CHAPTER 34

Alexander

‘T wo turns until we reach Nova Academy, captain,’ my pilot informed me.

I was standing at my station in the centre of the room, control boards and holo-screens surrounding me in a semi-circle. I had two holograms running, one to determine trajectory and another keeping track of the landing criteria and where The Carina was at regarding supplies and fuel. I already knew I would need a food restock and a refuel at the academy, but I wasn’t eager to disembark from my ship. The only times I ever left were on paid time off to visit my family, or during an in-person meeting with my superiors. Generally, I took care of everything via holo-tab communication and delegating.

I could see Nova Station in the distance. The holo-screen stretching around the circumference of the bridge that behaved as a window into space giving me a view of the metal structure large enough to be considered an artificial planet. It was about the same size as the Entario Waystation, with enough space for a military base. The more troops we acquire, the more was added to the station. An entire system of cities had been erected for the families of the enlisted, with towns closer to the academy for those still on duty while instructing the cadets.

While I had my own residence at Nova and my family visited when they could, they had remained back home where there was sun and plants and life . My parents and my sisters all detested the metallic architecture and filtered air, especially considering our roots were buried deep in the soil of our home planet. Despite my mixed-race status, each and every branch of my family tree had hailed from the same place on both my maternal and paternal sides.

‘ A planet created by hands is not the same as a planet created by the stars ,’ my father would tell me each time I brought up the subject of moving them closer. ‘ We must respect nature before we strip it of all that makes it worthwhile.’

I didn’t disagree, but I didn’t necessarily agree, either. I enjoyed my time in space. It was where I felt most at home. I belonged to the stars, through and through. My youngest sister understood better than the others, but her version of ‘star’ meant ‘fame’, as evidenced by the song currently taunting me through the speakers of a nearby workstation. My sister’s voice drifted through the bridge in haunting tones that weaved throughout the music. She was talented and had earned her success as one of the Intergalactic Union’s most popular musical artists, but that didn’t mean I wanted to listen to her songs. They might have been beautiful, until you listened to the lyrics and realised just how raunchy they were.

No brother wanted to hear his sister singing about all the many ways to fuck.

I ignored the music, drowning out all the surrounding sounds with it as I focused on where my attention was needed: getting The Carina safely docked on Nova’s hangar bay. Hurtling through space had it’s challenges, but it was largely smooth sailing. Docking, however, required finesse and was where most fatal collisions occurred. It was much simpler docking planet-side than on a space station, particularly one as large as Nova. At least with an orbiting planet it was possible to calculate trajectory and speed for a safe landing. With Nova and it’s free-floating status and ever-changing speed and location, we had to work alongside the station’s pilots in real-time to maintain the calculations for a successful docking.

‘Captain, we have a successful connection with Nova. The lines of communication are now open,’ another officer informed me.

‘Get their current coordinates and trajectory and prepare the adjustments,’ I instructed .

‘On it, captain!’

The holo-tab at my hip chimed with another incoming message. I had been getting them persistently throughout the morning, but everyone knew that landing on Nova was tricky business and not to disturb me. Whatever it was would have to wait.

Still, I checked it surreptitiously in case it was Addy. It wasn’t. Markus was attempting to get a hold of me, claiming he had something important to give me before we docked. I typed out a quick reply telling him to meet me on the bridge with some lunch and he could give it to me over the midday meal.

The doors whizzed open right after I hit send to reveal Markus already wheeling in everyone’s lunch. He waved his holo-tab at me with a cheeky grin. ‘Way ahead of you, captain.’

‘How long have you been waiting out there?’ I asked with a chortle. The image of him standing outside with all that food, staring at his holo-tab as he waited for me to give him permission to enter was both sweet and ridiculous. But he always had been two steps ahead of everyone else. He spent most of his life figuring out how things would play out and then waiting for everyone else to catch up.

His shoulders touched his ears before he dropped them again, a goofy smile on his face as he handed out lunch to every officer on the bridge. At least he had come prepared.

‘So what have you been blowing up my holo-tab for this morning?’ I asked when we were seated and working our way through his exceptional cooking.

‘Ah, right,’ he said, as if he had forgotten. I could guarantee he was simply waiting for me to bring it up first.

He produced a small envelope from his pocket, glanced around the room to check no one was watching, then handed it over to me. I frowned when I saw the wax seal on the back, pressed with the colonel’s insignia: three stars in the shape of a triangle .

‘What…?’ I began, my stomach dropping. The last time I had received one of these was when I had been sidelined to babysitting duty at the academy.

‘My instructions were to give that to you before we landed,’ Markus informed me, but I wasn’t really listening. My ears had gone funny and there was a sharp ringing. My chest constricted.

‘What’s in it?’ I asked, my voice uncharacteristically small.

