Ouroboros 4: End (6 page)

Carson Blake

Facing off against Singh and her senior staff, Sharpe included, had been hell.

No one was ready to listen. This tale was too wild, too ludicrous. Heck, if he was being honest with himself, he’d admit that in their position, he’d do the same.

Of course you didn’t drop everything to believe a random cadet’s tale that she’d travelled forward in time to witness the destruction of the Coalition.

A more likely explanation for Nida’s tale was the entity was having some insidious effect on her memory.

But what about him? He was Lieutenant Carson Blake, head of the Force, and apparently one of the Academy’s most promising graduates.

He thought he held more currency than that. Apparently he didn’t.

Or at least not with Singh.

When they made it back to the Academy, he’d beg Admiral Forest to listen.

He was currently in his room, pacing back and forth before the large, picturesque porthole that gave a prominent view of space flitting past beyond.

He’d taken his armor off, even his shoes. In bare feet, he walked back and forth, his toes sinking into the soft, thick pile of the carpet.

Though he could see his bed opposite, the covers and pillow practically beckoning him forward, he couldn’t sleep.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the graveyard on and around Remus 12. All those Coalition vessels blown apart by the Vex’s surprise attack . . . It would take an age to wipe it from his memory.

Clamping a sweaty hand over his mouth, he stared at the view without pausing to actually see it.

His mind ran riot, assessing every possible plan it could.

He’d already decided if Admiral Forest didn’t believe him, he’d take matters into his own hands. He’d spring Nida from Harrington’s clutches, and they’d steal a ship if they had to. With the entity, they may just have a chance.

A slim one.

He winced. Of course he did. He knew what they were up against—he'd fought the goddamn Vex before. He also knew how desperate and cold they were. They would take any advantage given, exploit any opportunity they could.

The only way to fight them, would be to do so with the Coalition. They would be no match if they had to do this alone . . . .

Carson winced for about the fiftieth time, pushing his hand so far against his mouth, he soon tasted blood.

He didn’t let up until the intercom to his room buzzed.

It surprised him, and he jumped badly, before settling his heart, marching over to the doors, and opening them.

He expected to see Singh or Sharpe, or even the Chief Medical Officer here to question him more about Nida and her strange modified TI.

He was wrong.

It was Nida, with Harrington and a small security detachment right behind her.

He blinked back his surprise, and practically twitched as he waved her in.

Harrington marched in before she could, jostling into her shoulder as he scanned Carson’s room before coming to a stop somewhere in the middle, one palm lying flat over the gun in his holster.

Carson watched the man. Every move. From the tension playing across his jaw, to the steely look in his gaze.

Harrington didn’t trust Nida, and as the guy shot Carson a warning look, it was clear that distrust extended to him too.

After an awkward moment, Nida shuffled into the room, barely looking at him as she rubbed her shoulder.

Carson dearly wanted to rush over to her, and pull her into the world’s strongest embrace. They’d been apart too long. This crazy adventure had thrust them together, but now it seemed determined to keep them separate, and it was doing his head in.

He had to get her alone. There was so much to discuss. He also needed to assure her everything would be okay. Even if the Coalition didn’t believe them, he had no intention of giving up. And hey, considering they’d managed to defeat the entity multiple times before, maybe they could do it again.

They were a great team. She brought out his best qualities, always giving him the strength and will to continue, despite the odds.

Though he burned to tell her this, he couldn’t. Not with Harrington and half a security detachment watching his every move.

‘Stop wasting our time,’ Harrington suddenly snapped. ‘Say what you have to, so we can head back to the brig.’

Carson grit his teeth. In fact, he chomped on them so hard it was a surprise he didn’t bite right through his own jaw. ‘You want to stop pushing her?’ he shifted his head slowly to shoot Harrington a cold, warning glare.

Harrington didn’t budge.

‘It’s okay,’ Nida actually put her hands up, taking the tiniest step towards Carson.

She had a pleading expression on her face. A complex one. Right now, she was likely going through hell. No one believed her. Worse, in fact, she was being treated like a prisoner. There’d be no one to turn to, no friendly face, except for him. But with Harrington breathing down his neck, Carson could hardly show Nida the compassion she deserved.

Or could he?

Okay, he probably shouldn’t pull her into a passionate kiss, but screw it, he wasn’t going to stand here and let Harrington intimidate him.

So he held out a hand to her. He didn’t know why. It wasn’t like he had anywhere to take her. They were stuck on this ship together.

Still, the move was instinctual.

The Carson from a few months ago would never have done it. The Carson from a few months ago would not have fraternized with a cadet, at least not in front of a superior.

Right now, it didn’t matter. The rulebook had been thrown out the window the moment they travelled through time. From that point on, they’d been forced to rely on each other.

