his plan, but he had to admit the effectiveness of it. Within minutes the EXOs pinged the command deck requesting to have the cargo doors opened. Breaker sent the command and waited for the EXOs to complete the transfer of supplies.
* * * *
Quintar IV - EFNF Alpha Base: Officer’s Quarters
2973 ESD - Saturday, May 15th 06:01 Hours
Fleet Admiral Andromeda Clark sat behind the large stone desk she loved so dearly. The room was cold, but she was used to being cold. For years she had lived aboard star-ships and worked her way through military channels. When she had been young she accelerated through naval ranks faster than she should have. Joining the Exodus Union had been a happy accident. The Earth Coalition - where she had begun her career - was not known for gender equality and she capped out as a destroyer captain. The only other female she heard of rising higher was Admiral Jezebel Cade.
“That woman had been a bloodthirsty maniac,” Andromeda said aloud.
“Who was that?” a sickly looking creature asked.
“No one, musing on my own thoughts.”
The creature sat in the corner of the room seated in a chair. The same chair that Echo Shade had occupied when Abel Cain resigned.
The boy had not really resigned, Andromeda thought. I revoked his commission.
In truth Andromeda had enjoyed putting Abel in his place. She felt that he had too long been at the top of the minds of the EFNF. She resented that he seemed to think himself above everyone else and yet expected everyone else to give him his due. What about her due? She was upsetting herself all over again. Andromeda had not come into the office on a Saturday to sit and brood about Abel or the bloodthirstiness of Admirals past. She reviewed the holo-screen on her desk and examined the contents of the message.
The holo-screen showed an image of a box-like freighter drifting on the back of an asteroid. The ship floated listlessly in the dark illuminated only by the few outer hull lights. EFNF channels had received a message indicating that the Icarus had been attacked by a pirate vessel. Normally, she wouldn’t have batted an eye, but the message indicated that it had been the Kodiak. The message also stated that Abel had robbed them and killed all the crew, save for the husband and wife captains. The former half of the message about the Kodiak she could believe. When she had sent a team to retrieve the crashed vessel, it was already gone, which meant someone had already removed it. Andromeda figured it was salvagers in the poorer districts of Quintar IV’s Alpha Base. Now, she was not so sure.
The latter half of the message was absurd. Even if Abel had been able to retrieve the Kodiak and get the ship flight-worthy, she couldn’t see the boy killing. She knew it was not Abel’s style to go about killing miners and civilians, unless they were EXO infected. She searched the report again. Nothing said anything about EXOs or EXO virus. Andromeda turned to the sickly creature in the room. The grotesque being had six limbs and she could not tell which parts were arms and which were legs. Its segmented abdomen reminded her of a cockroach. Although its face appeared mostly humanoid the entirety of the creature’s existence unnerved her. However, the Vald - as it referred to itself - had been a great help in uncovering plots to undermine the EFNF.
“What do you make of these reports Arvol? This is the seventh such report in a month,” Andromeda sighed and leaned back in the office chair.
“I think they are nonsense designed to draw out Abel Cain. Whoever is doing this intends the boy harm. I think it is unwise to give them voice. I would also suggest eliminating the witnesses to ensure the entire acts are silenced.” Arvol hissed.
“We’re not killing people to keep this secret,” Andromeda said. “However, I agree these are a ruse. It stinks of Alek Vale.”
“His is a particular stench,” Arvol agreed.
Andromeda sighed again. She turned
* * * *
Quintar IV - EFNF Alpha Base: Officer’s Quarters
2973 ESD - Saturday, May 15th 06:01 Hours
Fleet Admiral Andromeda Clark sat behind the large stone desk she loved so dearly. The room was cold, but she was used to being cold. For years she had lived aboard star-ships and worked her way through military channels. When she had been young she accelerated through naval ranks faster than she should have. Joining the Exodus Union had been a happy accident. The Earth Coalition - where she had begun her career - was not known for gender equality and she capped out as a destroyer captain. The only other female she heard of rising higher was Admiral Jezebel Cade.
“That woman had been a bloodthirsty maniac,” Andromeda said aloud.
“Who was that?” a sickly looking creature asked.
“No one, musing on my own thoughts.”
The creature sat in the corner of the room seated in a chair. The same chair that Echo Shade had occupied when Abel Cain resigned.
The boy had not really resigned, Andromeda thought. I revoked his commission.
In truth Andromeda had enjoyed putting Abel in his place. She felt that he had too long been at the top of the minds of the EFNF. She resented that he seemed to think himself above everyone else and yet expected everyone else to give him his due. What about her due? She was upsetting herself all over again. Andromeda had not come into the office on a Saturday to sit and brood about Abel or the bloodthirstiness of Admirals past. She reviewed the holo-screen on her desk and examined the contents of the message.
The holo-screen showed an image of a box-like freighter drifting on the back of an asteroid. The ship floated listlessly in the dark illuminated only by the few outer hull lights. EFNF channels had received a message indicating that the Icarus had been attacked by a pirate vessel. Normally, she wouldn’t have batted an eye, but the message indicated that it had been the Kodiak. The message also stated that Abel had robbed them and killed all the crew, save for the husband and wife captains. The former half of the message about the Kodiak she could believe. When she had sent a team to retrieve the crashed vessel, it was already gone, which meant someone had already removed it. Andromeda figured it was salvagers in the poorer districts of Quintar IV’s Alpha Base. Now, she was not so sure.
The latter half of the message was absurd. Even if Abel had been able to retrieve the Kodiak and get the ship flight-worthy, she couldn’t see the boy killing. She knew it was not Abel’s style to go about killing miners and civilians, unless they were EXO infected. She searched the report again. Nothing said anything about EXOs or EXO virus. Andromeda turned to the sickly creature in the room. The grotesque being had six limbs and she could not tell which parts were arms and which were legs. Its segmented abdomen reminded her of a cockroach. Although its face appeared mostly humanoid the entirety of the creature’s existence unnerved her. However, the Vald - as it referred to itself - had been a great help in uncovering plots to undermine the EFNF.
“What do you make of these reports Arvol? This is the seventh such report in a month,” Andromeda sighed and leaned back in the office chair.
“I think they are nonsense designed to draw out Abel Cain. Whoever is doing this intends the boy harm. I think it is unwise to give them voice. I would also suggest eliminating the witnesses to ensure the entire acts are silenced.” Arvol hissed.
“We’re not killing people to keep this secret,” Andromeda said. “However, I agree these are a ruse. It stinks of Alek Vale.”
“His is a particular stench,” Arvol agreed.
Andromeda sighed again. She turned
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