‘Don’t know. Wasn’t my job to read it, just deliver it,’ he said nonchalantly, as if my entire existence wasn’t about to be turned upside down. Again . ‘You need to open it before we dock. That much I do know.’

I nodded numbly.

Realising I wasn’t going to be much fun now, he rose and clapped me on the back as he exited the bridge, taking his trolley full of plates with him. I sat there, staring at that fucking wax seal, dreading what I was going to find inside. But I didn’t have the luxury of taking a longer break. Lunch was just about over, and then it was back to trying to prevent a catastrophic collision between my ship and a metal fucking planet.

I didn’t think I had ever hated Nova Station as much as I did in that moment. Nothing good had happened there since before I’d graduated, and everything since had been one shitshow after the other.

I refused to give myself any more time to postpone the inevitable, so I tore at the envelope, the wax chipping and flying in different directions from the aggression within the action. Then I yanked the letter out, unfolded it, and began to read.

This letter is addressed to one CAPTAIN ALEXANDER HIRONIMUS.

I am writing to inform you that your presence is required upon your arrival on Nova Station. A meeting is being held in which your attendance is mandatory. An officer will be waiting to collect you at the gate.

Sincerely,

Colonel Granger

This was not good. It was an exact replica of the letter I had received after the mess with The Program mission. The one that led to the meeting where I was reamed out by my commanding officer, tossed off the mission and replaced while I was informed I was to instruct at Nova Academy or end my career.

Nothing good ever came from a sealed letter from the colonel. Especially when it contained a summons.

Physical letters were a rarely used form of communication, but they were necessary under the threat of hackers. Enemies from all over, including outside the Intergalactic Union, possessed the capability to hack into our servers and take whatever information they pleased. With the right skills and equipment, of course, which meant it didn’t happen all too often, but the threat was still present. So to counteract this, letters were written and delivered when sensitive information was being exchanged.

With such a vague letter, whatever information the colonel wished to impart on me was definitely too sensitive to be sent via holo-tab, and that also meant I was probably in deep shit.

The deepest of shit.

I stuffed the letter into my breast pocket, uncaring of the way it wrinkled. It didn’t help me feel better, but it was the only outlet I had right then.

The landing went as smoothly as could be expected. There were some miscommunications between us and Nova Station, making the docking a little bumpy, but we all survived in one piece.

The cadets had already been informed during morning announcements that they would be required to stay in their rooms until further notice. Mercer and Ituk’s teams were all in Addy’s old room, both to keep them together and to avoid any questions in case I ended up entertaining a higher official in my quarters. The prospect of my dismissal and what that would mean for them now loomed over my head like a dark cloud, but there was no point in concerning myself with the matter now. Everything that I could have done for them had been done, and I wouldn’t learn the purpose of the meeting with the colonel until it happened.

I should probably tell Addy, I thought to myself. She knew I was going to be busy today with the docking and welcoming the IU law enforcement on board, but now that I was leaving the ship I didn’t want to leave her without letting her know what was going on.

Maybe I wouldn’t tell her everything , though. I didn’t want to worry her unnecessarily.

I didn’t have much time before I had to be at the hangar to greet the police, but I rushed down to deck two to catch Addy while I had the chance. Her workshop was like an entirely different room when I entered, the place clearer and more organised than even yesterday. I might have to hunt down the cadets that had assisted in the efforts to thank them personally.

Addy was by her table in the back corner, new piles starting to surround her, but at least the table was mostly empty besides what she was currently working on. Hunched over and hyper-focused, she didn’t notice me enter.

‘Addy,’ I called to grab her attention. She startled with a jump, twisting around to see who had called her name and knocking over the surrounding piles in the process. She winced at the new mess but brightened when she saw me.

‘Xander, what are you doing here? Don’t you have too much to do today to visit me?’

The smile I gave her was meant to be reassuring, but it felt more like a grimace on my face. ‘Something’s come up and I have to leave the ship for a bit. I just wanted to let you know in case I come back late.’

‘Oh? What happened?’

Stop asking questions, my love, please. ‘It’s nothing to worry about.’ I made a show of checking the time on my holo-tab. ‘Look, I don’t really have the time to be down here but I just wanted to let you know. I have to get back up there, so I’ll see you later my love.’

I bent down to press a kiss to her cheek and then left to the background music of her protests. Should I have been honest and upfront with her? Maybe. I knew she would be angry when she found out, but if this meeting went south – which I had a feeling it would – then I didn’t want her to worry about me. No matter what happened I would be fine. It wasn’t like I didn’t have a place to go if everything else failed. My parents had always let me know that the family business was always there if I wanted it.

Running a café wasn’t a passion of mine, but it was a job. My parents had made a decent life from opening their own. There was no reason I couldn’t do the same.

