The Grey Serpent, Tundran Space, Standard Year 404 after founding

  “Tundran shuttle xplode.” Alanna repeated.

  “That’s what he sent.”

  “Is he… does that sound… right?” Alanna asked hesitantly.

  “He’s either sick as a dog or running for his life.” Tony said, not bothering to pull his punches. “Possibly both.” He added.

  “Well, it’s obvious what he means.” Alanna said.

  Tony looked at her glumly. She no longer looked like a shrunken and dimmed version of her former self. The spark was back as she leaned towards him in her excitement.

  “And it will work.” Alanna continued, her words coming out faster. “He did it. Tony, admit he did it. He sent the one liner that will help us take the entire station single handed. James did it!”

  “Did he now?” Tony asked sourly. “And what’s this about single handed?”

  “Well, double handed.” Alanna admitted hesitantly. “I’ll try to do it alone if you won’t help.” She added, unable to hide her uncertainty. She would try. But she couldn’t do it without Tony Sicaro. They both knew that. “What was the second text?” She asked.

  Tony sighed. “I can’t tell you that.”

  “You’re not serious!”

  “I am.”

  “It’s my mission. I need to know!”

  “If it’s your mission, you’re already dead.” Tony said flatly.

  “Aren’t you a ray of sunshine.” Alanna said in exasperation.

  “I’m not a morning person.”

  “Fine. Fine, it’s not my mission, it’s our mission. Or… it could be.” Alanna hesitated. “Is it? Is it our mission?”

  “God dammit.” Tony said with feeling, followed by a far less enthusiastic “Yes, fine. It’s our mission.”

  “Tundran shuttle xplode…” Alanna began.

  “Please never say those words again.”

  “Fine. Allow me to rephrase. We need to set an explosion on the Tundran shuttle. Maybe something that takes out the door and leaves the Tundrans” Alanna paused “the other Tundrans temporarily trapped on the shuttle. It’s genius.” She added. “Tundran shuttle…”

  “Do not say it.” Tony warned. “And we’ll need explosives. How are we gonna…”

  “Tony.” Alanna interrupted. “How do we get explosives?”

  Tony sighed. “This is your plan, is it?”

  “Shall I ask captain Arden nicely to give me some explosives and see what she says?”

  “Fine. I’ll get the explosives.”

  “Can we get some extra grenades, just in case?”

  “Sure, why not? As long as I’m stealing supplies, I might as well go all the way.”

  “I think as long as we go in around the same time, we can convince the Captain to let us go in separately, a two pronged attack. As long as she doesn’t think we’re intentionally delaying the, the other Tundrans, she may go along with it.” Alanna rushed on.

  “And the two of us take the bridge.” Tony said flatly.

  “Three of us.” Alanna corrected. “We’ll have Danil.”

  “Will Danil attack his own?”

  “Let him be the distraction for the crew on the bridge. Maybe he can buy us some time that way.”

  “If the Sarayan station is built anything like ours” Tony said patiently “there’s one long, narrow hallway to get to the bridge. And everyone on the bridge is firing at you as you go. With cover. You see Alanna, we all build it that way. Makes it harder to take the bridge.”

  Alanna looked down. “I know that.” She said.

  “How many on the bridge?”

  “At least five to six.” She said reluctantly.

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  “Right.”

  “We need the drones.” Alanna said. “We can’t do it without the drones.”

  “No, we cannot.” Tony agreed.

  Alanna frowned. “Do you understand we’re all going to die?”

  “I need more coffee.” Tony said.

  “Tony what…”

  “James.” Tony sighed. “James is a goddamn genius. Are you happy?”

  A slow smile spread across Alanna’s face.

  “Tony.”

  “Alanna.”

  “What was the second text?”

  “Let me take care of the drones.” Tony said.

  Alanna’s grin got bigger. “He did trust me.” She said.

  “Yeah, he trusted you.” Tony looked at her. “He put it all on the line for you. Everything.”

  ---

  They were back in the Captain’s office, sitting around the desk with steaming cups of coffee. On his second cup, Tony seemed somewhat more cheerful, while Gregory was eyeing Alanna with increasing suspicion. Perhaps he wasn’t a morning person, either.

  Turning back to the captain, Alanna continued with her pitch. “With Danil’s help, this can be a two front attack.” She said, leaning forward. “We can go in via the same route he’s using to pick up the stunner bomb. There’s a small hatch we… the Sarayans, use to get to the turret guns. A small team can enter via the hatch and hit the Sarayans from behind, distracting them as the main team goes in.”

  “A small team.” The captain echoed, her face as unreadable as ever.

  ‘Yes, captain. Lieutenant Commander Tony Sicaro…” Alanna paused, turning to Tony.

  “Alanna and I are the best shooters you have.” Tony offered, backing Alanna. “It makes sense for the two of us to go in.”

