Warhawk's Sacrifice - Ch. 26 - A Forced Hand - Alpha (Patreon)

When the elevator doors opened, Seb dropped all of Eni’s gear and his helmet on the ground. He darted inside the bridge where the others were still waiting for them. Roja jumped out of the copilot's chair, allowing him to slide inside.

He pointed down in front of the center console. “Eni, get Syn plugged into the ship. I want us to hail Ablee’s ship as soon as possible.”

“Come on, Syn!” Eni yelled, as the pair bolted toward the front of the room. As the shortstack readied her cables, Seb frantically tapped on the holographic consoles, confirming the ship was ready.

“Everything is showing green,” the captain said. “Vi, take us out.”

Vi’s hands twisted in the holographic controls, and the ship ascended. It spun on a dime, pushing Eni into Seb’s side. He grabbed on to the back of her armor, holding her in place as the main thrusters kicked in.

The Temptation wove through the facility until Seb spotted the burning pod hanging from the ceiling. Sister Mischa’s armored visage stuck out amongst the burning greenery.

“There’s Mischa. Ease us in so she can jump to the elevator.”

“What do you think I’m doing?” Vi asked as she twisted the controls.

After a few seconds, Mischa spoke over the comm. “I’m on.” As Vi realigned the ship, the elevator doors opened and Mischa’s heavy footsteps filled the bridge.

“Where are we going?” Vi asked.

With his free hand, Seb pulled up the system map. He double tapped on what he assumed were Ablee’s ship and Iris’s signature. When he zoomed in, he spotted additional ship signatures idled near the closest planet.

“We need to catch up to them. It looks like they’re heading to the rendezvous point with the rest of their fleet.”

“Everyone, hold on!” Vi shouted.

As the ship’s engines roared to life, Seb caught Eni’s back again as she yelped from the sudden thrust. Vi weaved the ship through the nakai station’s corridors before exiting the entrance in under a few seconds.

The Temptation is no Amnesty, but hopefully she’s fast enough, Seb thought. Once they were in open space, he drew a line from their ship to Ablee’s, showing the distance marker. As they got up to speed, he frowned when he noticed the numbers slowing down.

“They’re speeding up!” he yelled.

“Why would they speed away from us?” Nalla asked.

“Ablee must know Iris went without us. She’s taking advantage of the situation. Eni, we need those comms.”

“I’m going as fast as I can!” she cried. Eni shoved the end of the cable into Syn’s data term port. After a metal click echoed from the back of Syn’s head, Eni pulled back. “Okay, she’s in.”

A hologram of Syn’s bust appeared on the central dash. “I am attempting to hail Ablee’s ship.” After a few seconds passed, Syn frowned. “I’m sorry, captain. Ablee’s ship has rejected the communication.”

“That fucking bitch!” Seb shouted. “She’s going to pull Iris into a galactic war.”

“To be fair, we did it first,” Eni said, shrugging.

“You know what I mean.”

As Sister Mischa stomped down the hallway, she asked, “Can’t we shoot them down?”

“No, it’s a damn luxury liner. It’s not meant for combat. I’ve never missed the Amnesty more.”

“They’re pulling into the calist dreadnought,” Vi said, pointing to the map.

Seb expanded the map for a better view. The ships slowed down before disappearing into the much larger signal. The Temptation’s scanner let out a small chime.

“Their FTL drives are spinning up!” Seb shouted. “Come on, Vi! We have to go faster!”

“I’m going as fast as I can! This isn’t the Amnesty!”

“Attempting to reroute system power to boost the engines,” Syn said. But it didn’t matter. A second later, the calist ships disappeared from the screen. “Captain, the calist ships have jumped via FTL.”

“Dammit!” Seb shouted, slamming his fist on the console. “Why? Why would she do this?”

“You know why,” Sister Mischa said, slumping in a seat.

When Seb turned around, his eyes widened. The front of Sister Mischa’s armor was completely scorched black. He pointed directly at her. “Iris did this?”

“She defended herself. I don’t blame her.”

“What happened?”

“After your conversation with her, she told me she wasn’t going. She said that she was going to help the calist and wanted me to come with her. I… I told her no.”

“You did? Aren’t you supposed to follow her wherever?”

Mischa pulled off her helmet with a pressurized hiss. “No. I’m supposed to protect her. To be her guardian. And I agreed with you. Even though she is the Divine Equalizer, I did not believe having her jump in with the calist’s plan was wise. I’ve been a part of enough suicide missions to know one when I hear one. We should be pulling back and strategizing.”

“That’s what I tried to tell her.”

“Yes, but in the heat of the moment, you yelled at her. Not that I blame you, but she’s been emotional this entire journey. It didn’t help.”

Seb let out a sigh. “I know. She just wouldn’t listen.”

“I tried to repeat your words. To have her see reason, but she wouldn’t listen. She said if I wasn’t going to help her, then she would do it herself. I grabbed her, and she exploded in her transformation. It knocked me back into a wall. Even in that state, I saw her remorse. She apologized before flying off.”