So yeah, he was going to hold a hand out to her, if only to remind her she wasn’t alone.

Though she looked unsure at first, as he continued to hold his hand aloft, she took it.

Her hand was warm against his, the barest of trembles crossing through her fingers and palm.

He wrapped his fingers around her own, not caring that Harrington shot him a questioning look and cleared his throat.

‘You alright?’ Carson asked her.

She paused in silence as she stared at the ground by his feet. She looked lost in thought as her eyes swung back and forth.

‘Nida?’

‘Yeah, I’m fine. I just wanted to see you,’ she managed.

Harrington grumbled. It was loud, and made Nida jump. ‘I thought you said you had something important to tell him,’ he gestured towards Carson. ‘Are you wasting our time?’

‘Hey,’ Carson dropped Nida’s hand reluctantly as he turned his full attention on Harrington.

The guy was big, loud, and sure of himself. He was probably a great security officer. But right now, he was getting on Carson’s nerves.

The whole Coalition was.

‘We’re heading back to the brig,’ Harrington flicked his hand towards the door, ‘now that you two have held hands—’

Rather than turn pink and feel ashamed at his public display of affection, Carson simply shook his head. ‘You want to stop?’

Harrington raised an eyebrow. It was a slow move, deliberately designed to be intimidating. The guy also flicked the tip of his nose with one curled up knuckle. ‘What is that, Lieutenant?’

‘Commander Harrington, we both know the Captain has ordered you to watch Cadet Harper, not abuse her. Now I don’t really care if you don’t believe us, you’re going to afford her the respect she deserves.’

Harrington snorted dismissively.

Carson didn’t let up. ‘She hasn’t been charged with anything, she isn’t your prisoner. And even if she was, you’re a goddamn commander in the Coalition. You should be above belittling people.’

‘Don’t you tell me my job, Blake.’

‘If you don’t want to be reminded, stop acting like a scared idiot.’

‘Excuse me? I’ll report you for that.’

‘Go ahead. I’ll report you for threatening your charge. The Captain told you to watch her, not shove her through doorways and constantly put her down. I’ve done the same damn course you have, Harrington, and I know a security officer is at their worst when they treat those under their care as less than them.’

Before Harrington could react, Nida stepped between them. ‘Okay,’ she kept her hands up, ‘that's enough. Carson,' she looked at him, and though at first the move had been strong and filled with defiance, he watched her shoulders drop, 'I just . . . it doesn't matter. They said we'll reach Earth soon, and I wanted to convene to discuss,' she flicked her eyes towards Harrington warily, 'our story.'

Harrington considered her coldly. 'Tale, you mean.'

Carson wanted more than anything to punch the guy, but settled for drawing his hand into a fist instead.

Nida looked at him and shook her head pointedly. 'Whatever you want to do, I'll help—'

'Is that a threat?' Harrington snapped.

Before Carson could shout at the guy, or just plain attack him, Nida whirled on her foot and placed her hands on her hips. 'No, Harrington, it is not a threat. Nothing I have done so far has been threatening. Carson is correct: the Captain told you to watch me, not berate me. While you can't follow orders, I can. I'm here to tell the Lieutenant here that when we reach Earth, I'll defer to his judgment,' she raised a hand sharply, 'before you snap that's a threat, it isn't. Neither Carson nor I have attacked you. We simply want to get our story across. Now, how about you walk me back to the brig before you blow that vein in your head or have a stroke?'

Carson was dumbstruck.

Not as flabbergasted as Harrington though. He looked ready to flay the cadet alive. Instead he grumbled to the security team and marched towards the door.

For a brief moment, Carson made eye contact with Nida. He wanted to shoot her a smile, but settled with crumpling his lips in and half shaking his head. 'Way to go,' he mouthed.

She quickly looked mortified at what she'd done—it would have been the first time she'd bad mouthed a superior—but soon turned on her foot to leave.

He seriously didn't want to see her go, but there was nothing he could do.

Not until he reached Earth.

There, he'd do everything he could to make them believe.

Watching her leave under guard gave him the resolve he needed to stiffen his back and tell himself this wasn't over.

He was going to do what it took to save the Coalition and get Nida back.

Whatever it took . . . .

Carson Blake

He was standing with Captain Singh and Admiral Forest.

He was ready to move every mountain, drain every sea, and go to any lengths to get them to believe him.

Once the Orion had arrived at Earth, he’d headed down to the Academy at once.

Though there were plenty of people who wanted to see him, he had to do this.

He’d practically fought his way into the Admiral’s office.

Now he was before her, pleading.

‘Admiral, please, you’ve got to believe me,’ Carson began, the emotion pounding through his heart as his words shook from his mouth.

