Starship Eternal (War Eternal Book 1) (12 page)

"Captain-" she started.

"Did you review the feeds, Major?" The best defense was a good offense.

She froze. "I did."

"Then you know I didn't do anything wrong."

She laughed. An unpleasant, sarcastic laugh. "Didn't do anything wrong? Are you kidding me, Captain? You snuck out of the gala with a woman you barely knew. You purposefully avoided me, because you knew I would try to stop you, and, oh, what's this... You got yourself in trouble!"

"How was I supposed to know that-"

"You weren't supposed to know. You weren't supposed to leave the gala or my sight. I tried to give you some breathing space. I tried not to have to watch every move you made like you're some kind of unintelligent infant. Obviously, my assessment of your mind was completely off base. One night, Captain. One night you needed to be on your best behavior, and not only did you screw up, but you did it in the worst possible way, with the worst possible woman. You weren't supposed to know, but if you had stayed put, you wouldn't have had to. What if she had been the Federation assassin who tried to kill you the other day?"

Mitchell had been preparing a retort. The last sentence stole it from him. He felt the heat of his embarrassment on his face. "I didn't think about-"

"You didn't think at all, except maybe with that cock of yours. My assignment is to protect one of the Alliance's most valuable assets. It's a lousy assignment, let me tell you. Even so, I put one hundred percent into everything I do. That's why Cornelius trusted me to do it. He's going to have both of our asses for this."

Mitchell was frozen, his offense abandoned. He had screwed up, big time, and was taking the Major down with him. He didn't have to like her to feel guilty for that. They were on the same team. It was just as bad as if he had left her wounded somewhere.

"I-"

"Don't," Christine said. "Don't say anything. I'm sure you're sorry, now. You should have been sorry ahead of time. To be honest, I can't for the life of me figure out how you got onto Greylock."

"Excuse me, Major?" Mitchell's anger started flowing back. "If I was on a ship preparing to invade the Federation, instead of here trying to be something I'm not, we'd both be happier. I got onto Greylock as a pilot, not a salesman."

"I agree with you. I do, Captain. That's not the hand we've been dealt. Even so, I expected a little more tactical planning from someone with your background and experience."

He heaved out a sigh, letting all the fight go with it. "Yeah, I messed up. What happens now?"

"Now we try to keep everything quiet. The Prime Minister saw the feed. He's confused as hell because he said his wife's never acted like that in her life. It doesn't help that she doesn't seem to remember any of it."

"She doesn't remember? Are you sure she's telling the truth?"

"We brought Dr. Drummond in with a portable medi-bot to scan her. She's telling the truth. Or at least, she thinks she is."

"How can that be?"

"I don't know. The Prime Minister suggested that you might have drugged her."

"I didn't-"

"I know. I vouched for you myself."

"You did?"

"Yes. I don't like you, Mitchell, but we're in this together, and I really don't think you'd resort to rape when you have so many women literally throwing themselves at you."

"Thanks, I guess."

"The good news is that thanks to this incident, I got you cleared for some time off. The Prime Minister doesn't want you anywhere near Delta for a while. We're leaving for Earth tomorrow. You'll have a week to yourself, and then we'll be doing a promotional tour there."

Mitchell nodded. "Sounds great to me. I wouldn't mind getting out of Delta."

"I'm having your things brought from the base, we'll leave from here in the morning." She started backing towards the door.

"Major," Mitchell said, catching her hand. "Christine. I'm sorry."

She looked down at their clasped hands for a moment, and then up at his eyes. "I believe you. Try to start using your brain, Mitch. Goodnight."
 

She vanished out the door. Mitchell noticed that the Prime Minister's security detail was gone, and when the door closed it didn't lock. He was a free man again, Christine trusting him to be smart enough to stay put.
 

He couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Holly. She had been so into him, so sexy and charismatic, and yet when the Prime Minister had walked in on them she had seemed frightened and insecure. How could someone be one person one minute, and someone else the next?

How could she not remember it?

He didn't know and couldn't guess. He decided to just drop it. One more night and he would be on his way home on a vacation he desperately needed. He hadn't been back to Earth in four years. His parents were there. His sister. Maybe he could even get his brother, the Admiral, back from patrolling the Alpha Quadrant? With such a big galaxy to play in, in-person family gatherings were near impossible.

He sat down and accessed his p-rat, prepared to tell his folks he was coming home. He thought about what to say, and then ditched the idea. If he sent a message now, it would probably leave with him tomorrow morning, piggybacking on his transport for a ride through the galaxy at faster-than-light speed. It would have been great if he could use the military's more efficient relay system of advanced communications drones, but they were reserved for urgent messaging, not so Mitchell could tell his folks he would be stopping by.

He flopped back onto the sofa and closed his eyes.
 

There was nothing to do but wait.

EARTH. July 14, 2040

Kathy woke up at five every morning, the same as she had for the last five years - ever since she had joined the Air Force. She used a small LED to navigate her way to her footlocker and threw a pair of sweats over her panties. Then she found her running shoes, laced them up, and silently abandoned the rest of her squadron, leaving them to sleep another hour before Reveille.