  “Gregory is quite good.” Captain Arden pointed out mildly. “We have two other crew members who are solidly in your league. Are you sure the two of you want to go in alone?”

  “We make a good team.” Tony said, his eyes meeting the captain’s.

  “I see.” The captain nodded neutrally. “And is that your final recommendation, lieutenant commander Summers?” She turned to Alanna.

  “Yes, Captain.” Alanna said firmly, ignoring the clear implications of the captain’s words. This entire mission was an elaborate attempt to give her enough rope to hang herself. Everyone in the room knew that. If she made the wrong call, the consequences would rest on her shoulders. Fine. She accepted the job and now she would do the job. She didn’t know how to do anything else.

  “I will take it under consideration.” The captain said flatly. “You are dismissed. Except Sicaro.”

  Tony settled back into his chair, stretching out his still healing foot and looking back into the Captain’s curiosity filled gaze.

  “I’m curious to hear your thoughts on Alanna’s plan.” The captain said.

  “Great plan, couldn’t come up with a better one.” Tony said, with perfect honesty.

  “I take it you ran this mess by Captain Hawk.” Tanya Arden said with a sigh.

  “Ah. You could say that.” Tony said with a slight wince.

  “And?”

  “He couldn’t think of a better one either, Captain.”

  “That’s not quite an endorsement.” Captain Arden noted drily.

  “No captain, it’s just a statement of fact.”

  “I’m sure it’s occurred to you, that at times even the best of us have lapses in judgment.”

  “Oh, it’s occurred to me, Captain. It’s been doing nothing but occurring to me for the past several days.”

  “And?”

  “And it’s the best plan I can come up with.” Tony said firmly.

  “I see.” The captain nodded. “In that case, is there anything more I can do to help?”

  Tony nodded, in full appreciation of what he was being offered. “Give it a chance before overreacting, will you?” He said frankly.

  Captain Arden’s eyes narrowed. “I take it this is not a minor request.”

  Tony shrugged, unwilling to say anything more.

  “I heard you’re having an off day, lieutenant commander.” The captain noted, changing the subject abruptly.

  “Not sure what you mean.” Tony said carefully.

  “You scored a 42 in the training room. And with lieutenant commander Summers there to back you, no less. It’s enough to make one wonder about your… judgment. Tony.” The captain spread her hands. “You don’t have to do this. In time, your friend will understand.”

  Tony looked up in genuine surprise. “Not doing it for him, Captain. It’s just the right thing to do. This is how it needs to go down.” Even a small chance of Alanna being right meant they were all dead. She had either told the truth, or she had told her lies well. Well enough that he couldn’t take the risk of ignoring her words.

  Tanya Arden nodded. Clearly, Tony Sicaro had made up his mind. There was nothing more she could do. “In that case, good luck, commander.” She said.

  ---

  Captain Bernard Bernhard looked up, acknowledging the report. “A good time for Danil to volunteer for extra shifts.” He said.

  “It won’t change his loyalties, Captain.”

  “Perhaps not.” Captain Bernhard agreed. “But he is a capable fighter, and may yet be of some use.”

  “Yes, captain.” The other man acknowledged.

  “You are dismissed.” Captain Bernard said, with perfect outward politeness, before turning away. His resources were limited. And Bernard realized that the people who were loyal to him, were not always the best people. But one worked with what one had. He released the slightest sigh, allowing himself that luxury in the privacy of his office. They were running out of rations and back home, Lorelai declared martial law. Reading between the lines, against all odds, the Sarayan war effort was not going well. They had the people, the resources, the ships, and yet his dear cousin Madame President Lorelain Achly was somehow managing to fuck it all up.

  If things continued on this path, radical steps would have to be taken. And that was what he was here to do. Bernard Bernhard would complete his mission before their supplies ran out. Lorelai knew that, assuming he would get the message without her saying a word. The responsibility, and the honor, would forever lie on his shoulders. And when the time came, he would do his duty. He allowed the slightest smile to cross his lips. If he had to die, he would make certain his funeral pyre would burn in history, for millenniums to come. And until then, he was still the captain of his station, the leader of his troops. And Aster was waiting. Discipline had to be maintained.

  ---

  Danil stared up at the small rock floating in his general direction. It looked like a rock. The trajectory was sending it directly towards the station. All he had to do was walk along the surface and catch it as it floated by. He wondered how closely he was being watched. Aster’s disappearance would place him under greater suspicion. Wouldn’t it? But then, until he heard from Alanna, it somehow never occurred to him to do anything but his job. To keep his head low and do what he was told. But Alanna hadn’t. Alanna the traitor had killed her captain before betraying her entire planet. If Alanna had been with them, either she would be dead, or Aster would be alive. Alanna would not have allowed Bernard to be Bernard, for these past two years. She would have come for him. She was still coming for him. And just for a moment, underneath the dark, mirrored surface of his helmet, Danil smiled. Speeding up his steps, he walked across the station to meet the package Alanna sent his way. It was time.