‘Time travel is impossible,’ Singh said.

The Admiral simply raised a hand.

Though he wanted to press his point, he hesitated. There was a strange quality behind the Admiral’s gaze. Though it was as authoritative as always, he could sense a hint of hesitation.

She looked . . . surprised. Deeply, powerfully surprised. While she was doing a good job of hiding it, she couldn’t smooth the crinkle at the edge of her lips, nor the stiff look to the skin beneath her eyes.

‘What is it?’ he asked perceptively.

She looked up at him. For a long time she didn’t answer. In fact, ever since he’d muscled his way into her office, she’d been strangely silent.

Everyone else he’d met was quick to decry his outlandish tale. Admiral Forest looked . . . scared. ‘You need to come with me,’ she finally blurted, ‘there’s something I have to show you.’

‘Admiral?’ he looked at her from underneath his eyebrows. ‘What is it?’

She looked pressured. Her neck was stiff and rigid against her collar, the muscles taut and hard. Instead of answering, she turned hard on her heel, her boot squeaking, and waved them on.

Carson’s stomach kicked with nerves. What was the Admiral about to show them? What could have her this scared at a time like this?

It better not be another problem, he thought bitterly. With the Vex’s attack immanent, he couldn’t bear anything else screwing up now. This was not a good time for the Coalition to be stretched thin. If they had any hope of fighting the Vex, they had to have a unified front.

Forest led them deep into the heart of the Command building. Though Carson had walked these halls many times before, never had he felt such an air of immediacy. From the hurrying steps of people walking by, to Forest’s grim expression, it felt as if something was quickening.

Maybe Forest had taken his warning to heart? Could the Coalition now be preparing for the Vex’s immanent attack?

He wouldn’t have long to find out.

Forest led them into a room he recognized as where the Admiral handed out her most pressing and secret of missions. As the head of the Force, he’d been in there multiple times.

Now, as Forest walked in through the parting doors, his eyes narrowed in interest. The large table in the middle was piled high with datapads, interactive holomaps, and artefacts in stasis boxes.

There were a few other scientists and officers in the room, all working in frantic silence.

As Forest walked in, she motioned at them to leave.

The skin on the back of Carson’s neck prickled with a cold sweat.

Everyone else walked in single file out of the room, until it was just the three of them.

It took the Admiral a while to say anything, let alone move. For too long she stared at the ground directly below her, brow furrowed as her eyebrows met in the middle.

She looked up and right at him. ‘Didn’t you ever question why we sent you to Remus 12 in the first place?’

Of all the things she could have said, this had the most effect on him. A punch of adrenaline shot through him as he snapped his back straight and stared at her. ‘. .

. What?’

Of course he’d questioned why the Coalition had organized his first mission to Remus 12.

. . . .

Could they know something about the Vex?

Before he could question, Forest motioned him towards the table.

Though Singh still looked doubtful, she followed in silence, crossing one arm over her middle as she propped her arm on it and rested her chin in her hand. ‘What is this?’ her gaze darted over the artefacts locked in their containment boxes.

They were books, tablets, and old alien devices Carson didn’t immediately recognize.

‘It’s a history, of sorts,’ Forest replied.

‘What culture does it pertain to?’ Singh questioned as she tucked her hands behind her back and peered over at the nearest artefact.

‘Many.’

‘What period in history?’ Singh turned her attention to another box.

‘Many.’

Carson watched the Admiral out of the corner of his eye.

What the hell was going on here?

‘Admiral?’ he questioned quietly.

Though it was clear she was showing them something important, unless it had to do with the Vex, he didn’t care right now.

He already had a priority.

‘Admiral Forest, what’s going on here?’ he prompted her once more.

‘We sent you to Remus 12, Carson, because we wanted to find out if the legends were true,’ the Admiral swallowed.

Carson froze.

‘In records going back for tens of thousands of years, there’s a story about Remus 12.’

‘What are you talking about?’ Singh turned to face her.

Admiral Forest pressed a hand into her face. ‘We weren’t up front with why we sent you to Remus 12, Carson, because we didn’t see the point. We were investigating nothing but a myth . . . .’

The Admiral wasn’t making any sense. The more she spoke, the more his back itched with the need to know whatever she did. ‘Admiral, what about Remus 12? What legend are you talking about?’

She pulled the hand from her face, lifted her gaze, and stared at him. ‘Every five thousand years something comes out of that planet and destroys the most developed race within its reach,’ she said blankly.

Carson’s stomach twisted into a knot so tight it would take a saw to cut it loose.

