When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (45 page)

             
“What? What is it? Lieutenant, can you hear me
?
”

             
Cameron shook, unable to breath. It took a minute for his body to hand over the reins. He turned his head toward the nurse, eyes wide
.“
The
y’
re here. Get me an officer
.
”

             
She furrowed her brow
.“
Wh
o’
s here
?
”

             
He snatched her wrist, squeezing so hard she winced
.“
Get me a fucking officer, NOW
!
”

-                           
XVI                            -

              Eruk paced the bridge, clenching and unclenching his fists. His jaws clicked together as he ground his teeth. The loss of the frigate had been unexpected, but the orders that followed were more infuriating. The Druuma whispered its message again, as though he had
n’
t understood the first time. He wondered if he could reach inside his chest and pull the wriggling thing out. Would it speak before he crushed it beneath his feet? The thought was followed by a sharp pain in his neck. The Parasite loved to remind Eruk that it was able to read his thoughts.

             
“There is to be no retaliation.
Har Wun
a
’
s loss was an accident. Maintain position until the time is right
.
”             

             
Eruk seethed
.“
We are outnumbered now
,”
he said. Indeed, only hours after the frigat
e’
s last transmission, a battle group had exited hyperspace a few hundred thousand kilometers away. The humans had moved to occupy the space around their planet, but several groups seemed to be looking for the Boxti fleet in a search pattern
.“
Had we struck when we first arrived, I could have assured our Lord total victory
.
”

             
“He has plans for the humans
,”
said the Druuma
.“
You will not take any action unsanctioned by the King. Withdraw to the Wastes and leave a beacon. We will come back in greater number
.
”

             
The Warlord slammed a fist into the bulkhead. The Worak navigator, Shix, jumped in his seat at the noise. He cowered as the commander stared down from the catwalk. Eruk was a Cthanul, a fierce creature whose civilization had gone over to the Boxti during the earliest years of the Conquest. As such, his race was afforded the privileges of the ruling class. And the Druuma, the Parasite of the Boxti, had amplified what was already a terrifying species into a monstrosity. Eru
k’
s four arms bulged with muscle that stretched his carapace, and sharp bone spurs jutted out from his skin, forming a natural layer of protection.

             
The urchin-like Worak had only recently been conquered, and not all were indoctrinated. Unlike the Cthanul, the planet Fum had resisted the call for assimilation until the bitter end. Billions of the navigato
r’
s kin had perished in the firebombing, the history of the creatures utterly erased in a campaign of destruction and genocide. When all that was left of their Homeworld were burning embers, the species surrendered and entered slavery. Shix had risen far beyond his station, a fact often reminded of him by the commander.

             
“Has there been any change in the human
s’
course
?”
Eruk asked.

             
Shix looked over at the radar operator. Warlord Eruk did not speak Pono, the sing-song language of the Quom, so he often had Shix translate. Having spent the last few years aboard the dreadnought, the Worak had picked up several new languages, many belonging to civilizations long since dead. He allowed his furry head to raise up on his stalk neck. His two yellow eyes locked onto the tiny beaked creature. He whistled.

             
“What
?”
the Quom chimed back.

             
Shix scuttled closer
.“
The commander asked you a question
.
”

             
The bird-faced alien sighed
.“
No change. Just like the last fourteen times h
e’
s asked
.”
It laughed
.“
You should
n’
t say it like that
.
”

             
“No
,”
Shix said
.“
I do
n’
t believe I should. He may pull off a limb that wo
n’
t grow back
.”
Eruk had a sick fascination with Worak anatomy, namely the traumatic removal of Shi
x’
s spindly legs whenever he was in a bad mood. They would sprout again hours later, raw and red until the coarse black fur grew. But each amputation was pure torture. The navigator turned to face the commander
.“
No change, Warlord
.
”

             
Eruk did
n’
t reply. He simply stormed back to his seat and collapsed into it. Shix looked at the Warlor
d’
s chest, imaging he could see the Druuma moving underneath the battle dress. The thought of the Parasite both thrilled and disgusted him, but he was careful not to think about it too hard. He did
n’
t know if the creature could sense his thoughts from across the room, but did
n’
t want to risk it.

             
Finally, the warlord spoke
.“
Issue a command to the armada. We are returning to Drova to regroup. Leave a beacon behind so we can find our way
.”
His words were dripping with malice, but the Cthanul knew he had no choice. This was a command of the Clerics, and only one voice rose above theirs. Settling down in his chair, Eruk consoled himself with thoughts of war.