She slipped out the door of the barracks and onto the flat expanse of concrete that covered most of the base. It was a cold morning, colder than she had expected, even inside the massive balloon that protected them from the worst of the intense winter that raged across Antarctica at this time of year. She guessed it was probably forty degrees inside. A hundred degrees warmer than outside.

They did their best to mimic the light of the outside here on the inside, which meant that it was still pitch black. She slipped her LED against her ear so it pointed straight ahead, illuminating the area in front of her. Not that she needed it. After all this time, she knew the layout of the base by heart.

She started jogging. Slowly at first, and then picking up speed as she made her third circuit of her route, the same one she had been making since the war had ended almost eight months ago. Her squadron had been grounded, but Command had decided to keep them here on the southern pole in reserve, just in case the Federation decided to change their mind about the truce. That was just fine with her. It kept her close to the wreckage, close to the thing that had changed her life the moment she had looked to the sky, even before it had appeared to her while she stood on the playground grass.

They were going to build a ship. That was what Captain Johns had whispered to his mates. Using the alien technology they had found, as soon as they figured out how it all worked, which they were doing more rapidly than anyone had expected. Of course, they had the finest minds in the world working on the problem - scientists from over a dozen nations. Their research was already bearing fruit, including the small, experimental generator that rested in the corner of the huge, enclosed space and powered pretty much everything.

She wanted a chance to be on that ship. It had been her dream for over a dozen years and was the reason she had joined the Air Force to begin with. How she would get that chance? She still didn't know.

She didn't need to check her watch to know what time it was. Her schedule was so perfect, so rigid, that as she crossed the twenty lap marker she knew she had ten minutes to Reveille. She took a different path then, crossing towards the center of the cement to where the three rows of fighters waited. They were F-70s, the latest and greatest, the first and only fighter developed entirely during the timeline of the war. They were incredible machines, radar avoiding, maneuverable, and faster than fast. She had flown over two hundred missions in hers without incident, registering more hits than any of her squad mates. They called her "Swooping Death" because of her favorite move, a crazy high-G maneuver that made the entire fighter rattle like a snake. It was a move that none of the other pilots were even willing to try. Swoops for short. She liked the full name better.

She approached her fighter, putting her hand against the cold metal side and lowering her head. A quick prayer to her parents, her mother dead from cancer, her father killed overseas after he joined the war effort. Another prayer for keeping her safe and alive, and a third a wish to see her way to the stars. It was all she had wanted for as long as she could remember.

"Second Lieutenant Asher."

The voice came from behind her left shoulder. She flinched a little, surprised by it, and then slowly turned around.

"Yes, sir?" She didn't recognize the officer standing in front of her. He was older. Tall, with salt and pepper hair and a nice smile.

"My name is Colonel Buford, I'm a liaison for what we're calling Project Olive Branch."

"Where did you come from?"

He smiled. "Originally? Idaho."

She returned the smile. "No, sir. I mean, I didn't know we added another head."

"Technically, you didn't. I arrived a few hours ago from Camp Alpha."

Camp Alpha was the base closest to the main wreckage site. She felt her heart begin to beat faster.
 

"Oh. Isn't that a weird time to be traveling, sir?"

"It is, but I have my orders. Anyway, I had heard from your XO that you like to get up early, and seeing as how my visit is sensitive in nature, I thought it was best to strafe you from the darkness."

"An ambush? How long have you been watching me?"

"Long enough to know your form is perfect, and I mean that in every non-sexually harassing way." He reached into his pocket and unfolded his data board. "Your combat record is impressive."

"Thank you, sir."

"So is your physical training. Black belt in three... no, four different martial arts?"

"It's like learning multiple languages. It gets easier the more you know."

"You're also an accomplished cellist?"

"That's an overstatement, and trust me, I'm nowhere near as perfect as your docket is making me out to be."

"Modest, too. I understand why he recommended you."

"Who recommended me, sir? For what?"

"Your squadron commander, Captain Johns. He thought you would be an excellent candidate for Olive Branch."

"What's Project Olive Branch?"

He glanced down at the board. "Sorry Lieutenant, I don't have enough time to go into detail, and in any case you need to tell me you're interested before I can get you security clearance. All I can say right now is based on what Captain Johns told me, this is straight up your alley."

She felt her heart pulsing, her body tingling from excitement. If Colonel Buford was here from Camp Alpha, there were only so many possible reasons. "I have to tell you I'm interested, before you can tell me what I'm interested in?"
 

"You gotta love the military."

"I do, sir. I'm interested."

He glanced down at the board, tapped it a couple of times, and turned it towards her.

"We don't have time for you to read the whole thing. It basically says keep your mouth shut, there are no guarantees, we're not responsible if you die, etcetera. Sign on the red line, and you'll be transferred to Alpha by tomorrow afternoon."

She put her finger to the board, sliding it across the line.
 

"I'm honored, sir," she said.

He smiled. "You should be."