‘We would have dismissed it as nothing but a story, if the same damn story wasn’t repeated so often. At least ten distinct alien races have a reference to Remus 12,

All repeating the same tale: some technologically advanced race appearing for a single day, only to wipe out and pillage whatever it can, before disappearing completely. We analyzed those legends from across various races, and calculated that another five-thousand-year cycle was imminent.’

‘You knew about this?’ he spoke through a mouth so dry it reminded him of the dusty wasteland of Remus 12.

‘No, we didn’t know anything. All we had was a galactic legend. That’s why we sent the Force to investigate. Need I remind you, Carson, you found nothing on the planet. Nothing.’

‘Except for the entity.’

The Admiral withdrew into silence.

‘If you suspected something was wrong with Remus 12, you should have told me. You should have prepared me. You should have sent more ships to investigate. And why leave it until now? It sounds like you’ve known about these legends for years, if not decades. Why wait until now?’

The Admiral raised an eyebrow at his tone, but didn’t reprimand him. Instead she closed her eyes for a brief moment before continuing, ‘the answer to all your questions is that none of it made sense. A race that appears for one day every five-thousand years to wipe out any one it can get its hands on? Every scan we’ve ever done of Remus 12 proved it was nothing more than a barren wasteland. We only sent you down there to double check.’

Carson crossed his arms. He didn’t know what to say. All he knew was how angry he felt.

The Coalition had known something was wrong with Remus 12 all this time. Yes, he appreciated Forest’s point: the legends sounded impossible, and all evidence pointed to Remus 12 as being dead.

That wasn’t the point. The point was, this could have been prevented.

Someone like Cadet Nida Harper should never have been jeopardized. She hadn’t signed up for this. If he’d known the real reason behind the Force’s mission to Remus 12, he would have ensured all non-essential personnel were left behind.

Guilt assailed him. Guilt and anger.

They were almost enough to prevent him from realizing one very important point: Admiral Forest believed him.

He didn’t have to fight to force the Coalition to see the truth of this story; the Admiral already saw it.

Still, he was angry. Angry at the Admiral, angry at the Coalition, and more than anything, angry at himself.

The Admiral could see it, and she crossed her arms before her, watching him quietly for a few moments. ‘No one saw this coming,’ she said simply.

He had to stop himself from snorting. Ten legacies of over ten alien cultures obliterated by the Vex had left warnings. Warnings the Coalition had seen but ignored.

Admiral Forest couldn’t pretend no one had seen this coming; no one had believed it, and that was entirely different.

‘Blake, pull yourself in,’ Singh suddenly snapped. She used her characteristic no-nonsense tone, and it immediately got his attention.

‘What?’ he asked.

‘You’ve been busting a gut to try to make anyone and everyone believe your story. The Admiral believes it. Now swallow your anger, and tell us how to fight the Vex.’

It was such a rapid change of attitude for Singh. Or maybe it wasn’t—her attitude was still the same, her beliefs had just changed.

She was still as forthright and pragmatic as usual, she’d simply changed the focus of her attention.

She also had a point.

‘Admiral, are we sure about the evidence,’ Singh nodded towards the containment boxes on the table.

Forest nodded somberly. ‘Yes. I can also confirm Carson knew nothing of the real reason we sent his team to Remus 12. His story corroborates what the legends say. So

It seems . . . .’

‘We’re about to face the fight of our lives,’ Singh summed up succinctly.

Carson blinked.

He had to. A lot had changed in a short period of time. He’d met with the Admiral barely fifteen minutes ago to beg her to give him and his story a chance. Now she believed him. More than that, now she fixed him with a pleading look as she shook her head gently.

‘Singh is right. Swallow your discontent, Lieutenant, though you have every right to be angry. Save it for later. If the Vex really are coming, we need to know what you do. Tell us how to fight them. Tell us their weaknesses.’

Both Forest and Singh turned to stare at him.

He usually didn’t baulk under pressure, but he felt his heartbeat double in his chest. It pounded so hard, he swore it vibrated up his neck and into his locked jaw.

If he’d thought getting the Coalition to believe him would be the hard part, he’d been kidding himself.

Facing the Vex would be the hardest thing he’d ever do.

Unless . . . there was some other way?

‘We need you to brief us fully. I’ve already called an emergency meeting with Command. It’s on in ten, Carson. I want you there. And I want Nida there too. Got it?’

The Admiral had called Harper by her first name. It was such a strange detail to note at a time like this, but it stuck in his head.

The Admiral only called cadets and officers by their first names if they’d made an impression on her. If they’d risen through the ranks to make a difference with the Coalition.

Nida had done that and more.

Carson pressed his lips together in a bare smile and nodded. ‘I’ll be there.’

With that, the Admiral saluted.

With a stiff hand, he returned the move.

Then he turned on his foot and left.

The hardest part of his mission was soon to begin.

First, however, he wanted to see her.