Crossroads of Fate (Cadicle #5): An Epic Space Opera Series (20 page)

“He’s going too far,”
Michael alerted the other officers.

Immediately, he sensed Ian, Ethan, and Curtis coming to his aid. The four of them linked and set out after Wil. With their chain, the four of them were able to catch up to where Wil had ventured—as far as they dared go without potentially losing themselves.

“Come back!”
Michael urged.

“I know what I’m doing,”
Wil replied, drifting even further away.

“It’s too risky,”
Michael countered.

He held firm as an anchor while the other Captains lassoed Wil within a telepathic net. Wil resisted, trying to break free.

“You aren’t allowed to leave us like this
.” Michael strained to pull his four friends back in, stretching himself to his limits. So much power, such strength—it was more than he could contain.

The other Captains extended tendrils back to hold onto Michael while doing everything they could to contain Wil.

Why is he resisting us?
Michael gave everything he could. They had to bring him back.

At last, Wil gave in.

Michael reeled him back, releasing the anchor when everyone was connected with their physical selves again. He let go of the handholds and leaned back in his chair. “What were you doing?” he demanded, glaring at Wil.

“My job. Why did you stop me?” Wil shot back.

“You can’t go that far without a tether.”

Wil’s eyes narrowed. “You’re in no position to tell me my limits.”

Michael glanced over at a very confused-looking Rianne, but it was already too late to care about what she may think. “What’s going on with you? First you tell me Saera’s heading back to Headquarters, and now you’re trying to run off to lose yourself in subspace?”

“I always go out that far,” Wil insisted.

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Hey, gentleman,” Ethan cut in. “Why don’t we calm down for a minute.”

Wil groaned. “We’re late for our meeting with the fleet. We have an attack to command.”

Shit. It’s not fair of him to put me in this position.
“I don’t think you’re in the best mental state to lead that attack right now.”

“You don’t have the authority to make that call,” Wil retorted.

“Actually, with Saera gone, that makes me your second-in-command. So, I do.”

Wil took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry.” He paused. “You’re right, I’m not in top form this morning. It was a tough decision to send Saera back home, but after Cambion, I just can’t have her on the frontlines anymore.”

Michael took a calming breath. “Maybe it’s not the right decision if it has you this upset.”

“No, this is the only way,” Wil insisted. “You’re right, though. It’s interfering.”

Ian glanced around the circle. “We can handle the coordination on this one, if you want to take some time.”

Wil shook his head. “No, it’s a complicated plan and we’ll need the insights from my observation. I’ll hold it together—no more risky moves, I promise.”

Michael reached out to Wil’s mind and found it guarded, but on the surface the words were sincere. And Wil was right: they did need simultaneous observation. He wasn’t completely comfortable having Wil in the battle in his current state, but the fleet would be too badly off if they backed out now. “Okay, let’s proceed.”

True to his word, Wil did what he needed to do in the battle. If anything, Michael found that he actually played it safe compared to normal. Despite making it through the battle without incident, there was still an underlying issue that needed to be addressed.

As soon as the post-battle fleet reports were in, Michael excused himself on the pretense of taking a nap before the next assault. Really, he needed to talk to Saera and get her side of it.

He jogged through the empty halls to the captain’s quarters and pressed the buzzer. After a moment, the door slid open. Saera’s face was tense and her exposed eyes were reddened.

“What’s going on?” Michael asked through the open doorway. “I heard you’re heading back to Headquarters.”

“That’s what Wil thinks.”

Michael frowned, sensing a mixture of hurt and confusion emanating from his friend. “Why is he trying to send you away?”

Saera shook her head, causing a segment of hair to slip from behind her ear. “He won’t talk to me—he’s completely shut me out.” She crossed her arms. “I’m frustrated and annoyed, but more than that, it terrifies me what could have happened to make him withdraw like that.”

“I know he’s upset about Cambion last night, but we all are.”

“I think it’s about me.” Saera set her jaw and re-tucked her hair behind her ear.

“He’s under a lot of stress,” Michael replied. “I’m sure it’s just an overreaction driven by worry about your safety out here.”

“I know him too well. That’s not all of it.”

Michael tilted his head. “If he’s already made up his mind, arguing won’t get you anywhere.”

Saera swallowed, her expression grim. “I have to try. He’ll let this war consume him if there isn’t someone to hold him back from that dark path. I can’t leave him now.”

“What will—”

“Why are you still here, Saera?” Wil barked from down the hall, interrupting Michael. He stormed toward them.

Michael placed himself between his two friends. “I think we should talk this through.”

“Don’t get involved,” Wil shot back.

“Too late for that,” Michael replied. “You’ve been acting erratically all day. Take some time to cool off, or whatever you need.”

“What I need is for Saera to go back to Headquarters like I ordered.”

“Don’t treat me like a first-year Trainee!” Saera retorted. “I’m your First Officer and your wife. You can’t order me around.”

“I tried asking you earlier as your husband, and you refused. What other option do I have than to pull rank?” Wil spat back.

Saera crossed her arms. “Maybe try
discussing it
like civilized adults?”

Michael took a step back from Wil toward Saera.
This is escalating way too quickly.
“I don’t want to pick sides here, but as a senior officer, I have to express my concern. I don’t think sending Saera away—”

“Your concern is noted,” Wil interrupted. “Saera, I need you to go back to Headquarters now. Don’t make me call a security detail.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but Michael cut in, “I’ll escort her out.”

Saera gaped at him, lip quivering. “How can you go along with this?” Tears welled in her eyes.
“I thought you were on my side.”

