, so let me do my job to make that happen.”
She smiled in reply and allowed herself to drift back to sleep within the sterile mist. And this time, there were no nightmares.
Kelen spent the next two days in the medical bay while she waited for the Opredo to arrive to take her to Seneecia. By the time they docked, she was well enough to be transferred over.
Colonel Pfeiffer came to visit her shortly before she was wheeled down to board the ship.
“I am the bearer of good and bad news,” he told her. “Which do you want to hear first?”
“Give me the bad news and get it over with.”
“The bad news is that since you and your fellow crewmembers were found guilty in a military court of law, your commissions have been revoked and your ranks have been stripped from you. You are no longer part of the military fleet.”
Seeing her stricken expression of disbelief, Pfeiffer continued.
“And that’s all the bad news. Now for the good, and there’s plenty of that.”
She let out the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. “You started with a gut punch, and now you’re going to kiss the boo-boo?”
“Something like that, yes.” The colonel grinned.
Frankly, she didn’t want to hear any more news, good or bad. For as long as she could remember, all she’d ever wanted in life was to be part of the Terran military fleet. She’d trained long and hard, putting in countless hours to hone her piloting skills in order to be assigned to one of the warbirds. To be told now that she’d no longer be a part of this…
“Kelen.”
The man’s gentle tone and the use of her first name made her look back up at him. She swiped the back of her hand over her eyes and listened.
“You’ve been busted down to corporal, and you’ve been reassigned to active duty with the science fleet. Specifically, the Arcturus.”
She blinked. The Arcturus was a renowned vessel, highly regarded and esteemed for its ventures into unknown space.
She may no longer be part of the military, but to gain this assignment would be considered a major coup in any field.
Pfeiffer snorted to see her expression go from devastated to stunned. “I was informed Captain Andolfi is in need of an extra pilot, and I was able to convince him of your abilities.”
“What… Do the others know? I mean, do they know they’re no longer part of the military fleet?”
He gave a nod. “They’ve been informed. In fact, they’ve all been given their new assignments. As soon as your dealings on Seneecia are done, you will report back here to Outpost Delta Six where the Arcturus will be waiting for you.”
Kelen took a slow, deep breath. Her body shivered involuntarily, and she wrapped her arms around herself as she digested this new development.
“The good news isn’t over yet, Corporal.”
Corporal. She’d been a corporal before, a few years ago, right after she’d graduated from the academy. Well, she’d just have to climb her way back up the ladder.
“Kelen, did you hear what I said? There’s more good news to tell you.”
“I-I’m sorry. I’m…”
“Still digesting it all. I understand. Here’s the rest of it, and I saved the best part for last.” His grin grew wider. “The rest of your fellow survivors of the Manta have also been reassigned to Arcturus. The ship’s been ordered to go to Neverwylde, and continue exploring and researching the planet and its inhabitants. Congratulations, Corporal. You’ve become a permanent part of human history.”