I knew I was kidding myself, but I kept repeating those reassurances in my head whenever the doubt hit too hard. It helped me to focus.

Jorna was already waiting for me in the hangar, her posture rigid while she stood with her hands clasped behind her back and her chin held high. It might have come across as a prideful stance to anyone who didn’t know her, but I knew otherwise. I missed my friend.

She saluted me when I took my place slightly in front of her, a gesture that I returned with a nod. I usually ignored her when she behaved as if we were strangers, but today I didn’t have the energy to try to pretend everything between us was okay.

I lifted my holo-tab in front of my face and spoke clearly for it to pick up my words. ‘Open hangar doors,’ I commanded, and the click and whirl of the locks disengaging sounded followed by a whoosh of wind that ruffled my hair and clothes when the doors first parted.

An entire precinct worth of enforcement officers were waiting on the other side, prepared to board. The chief, an exceptionally large, emerald green Tornu by the name of Kir Pemmel, stepped forward first, reaching out to clasp my hand inside his larger one.

‘Captain Hironimus. It is a pleasure to see you,’ he said, his voice the same gravelly bass I remembered so well.

Though my smile was strained, it was genuine. ‘If only it were under different circumstances,’ I told him.

Right hand still encasing mine, he clapped his free hand over my shoulder and squeezed gently. The action was familiar and achieved the desired effect of loosening some of the tension that had been building for so long now. Kir was here, and he was going to help me. I wasn’t doing this alone anymore.

‘There is much to discuss,’ he said, gesturing for his people to come on board.

‘Ah, actually my friend, I’ll be leaving you to have that discussion with my first lieutenant. I have an urgent matter to attend to,’ I informed him.

He frowned, his forehead crinkling as the skin was pulled lower. ‘What kind of matter?’

‘Nothing to do with the situation on board The Carina, Kir,’ I assured him.

He didn’t look convinced, but he let it go. ‘Then come see me when your urgent matter has been tended to, and we shall talk over drinks.’

That got a grin from me. ‘Sounds like a plan.’

It was when the new passengers had all boarded that I noticed the other man waiting outside, his black monochrome attire blending into the sea of people at the docking gate, but a beacon to me.

‘On that note, I must leave you to it. Kalsur, you can take it from here.’ Jorna was quite obviously confused by my sudden departure but didn’t dispute it. I waved at Kir as I left, then moved towards the man in black.

‘Captain,’ he greeted me. ‘Please follow me. ’

He didn’t wait for me to accept the command before he turned on his heel and walked away with long but fast strides. I matched his pace, keeping up easily enough, but I knew he only did it to test my physical capabilities. We’d done this song and dance before.

We veered through the streets, taking the back alleys deeper and deeper into the underbelly of the city until we came to a stop outside a nondescript door. The building was hidden away from most viewpoints, which made it the ideal spot for a clandestine meeting.

The man in black tapped his knuckles against the door in a pattern, three knocks in quick succession followed by one, and then another two. Six knocks for the six stars that decorated the colonel’s chest. The door opened on silent hinges to reveal none other than the colonel herself, which caused my internal alarms to start blaring.

The colonel never greeted guests at the door, which meant this was more serious than I had previously believed, and I had no idea where I came into it.

‘Get in,’ she hissed. ‘Quickly.’

We did, and while I kept going until I was in the centre of the small space, the man in black remained by the door, standing guard.

‘This way, Alexander,’ the colonel gestured for me to follow her. The shock factor even greater when she used my given name was quickly chased by the sinking sensation of dread in the pit of my stomach. Our relationship had never been informal, so did her dropping my title and rank mean I no longer had it?

She really was firing me…

I trailed behind her, barely keeping up as she led me up a flight of stairs, through two separate rooms, and into a door that was previously hidden behind a tattered tapestry. Inside was a small round table and that was it.

The colonel locked the door behind me, and the sense of wrongness from this entire situation grew.

When she finally faced me, her expression was pinched, the wrinkles I was used to seeing on her face from a life well-lived were now deeper crevices that, paired with her suddenly hunched posture, made her look much older than her true age.

‘Alexander, I hate to bring you here but there is much we must discuss,’ she began, but I cut her off.

‘Are you firing me?’

Her inhale was sharp. ‘No, I am most certainly not firing you. Alexander, I need you.’

My relief over the security of my job was short-lived. ‘What do you need, colonel?’

‘I know our last discussion was… not the best,’ she began, ‘but I need you to understand that I had no choice. My every move is being watched. I was barely able to get away to come meet with you today.’

I frowned. ‘What?’

‘Your removal from The Program mission was not my call. In fact, people higher up the food chain than me have been pushing for your termination ever since. I stood up for you and managed to get you a position instructing at Nova Academy, but there was another reason I wanted you there. I just couldn’t tell you before because they were listening. They’re always listening…’

‘Colonel, what’s going on?’

