Beyond The Brink Read online

  The Commander’s gray uniform jacket was drawn tight across his chest, supplementing the tense atmosphere. Neck muscles trembled subtly like twisted cables under his conditioned skin. He was physically sound but long past his prime. Silver-black stubble peppered a resolute jaw, and his short black hair was dashed white at the temples. A hard life had cut deep lines into the corners of his eyes.

  He looked up from his compad, and his cold-denim eyes drilled into hers as though they sought to inflict pain.

  Clio understood why some found him intimidating, but she wouldn’t break under that gaze — no matter what. She ignored the beads of sweat collecting at the nape of her neck and the throbbing vein in her left temple. She would show him that her will was just as strong, if not stronger.

  A sudden bang sent her jumping back in the aluminum chair.

  She blinked several times, ears ringing and heart racing. For all her enhanced eye-sight, Commander Grimshaw’s fist slammed the table-top so fast she barely saw it move.

  Was that eye twitch intentional. To lure me into a false sense of victory?

  She dismissed the idea with an invisible wave. That would have required too much thinking on the Commander’s part. Nonetheless, his speed was impressive.

  “What the hell is your problem, Evans?”

  “As I explained, sir—”

  “Less of the bullshit, Evans. I accepted your transfer off Morigan under the condition that you learn discipline and show your fellow crew members respect.”

  “I am—”

  “Then why am I holding a report stating that you broke Officer O’Donovan’s face so badly he needed re-gen in sickbay.” The compad in his left hand trembled.

  Saliva gathered on the back of Clio’s tongue, but she refused to swallow. “With all due respect—”

  “Respect belongs to those who’ve earned it, Evans, and you have shown nothing but contempt since boarding the Bakura.”

  He looked down at the compad, and she took the opportunity to gulp quickly. His eyes flicked back to hers, and the boring commenced, at which point she was on the back foot. It took all she had not to swear.

  “Six months, and you already have the longest disciplinary record on file.”

  “Officer O’Donovan started it.” They were child’s words, and she regretted uttering them before they departed her lips, but she couldn’t help herself. The Commander had teased them out of her, of course, and Clio wanted to curse him for knowing what buttons to press.

  “The report says that Officer O’Donovan didn’t throw any punches.” He gestured with the compad.

  “He didn’t land any,” she corrected him. “It’s not my fault Riley’s a slug. He should choose his enemies…”

  Commander Grimshaw slammed his compad on the table and rose from his chair with the purpose of an erupting volcano. He was much taller than Clio remembered, but she fought the urge to divert her gaze.

  “How many times do I have to tell you, Evans? Our enemies aren’t in here; they’re out there.” He pointed a thumb at an imaginary porthole behind him. “This is a Confederation starship, not a correctional facility.”

  “I understand, sir.” She avoided telling him that it sometimes felt like a prison, and Clio had served enough time in one to know.

  She knew the Commander’s speech was coming up soon. How the fleet usually didn’t accept people who started out in the correctional integration program. How she’d be foolish to throw such an opportunity away. How unity would see the Confederation in good stead should humanity ever find itself at war with the Krags again or any other race.

  Blah, blah, blah.

  “But do you understand, Evans?” He tugged at the bristles on his chin and sighed. “This is what happens when we’re at peace for too long. We forget who our enemies are and turn on each other.”

  “You want another war, sir?” Changing tack was a risk, but talking herself out of the situation obviously wasn’t going to work.

  He stared at her as though trying to solve a puzzle.

  "I mean, all this training and preparation," she added quickly. "Sometimes it feels like a waste, and I just can’t help but want to fight.”

  It wasn’t a complete lie. Those didn’t work on Commander Grimshaw. Clio had no desire to traipse across the galaxy killing and avoiding being killed, but war provided opportunities to advance, and she’d already wasted precious years before getting a place on the pilot training program. She graduated Fleet Academy later than most.

  “No.” The Commander looked exasperated, or concerned. She wasn’t sure which since he hadn’t shown a shred of emotion in her six months on-board.

  “No one wants another war. Not me. Not the Confederation.” He paused for a moment. “And neither do you, no matter what romantic notions you might have. Those who seek war are the first to loathe it.”

  “But they say you were a hero during the Kragak war, sir.” Her eyes flicked to the medals on the wall behind him.

