The Army Of Light (Kestrel Saga) (36 page)

    
“How can you protect me?”

    
She collected her thoughts before she spoke. “If you agree to reactivate your
commission, you’ll be placed directly under my command for the duration of this
mission.”

    
He held her tightly, lightly stroking the small of her back with his hands.
“And once that’s done, once we retrieve your father?”

    
His touch was like fire through her uniform and she was finding it difficult to
concentrate. 
What’s wrong with me? Get a grip.
 “I’ve been told
you’d be free to go.”

    
“Do you believe him?” His warm breath raced across the surface of her ear and
neck.

    
Her grip around him intensified as she leaned closer to his ear once more. “I
believe he’d stop at nothing to protect the security of this mission and the
agency.”

    
“And if I refuse?” Shawn’s hands moved from her back to her hips. He pushed
away from her gently,
then
leaned his forehead down
until it nearly touched her own, his eyes searching hers for more than just
answers to his immediate questions. 

    
“I’m quite sure there is a bomb hidden on your ship.”

    
A bomb?
Here?
 Shawn couldn’t help
but smile. “You make one hell of a compelling argument for me to
stay.” Trent has been with the ship every second since we came
onboard.
Still, was it possible something could have been slipped in the
ship without their knowing it?
Maybe inside one of the
replacement parts?
Hell, it could be inside the new cargo ramp I’m
standing right next to and I’d never even know it.
  ”Just one
thing: you said that at first you needed my help.”

  
  She continued stroking the hairs on the back of his neck, refusing
to look him in the eyes. “Yes?”

    
“Does that mean… that now you want my help?”

    
She pulled her head away and looked into his bright blue eyes, then drew him
into another kiss—not for deception, not for the mission, not even for her
father. This one was for her. She slid her lips free from his, and embraced him
tightly, as if she might never see him again after this moment. “I… I can’t
promise anything. All I can offer you is that you’ll need to stay to find out.”

    
At that moment her fear overcame her, fear of rejection—fear that… what she
felt at that moment could be so easily pushed aside for selfish reasons by a
man who, by all rights, shouldn’t care about her at all. She pulled back from
him and slammed her palm into the emergency release on the door control before
Shawn had a chance to give her a reply. The pistons that would have normally
have slowed the hatch opening instead disengaged completely, permitting the
ramp to slam to the 
Rhea
’s hangar deck with a thundering clap. She
held her hand to her face, wiping away the tears as she jogged down the ramp
and into the jumble of crewmembers scurrying about the hangar deck. In a flash
she’d disappeared into the crowd and out of Shawn’s sight.

    
Shawn was left with uneasiness as he stood there in the open hatch, staring at
the crowd, looking for a sign she would turn and come back. After a few
minutes, Trent came bounding down the cargo hold towards Shawn.

    
“Hey, did you just hit the emergency release?”

    
“Must have been an accident.”
Shawn didn’t turn from
the crowd, his eyes still searching for Melissa as the taste of her slowly
retreated from his lips and her pleasant perfumed passed from the physical to a
memory.

    
“You seem to be having a lot of those lately.”

    
Shawn snapped out of the fruitless search and turned to face Trent with a half
smirk. “Yeah, I suppose I do.” It was then that he noticed Trent was wearing a
dark blue Sector Command ball cap, emblazoned with a likeness of the 
Rhea
 stitched
across it.

    
Trent nodded and looked at the Captain questionably.
“And,
this mistake of yours?
It wouldn’t happen to be about yay tall and have
red hair, would it?” Trent held his hand out parallel with the deck and up to
Melissa’s approximate height.

    
“It might,” Shawn smiled delicately. “Nice hat, by the way.”

    
“You know, a guy like me would love to have some of your accidents,” Trent said
with a sly smile. “And I got the hat from one of the techs doing the work on the
cargo hatch.
Pretty sharp, right?”

    
Shawn turned back toward his ship, glanced around the innards of the cargo deck
and nodded with approval that everything seemed to be secured for flight.
Still, was there something onboard he missed? Could someone really have hidden
an explosive device somewhere? He knew every inch of his ship, every crack and
crevice, and so did Trent. The question was, should he take the time to search
it out, and would he know what to do once he found it?

    
“How much more time until 
D
’s ready?”

    
Trent checked his wristwatch. “About forty minutes. I’m mostly done with
the checkouts, so we’re just waiting on her to get fueled up. Then we can be on
our way.”

    
Shawn nodded leisurely. “I want to give her one final inspection before we get
underway,” he then reached up and placed a tired hand on Trent’s shoulder.
“Stem to stern, if you catch my drift? Once were done with that, why don’t we
head down to the officer’s bar and grab a drink?”

    
Trent looked to Shawn and smiled. “I’m going to need a drink or two before
I get back into space with you at the controls.”

    
“Well, it so happens that we’ve got a few things to talk about, and I think
you’re going to need at least two. I know I will.”

    
Trent, never one to turn down an offered drink, pulled his newly acquired cap
off and swiped it in front of him, bowing in a grand gesture towards Shawn.
“Lead the way, my good Captain. No matter where you go, there I’ll be.”

    
Shawn smiled, then reached out and put a firm hand on the mechanics shoulder.
“You say that now, but I’m warning you: be very careful what you wish for.”

    
The two strode side by side back into the ship for one final inspection, the
cargo ramp closing slowly behind them and blocking out every sound from the 
Rhea
’s
busy hangar.

     Born and raised in Southern
California, Stephen A. Fender joined the Navy at the age of 18. During his last
deployment in 1999, he decided to take up the keyboard and write his first
story. Having spent 10 years of his professional life as a mechanic, he changed
gears several years ago and now works as a software developer. During that
time, he’s produced seven novels. Stephen lives in the Pacific Northwest with
his wife, where he enjoys boating, hiking, and spending time with his wonderful
family.

     The Army of Light is his first
published novel. The second installment of the Kestrel series is due out in
early 2014.