             
Less than an hour later, the Boxti ships began tearing into the blue void, leaping off toward the far side of the galaxy. The last vessel out, a worn and battered destroyer, opened a hatch and released a small and spiky pod. As the warship jumped away, the relay buoy began to sing its song.

             
Khuum...khuum...khuum...khuum.

-                           
XVII                            -

             
Berlin
had
n’
t left dry dock since Tallus. Attached to the repair station Irwin Cove, the carrier underwent a massive overhaul. Floating far on the outskirts of the Colorum Belt, the Cove serviced ships from all over the galaxy. It had been placed in the remote region of space as a mining depot, but grew in function and size over the course of five decades. One of the largest man-made structures in the galaxy, the station had a surprisingly small crew. Only ten thousand engineers worked aboard, servicing hundreds of frigates, cruisers and carriers over the course of a year. This left more than enough room for the pilots and soldiers of the broken vessels to live.

             
The infirmary, easily the nicest section of the floating base, was state-of-the-art and fully stocked. Irwin Cove often took ships fresh from battle, when the crew was as in need of attention as the crafts themselves. The chief medical officer, Doctor Patel, made his rounds down the hallway, stopping at each room to check on patients. Near the far end, he stepped inside a curtained-off area, closing the cloth behind him.

             
“And how are we feeling today
?”
he asked. He was an Earthling, a true-born son of India, and his melodic pronunciation betrayed his lineage.

             
Kaileen put down the book sh
e’
d been reading and glared at him
.“I’
m still stuck here, so not great
.
”

             
Dr. Patel smiled, though there was little warmth in the expression. H
e’
d been working with the military too long, and his bedside manner had all but vanished
.“
Still working on that Miss Congeniality award, Lt. Nuvarian
?”
He picked up her chart with a manicured, caramel hand and read
.“I’
m impressed, yo
u’
ve gone through almost every nurse on staff
.
”

             
“Just spreading the love around
,”
she said sweetly
.“
Come on, doc.
I’
m fine. Whatever head injury I had clearly was
n’
t that serious. I need to get back to work. In case you had
n’
t noticed, ther
e’
s a war going on
.
”

             
“Oh
?”
Patel walked around her bed, checking the IV bag over her head
.“
I must have missed that report. I get so busy here, and then ther
e’
s my stories. Do
n’
t want to miss them. Gosh, I can hardly find time to read a news reel anymore. I guess the war will just have to get along without me
.
”

             
Kaileen scrunched her face and groaned
.“
Come on,
I’
m a pilot. There has to be a ship out there that needs flying
.
”

             
The doctor lifted the sheet covering the woma
n’
s feet. He was only half-surprised that she had, again, removed her cast
.“
You know, broken legs do
n’
t heal very well when you continue to aggravate them
.”
He squeezed her calf gently, feeling for lumps
.“
I trust yo
u’
ve stayed off of this foot when you wander the halls
?
”

             
“Only when
I’
m heading to my kickboxing class
.”
She stuck out her tongue
.“
I
t’
s been months. My leg is fine. And my head is fine.
I’
m fine. So let me the hell out of here before I start a riot with the other prisoners
.
”

             
“Patients
.
”

             
She screamed
.“I’
ve had it up to here with you and your fucking patience
.
”

             
Patel smiled
.“
Not...never mind. Yo
u’
re in my care until I say otherwise.
I’
m going to recommend you get time in the exercise room. Supervised, of course. You need to train yourself back into health, and then we can talk about you flying again
.”
He scribbled on the clipboard before attaching it to the bed
.“
For now, get some rest.
I’
ll have a nurse escort you to the gym in an hour
.
”

             
“I do
n’
t need a personal trainer
.
”

             
Patel chewed on the inside of his cheek
.“
It takes sixty pounds of pressure to hit the afterburner on a Seed. Eighty for a Griffin. I doubt yo
u’
re up to thirty yet. So let a professional get you there faster. Then you can go annoy someone else
.”
He did
n’
t wait for the inevitable outburst before walking away.

             
Kaileen sulked in her small quarters. Sh
e’
d spent the better part of the year in infirmaries. First aboard the
Gettysburg
after the accident. Then
Berlin
. Now here. It was becoming a nasty habit. She had to admit, the food was better on the station, but the boredom the same. With the doc gone, she picked up her book, stuck the placeholder a few chapters back, and continued to read.