“Do you really want to be dragged off by armed Militia guards?”
Michael asked her.
“What would that do for crew morale? Let’s just do what he’s asked and give it a of couple days to settle. I’m sure you’ll be back here in no time.”

After a moment, she nodded. “I still don’t like this, but fine. I’ll go.” She headed for the bedroom. “Let me grab my things.”

Wil stood in stoic silence for a few moments. He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I can feel you silently judging me,” he murmured to Michael.

“I’m just really confused about what’s going on.”

“I wish I could offer you a deeper explanation, but I can’t get into it. Believe me when I say I’ll be more focused without her here.”

Michael frowned. “In the past five years, it’s always been the opposite.”

“Circumstances change.” Wil met Michael’s gaze, his exposed eyes pleading. “Please, just trust me on this.”

How can I trust him when he’s so obviously making a huge mistake?
Despite his misgivings, Michael nodded.
I need to stay in his good graces so I can keep an eye on him.

Saera returned to the living room with a travel bag slung over her shoulder. “All right.” She came to meet Michael by the door, but focused on Wil. “Good luck. Let me know if you need anything.”

Wil gnawed on his lip, then stepped forward and embraced her. “Thank you.”

They parted from the hug, and Wil rushed off in the direction of the Command Center without another word.

Saera took a moment to gather herself, releasing a slow breath. “Let’s go.”

Michael walked with her in silence down to the hangar.
This isn’t right. We need her here.

He hated feeling so helpless. More than witnessing his commander make a terrible strategic decision, he was unnerved to witness cracks in a relationship that he had never seen falter. Everyone relied on Wil to be level-headed and calm, but this decision gave a very different impression. Michael shuddered to think what the sudden change might mean for Wil’s overall state of mind. For the time being, Michael decided that the best he could do was damage control to quell any rumors that might compromise Wil’s authority.
We can’t give up on him. We have nowhere else to turn.

When they arrived at the hangar entrance, Saera bit her lip. “Look after him, okay?”

“I always have his back. You know that.”

Saera swallowed. “He’s further down that dark path than I realized.”

Having already witnessed a taste of that earlier in the morning, Michael was torn. “Maybe you
should
stay. Go to the Vanquish…”

“He’d know, and I don’t want to make things worse.” She looked down. “Besides, it seems like I’m part of the problem. If that’s the case, then maybe some time away will help him get over it faster.”

“Or,” Michael realized, “maybe this is just an overreaction to Cambion and he’s worried about you being here in a warzone—that his concern will become a distraction.”
This ship is the Bakzen’s top target, and I wouldn’t want someone I cared about here, either. I hadn’t thought about it that way until now.

Saera nodded. “That’s how he tried to justify it at first, but there’s something else he isn’t saying. Regardless, there was desperation in his tone—like me leaving was a last resort option.”

“I caught that, too. How do we help him if he won’t tell us what’s wrong?”

She shook her head. “I wouldn’t be being escorted off this ship if I knew the answer.”

Everything we’ve worked for could unravel if we’re not careful.
“I’ll keep watch. I promise.”

“Okay.” Saera gave Michael a hug. “Thank you for always being there for us.”

“Hey, someone has to be the dutiful sidekick, right?” He pulled away and chuckled in spite of the tension. “Remember when we used to play Alien Invaders in my backyard? I never thought we’d actually be out saving the galaxy one day.”

She let out a pained laugh. “Go figure.”

Michael placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “We’ll get through this,” he assured her. As Saera boarded the shuttle, Michael sent a quick note to Elise on his handheld: “Saera’s coming home. Wil isn’t himself. Hopefully it’s temporary, but Saera will need your support.”

A response came back almost immediately: “I’m on it. Does this have anything to do with Cambion? It’s all over the Taran news.”

“I don’t know what’s going on between Wil and Saera,” Michael wrote back. “The whole fleet is talking about Cambion, too, but we need to stay focused on the frontlines.”

“Understood. I’ll keep an eye on Saera. Take care.”

“You too.” But if Wil was cracking, there was no guarantee that any of them were safe.

*       *       *

In his wildest speculation, Haersen had never imagined that Wil would choose one person over an entire planet. All the same, he couldn’t be more pleased with the decision.

Tek’s top advisors were gathered around the conference table, each sporting a grin that unnaturally stretched their coarse skin over their heavy cheekbones. Their red eyes shone with exuberance—they had achieved a major victory worthy of celebration and weren’t afraid to gloat.

“How much of the population survived the initial bombardment?” General Gerek asked.

“Approximately ten percent,” General Komatra replied, “but more importantly, we were able to confirm distribution of our neuro control agent to two hundred million of those survivors. That gives us more than enough drones to take Tararia.”

“All that we have to do now is get them to the planet,” General Iko stated.

Gerek’s smile faded. “That’s a huge population to relocate.”

“We can’t move them ourselves,” Komatra clarified. “The entire point is to have them as sleeper drones. At most, we can implant a subtle message to direct them toward Tararia, but the journey there must be on their own terms.”

“It could take weeks or months for enough of them to gather,” Iko objected.

“Then so be it,” Tek stated.

The other officers fell silent, turning to their commander for guidance.

“Those plans are for future endeavors. Today we celebrate,” Tek continued. “We have dealt a significant blow to not only Tarans and the TSS, but also directly to their leader. I looked into his eyes and saw defeat.”

“The TSS’ lost resources on Cambion are only a temporary setback,” Gerek pointed out.