‘There is corruption among us, Alex. From as high up as the IU council themselves. There have been rumours of a war brewing between the IU and our neighbouring unions, and some believe that The Program is our only way forward.’

No …

‘I wanted you at Nova Academy to look into it because I can’t do it myself. The Program is using the new intake of cadets to recruit to their cause.’

‘No. ’

‘Yes. Alex, war is coming, but I don’t know which one will come first. The Program must be stopped, but they are being funded by the highest level in the Intergalactic Union. The surrounding Unions wish to eliminate the threat by destroying us all, so we have to squash The Program to prevent an intergalactic war.’

My back smacked against the wall and I slid down, my legs no longer strong enough to hold my weight. ‘How deep does this go?’ I asked. ‘Is it just funding? How many IU officials are backing them?’

She let out a long, drawn out and exhausted breath. ‘I don’t know. My intel is going cold. I need you on the inside.’

My gaze shot back to hers at that comment. ‘On the inside?’

I didn’t think I had ever seen the colonel look so grim. ‘I have something you need to see.’

She moved to the table and pressed a button, and what looked like a wooden tabletop suddenly turned black, revealing itself to be a holo-table. A few more swipes and she was pulling up surveillance footage from the docking station at the Entario Waystation. It was date- and time-stamped from two weeks prior.

‘What…?’

The colonel increased the zoom on the hologram and pointed at a single figure in the crowd. ‘See this woman here?’

I nodded.

‘It has been determined that this is the female subject that escaped from The Program two years ago.’

I gasped. ‘But… I was there .’

Her lips thinned, turning white. ‘Keep watching.’

I did as instructed, following the woman with my eyes as she wound her way through the crowd with her head down to avoid detection from the cameras. It hadn’t worked. She pushed through the door to the restrooms, only instead of heading into the women’s she entered the men’s room.

‘Keep watching.’

The colonel sped up the footage until someone emerged, only it wasn’t the woman. It was a younger boy that sparked recognition almost immediately. The hair was only long enough to flop messily in front of his eyes, and his build was skinny and willowy. He wore a hood over his head and carried a small bag on his back. The footage showed him stopping at a holo-screen that provided directions, and after another fast-forward she ended up among the crowd of Nova Academy cadets.

‘What the fuck…?’ I breathed, my voice barely audible.

‘I don’t know the alias she’s using, but she’s currently on board The Carina. Captain, I need you to find her.’

‘I already know who she is,’ I informed her.

‘You do? How?’

‘His was the first promotion I handed out. That is Cadet Corporal Arthur Mercer.’

‘If you already know her, that makes this a lot easier,’ said the colonel, a lightness to her tone she hadn’t expressed yet in this meeting.

‘I assume you want me to apprehend her?’ I asked. Some part of me wanted to because I’d been duped, and I was angry about it. Another part of me was giddy that the woman I had been secretly searching for had landed in my lap without me even trying. But one thing I did know was that arresting Arthur Mercer, or whatever her real name was, wouldn’t go down well.

Did Addy know? Was this what she was keeping from me?

‘ No , Alex. I don’t want you to arrest her. In fact, I don’t want you to do anything.’

I didn’t think it was possible but my frown deepened so low I could barely see out from beneath my eyebrows. ‘I don’t understand…’

‘I want to recruit her. Alex, we need her. You were right before. I just couldn’t say so with so many listening devices in the room. We need this woman on our side.’

‘So why did you bring me here? What is it that you want me to do? Why show me this?’

‘I already have Markus working on it, but you needed to be briefed. This isn’t all the information I’ve received.’

I didn’t want to know more. My head was already struggling to wrap around the bomb that had just been dropped directly onto my skull, but I gestured for her to continue.

‘I obtained this footage from my source inside The Program. They’re aware of the woman’s location and are coming here. They’ve already been given permission to dock, but I was also informed they intend to take over the station.’

‘Take over the station? But that’s impossible. This is a military base, for star’s sake. How do they think they’ll manage it?’

‘Don’t underestimate them, Alex. Their plans have already been set in motion. I’m telling you now because I need you to understand what’s about to happen and what you need to do. They will arrive within the next few days. They will lock this entire station down until they find her. They will use force. But Alex, they cannot get their hands on her again, do you hear me?’

‘I hear you,’ I said, though the confidence in my voice was a complete front. There was so much to unpack from this meeting and I didn’t know where to begin. With Mercer? Markus? Addy? Did everyone know before me?

The colonel placed a weathered hand on my arm and looked me square in the eyes. The trust I found in there undid everything I thought I knew about these past few years. She hadn’t betrayed me. She had trusted me. She was on my side. I wasn’t off the case, merely working from the shadows.

‘You can do this, Alex. You’re the only one I know who can.’

And in that moment, I believed her.