“I tried talking to her using the HIM device, but Syn had to pull it off of me. She’s so full of rage.”

“She’s doing what she believes is right. We can’t be upset at her for that.”

“So what’s the plan?” Eni asked, plopping down in between Syn’s legs. “We can’t just sit here.”

All heads turned toward Seb. He leaned forward on his knees and rubbed his hands together. He didn’t have an answer.

He wanted to keep his crew safe. That was the whole point. Destroying the warp gate would land them in the deepest ship they’d ever been in. But he didn’t want to abandon Iris. She needed them, whether or not she wanted to admit it.

But can I endanger the rest of the crew for one? Seb wondered.

Seb sat up and cleared his throat. “It’s not fair to you all to make this decision for you. Iris is out there, alone. While she is arguably the most powerful being in the galaxy, she’s still naïve. The calist are going to use her as a weapon. And although she wouldn’t acknowledge it, she needs us. But if we go after her, it will plunge us back into war. All the work we did to get us out of harm's way goes right out of the airlock. I can’t in good conscious force that decision on you. So if anyone wants to go back to Mahad, right now, that’s what we’re doing.”

Everyone glanced at each other, seeing who would be the first to break.

Nalla stood up from her seat, rubbing her shaking hands together. She flicked them and stood taut. “It’s as you said. She needs us. Iris is a member of this crew. And I’m not about to leave one of our own out there alone, surrounded by enemies.”

“I’m with Nalla,” Vi said. “We don’t abandon one of our own.”

“Eh, what else am I going to do?” Roja said with a smirk. “Might as well put these enhancements to good use.”

Eni rubbed her hands together. “It gives me a chance to give Betty a workout.”

“I’m glad you all are in this,” Mischa said with a twisted smile. “I would have had to hate to beat you all senseless and take control of the ship.”

The crew shared a moment of laughter that helped ease the tension.

“Then, it’s settled,” Seb said, before turning around in his chair. “We know where Iris and the calist are headed. Syn, can you ready the FTL drive and calculate our time to arrival at the FLS warp gate?”

“Affirmative, captain. Arrival at the FLS warp gate will take approximately twenty-one hours.”

“We have some time. Everyone, get some rest and prepare yourselves for combat.”

“Are you going to let Zara know?” Vi asked.

Seb twisted his lips as he thought about it for a moment. His trust in her had improved, and the calist were already mobilized. If he told her, he needed her to keep it to herself. This would be a make or break moment to see if she would tell her father before they arrived. The risk was high.

Seb nodded. “Syn, can you establish a call to Zara? When you do, forward it to my helmet.”

“Certainly, captain.”

Seb stood from his seat and walked back down the hall. After scooping up his helmet, he twisted it back on his skinsleeve. He wanted the call to be private because he didn’t know how Zara was going to respond. Knowing her, this was going to take some delicate negotiations, Seb thought.

As the others passed him and filed into the elevator, Seb returned to the copilot's chair. He needed to give Vi the signal to jump once the call was over.

Once he sat down, Syn popped up on his HUD. “Captain, Zara is ready and waiting.”

“Put her through,” Seb said.

Zara’s eye twitched as she stared at him with cross arms. “If you’re calling me then that means you aren’t in FTL.”

“I’m calling you because I trust you.”

Zara’s skin shifted a few shades paler. “Varanidae… help me. What is it now?”

“What I’m about to tell you, you can’t tell anyone. You have to promise me.”

“I can’t promise you—”

“Promise me, Zara,” Seb said sternly.

Zara scoffed and twisted in place before nodding. “Fine. I promise.”

“The calist are going to attack the FLS warp gate.” Seb expected another resounding “What!” from the princess. He expected her to throw up her hands, shout at him, and get creative with her expletives. However, she just stood there, staring off to the side.

She chuckled until she burst into laughter. “I can’t believe this. Those stupid fools. I never would have expected such fanaticism. They’ll be dead before the day is over.”

“That’s not all.”

“Of course not,” Zara said, throwing her hands up.

“Iris went with them.”

“Oh… And I’m guessing you’re going after her.”

“I have to. She doesn’t know what she’s doing. If I can get to her before she attacks, maybe we can prevent this.”

“Sebastian… you know I can’t protect you from this. Whatever happens—”

“I know it’s out of your control, and I’m sorry for delivering bad news again. I wish it were different. I tried to get us home.”

Zara put on the best smile she could muster, but Seb could still see the worry in her eyes. “I’m sure there is a reason for all of this, even if we don’t yet see it. I will do my best to buy you time. I’m not quite sure what I’m going to say, but once my father hits his breaking point, he will send his people here and find out the truth.”

Seb smiled wryly. “Who knows? Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

“I hope luck isn’t what you’re betting everything on. I’d hope you come back broke.”

The two shared a smile, long enough for Zara’s facade to crack for a moment. The delicate tremble of her lip, tugged at his heart more than anything she’d ever done. It was genuine.

But as quickly as it came, it was replaced by her disciplined smile. “Don’t let this be the last time I see you, Sebastian. Don’t make me come for you.”