  “That is neither here nor there.” And just like that, the steel returned to his voice, the iron to his face, and he slid back into his chair. “You’ve put me in something of a predicament given our current mission. As you’re aware, the starship Goliath is along for the ride to Colony 115 this time, and all mission reports will make their way back to Admiral Thatcher. The last thing we need is a disciplinary action registered with high-command.”

  She was about to sigh with relief when he continued.

  “As punishment, you will assist maintenance for the duration of this mission, starting with the faulty navigation terminals on the bridge.”

  Fire swelled in her belly, and for all her trying, it reached her mouth.

  “But I’m the best damn starship pilot in my category!”

  Addressing a superior officer in such a manner was more than stepping over the line, and her rage instantly turned to regret. Clio expected the Commander to chew her to pieces, but he kept his cool.

  “You are the best simulator starship pilot in your category.”

  She had flown her share of fighters and short-haul transports, but he was right. However, there was little difference between simulations and actual flight controls; a point she decided not to argue. In fact, she found herself in the rare position of being lost for words.

  The Commander filled the resulting silence.

  “Even so, no Confederation officer gets a golden ticket, at least not under my watch. Skill and passion are not enough to fly for the Fleet. You need discipline, leadership, respect. And I’m confident you’ll learn these in time.”

  She didn’t need any damn confidence. She needed time with the Bakura’s flight crew.

  “I have to shadow—”

  “You’re lucky you aren’t spending the rest of the trip in the brig. Good people have suffered a great deal more for assaulting a fellow officer. And you might still suffer yet. The O’Donovans have strong connections with Fleet. If I were you, I’d keep my head down.”

  Her shoulders sagged. “Understood, sir.”

  “And while we’re on the subject, you’ll issue Officer O’Donovan with a written apology before we reach 115. If you work hard on maintenance, I’ll consider reassigning you to the flight crew on our return to Fleet Academy. Dismissed.”

  She nodded and made for the door. Writing an apology didn’t bother Clio, but being assigned to maintenance was a setback.

  “One more thing, Evans.”

  Cio turned back to the Commander.

  “Yes, sir?” Coming off as respectful while gritting her teeth wasn’t easy.

  “Control that temper of yours. Don’t make me regret allowing you on-board. We still don’t know why the Goliath is along for the ride, but the Captain sure as hell wants to impress them.” He rapped the metal desk with his knuckles. “And I can assure you; she’s a lot less lenient than me.”

  Loathe as she was to admit it, the Commander had thrown her a line. She knew how important it was that the current mission succeed. They whole crew wa
s tense while under the admiral’s watch.

  The Bakura regularly made the run to Colony 115 alone. Clio had been part of a dozen such exercises since joining the crew. When the starship reached the human colony, the cadets would get their first taste of the field before returning to Confederation Fleet Academy Fourteen.

  Clio had speculated about the Goliath’s presence. Whatever the Confederation’s reasons, they must have been severe enough to warrant Second Fleet’s flagship. She wondered if it was somehow related to the data she was supposed to retrieve for her contact. If the rumors were true and Aegi were on-board the Bakura, it meant she’d have to be even more careful.

  “I guess with Aegi on board; I should be more cautious, sir.”

  The Commander’s pupils dilated, and he briefly lost his composure to anger. It barely lasted a second, but by then she already had it worked out.

  He doesn’t know, does he?

  She cheered internally and fought back a smile.

  “Report to maintenance at once,” he snapped. “And I expect a copy of that apology.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Doors hissed behind her as she made her way to the bridge and allowed her smug smile free reign. She wondered why the Commander hadn’t been aware of the Aegi. She wouldn’t have known about them either if she hadn’t overheard mention of them in the mess hall before the fight.

  Commander Grimshaw had her on a tight leash, but she savored the taste of victory, as bitter-sweet as it was.

  Working in maintenance wasn’t ideal, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized how much it worked in her favor. Working on the bridge terminals meant access to systems that were otherwise barred to her — systems she needed for reasons known only to her.

  Her timing had to be perfect if she planned on keeping it that way. If anyone discovered the real reason she was there, they wouldn’t just send her back to Morigan. They would send her back in a box. Contrary to what Commander Grimshaw believed, everyone on the Bakura was her enemy, and she was theirs.

  They just didn’t know it yet.

  Read more about Clio Evans, Jason Grimshaw, and Taza Arkona in The North Star here...

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