“I promise it won’t be.”

“I expect you to keep that promise. Call me once it’s over.”

“Will do.”

“And be careful.”

Seb chuckled. “I will.”

Zara blew him a kiss, and the communication ended. Seb twisted his helmet off and let out a sigh.

“How did it go?” Vi asked.

“Better than it could have, which… I’m not sure if it makes me feel better?”

Vi cocked her brow. “You wanted her to yell at you?”

Seb shrugged. “Kind of. It would have felt like all the other missions. But this time… I think she is actually scared for us.”

“We’re really digging ourselves into the deepest trench, aren’t we?”

“Kind of par for the course, isn’t it?” Seb said, chuckling.

“True… it feels like it should be the Amnesty’s motto at this point. When in deep water, add more water.”

As the two shared a laugh, Vi readied her hands over the ship’s controls. “Should we go?”

“Yeah. We’re done here. Let’s just hope we arrive in time.”

“Syn, are we ready?”

“The FTL drive is primed and ready, Vi. You may proceed at any time.”

With a tap on the central console, the galaxy in front of them blurred into streaks of multicolored light.

***

Seb slapped his metal bracers and stomped his feet, ensuring his armor was secured. He grabbed his holster and wrapped it around his waist. After pulling the strap tight, he secured the buckle. He pulled his revolver in sequence, resetting between each draw. When he felt sufficiently prepared, he spun his weapon along his fingers before bringing it up to his face.

“Who would have thought that we’d be together for so long?” Seb asked, tapping the side of his gun’s chrome finish. “You’ve been more than reliable. Every time I’ve pulled the trigger, you’ve done your job. Don’t let me down now, girl. I have a feeling I’m going to need you now more than ever.”

Seb kissed the grip before sliding it into his holster. A knock at his door caused him to turn around. Roja stood fully armored with her rifle adhered to her back.

“Who were you talking to?” she asked, her subtle grin hidden behind her red visor.

“No one,” Seb said. “What’s up? Did you need something?”

“I just came from the bridge. Vi said we’ll be arriving in the Hurral system in a few minutes. I’m just letting everyone know.”

“Thanks.”

“Are you ready?”

“As ready as I can be. Our best case is that they haven’t begun the assault and we can convince Iris to come back with us. Worst case… it’s going to be a shit show.”

“Being in an unweaponed ship doesn’t help either.”

“Yeah… I wish we had the Amnesty right about now.”

“We’ll manage. We’ve got you leading us.”

Seb let out a short laugh. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

Roja snapped her fingers and disappeared from the doorway, only to have Sister Mischa replace her spot.

“Hey… Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Yeah, of course,” Seb said.

Mischa stepped through the threshold and shut the door behind them. She pulled off the faceplate from her helmet and Seb retracted his. When he saw her face, he frowned. Her unease was clear from her pinched brows and darting eyes.

“I just want to make sure we’re both on the same page,” Mischa began. “Our goal when we find Iris is to get her back safely.”

“Yeah. She’s the whole reason we’re out here. Why? Is something wrong?”

“I-t’s probably nothing. I just had trouble sleeping last night.”

“Weird dreams?”

“Something like that. I saw you standing there. I felt like you were going to do something you regretted and had to stop you.”

“What? Like kill Iris? I would never—”

“I know you wouldn’t. It’s probably just nerves. Sorry I asked.”

Before Seb could retort, Mischa put her faceplate back on and exited the room.

What the Maker was that about, Seb wondered. Why would she think I would kill Iris? Sure I’m not happy with her, but I’d never—

A small bead of doubt crept into the back of Seb’s mind. If it came between her and the galaxy? Or the survival of the others? What then?

Seb shook his head and clicked the side of his helmet to advance over his head. He entered the elevator with Eni, who was waddling carrying Betty.

“Are you ready for this?” Seb asked, extending his fist.

“If it means blowing shit up, always,” Eni said, tapping his fist with her own.

“That’s my girl.”

When the doors opened, the pair entered the bridge. Everyone else was already positioned in their seats. Seb fell back in the copilot's chair and tapped on the hologram to bring up the ship’s systems.

“Sixty seconds until we drop out of FTL, captain,” Vi said. “If you’ve got anything to say, now’s the time.”

Seb spun in his chair and glanced around the room. His team was armed and ready.

“Remember why we’re here,” Seb said, sitting up straight. “One of our own is out there alone. It doesn’t matter if it was her choice or not. We’re a crew. We’re a family. We stick by each other. Look out for one another. No matter our mistakes. If things get out of control, and knowing us, they likely will—”

A wave of laughter rolled through the crew.

“Trust each other, be safe, and watch each other’s backs.”

“You got it, boss!” Eni shouted to the rest of the crew’s cheers.

As Seb spun back in his chair and looked out the window, he couldn’t help but smile. He knew they were as ready as they could be. But as Syn’s countdown reached zero and the streaks of light retreated into the war zone in front of them, nothing could have prepared them for this.

“My god. Maker help us…”