Chapter 10

Galin Thorm caught Kandis Jokling's eye when he stepped onto Nagamo's bridge. His ship had just successfully docked in the dorsal bay of the Corvette and he was returning to oversee the final preparations for their collective jump to the rendezvous with Dawning Prospect. He knew Kandis was completely against this charade, but she had enough professionalism in her not to bring it up in front of the crew. Still, her gaze was strong enough that he could almost feel it against the back of his head.

"Report," he said simply.

Jovan appeared in an instant. "Aside from a few scrapes of paint, we managed a safe landing. The personnel you requested are gathering equipment to take with them to the Corvette's bridge. All stations are reporting battle-readiness."

"Very good." He turned to face Kandis and gave a microscopic nod. "Jovan, please keep me posted once the Corvette is cleared for slipspace." He started for the exit. When he was clear of the closing doors, he talked without looking over his shoulder. "I suppose you have an objection?"

Kandis sighed and joined him at his side. "I just wish you could see the career course you're plotting. We are pretty much making things up as we go and there are procedures that ONI is use to enforcing."

"I consider this a grey area, Kandis." He stopped in front of the trio of lifts at the end of the corridor's t-junction and hit the DOWN button. "You know how important this could be, what all is at stake." The lift doors on the right opened and he stepped inside, turning to face Kandis in the process. "This is bigger than just future retirement benefits." He tilted his head to the side and frowned. "Do you not feel comfortable taking command of the Corvette as Brevet Captain?"

"No, I'll be fine. I've been in charge of more ship-types than you anyway." Kandis joined him in the lift and the doors closed behind her. "What I need from you is to promise me that you won't risk anything else." Her hands rose and held his face gently. "Once we are done with all of this, and ONI deals whatever judgment it has waiting for us," she started, her deep blue eyes as serious as ever. "Will you tell your wife about us so we can finally be together without fear of being found out?"

Galin frowned and took her hands in his. "Is this why you have been so distant these past few days? Are you looking for a long-term commitment from me?"

She blinked her eyes invitingly. "Is that so much to ask?"

He snorted. "Well, yes." Galin quickly squeezed her hands and wrapped her in his arms. "But I know it's something that is important to you." He held her tightly and then pulled her away to look into her face. "And I'm willing to discuss it further when things settle down for a bit."

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth and she kissed him fully on the lips. "Promise?" she whispered.

"I promise." He kissed her again with more intensity, felt his pulse begin to quicken, and he pressed his body against hers.

A chime from the lift interrupted any further passion play, and they pulled away before the doors opened. Galin straightened his inform and stepped onto the lower level. He spun back around and caught Kandis smiling while mouthing the words "meet me in my cabin" to him. The doors shut and he tried to keep the smile from his face. Passion would definitely be later, but now was the time to prepare for battle.

He marched down the hallway and into the ready room where the six individuals he had chosen for the Corvette had gathered. He looked into each one's face before he began. "From here on out, things are going to look very different when it comes to orders. For now, Captain Greene and I will take joint control over the mission, but I'm trusting you will act without waver if for whatever reason the Corvette comes under attack. Lieutenant Jokling will be in charge of the Corvette, and I expect you treat her as the Captain that she is."

He let that sink in a moment before continuing. "While we have an idea of enemy strengths, we don't currently know their weaknesses. If and when we find them, be quick to carry out your orders. It may come down to split-second timing and with the AI Melissa already in the Corvette's systems, I hope that you will respect her abilities and trust both her decisions and those of the LT." He looked them over once more before nodding slowly. "Dismissed."

The six crewmen, ranging from backup communications officers to fire control operators, gathered their things and headed for the exit ramp. Galin followed them down after they had cleared the ramp and stopped short of stepping onto the Corvette. From across the docking bay, he could see Apocolypso's own "select few" making their way onto the Corvette's pink deck. Captain Greene appeared much in the same way as Galin and he offered her a long-distance salute. She returned it and then returned to the belly of her ship.

Galin's brow creased when he did a quick headcount on the crewmen leaving Greene's ship. They were one short. And down one Spartan, for that matter. He wanted to call over to the other ONI ship but knew Greene would inform him if there were any major changes. According to the timeframe, the crews were to have settled in and Melissa would give them a shakedown of how to interface with the controls. The AI had mentioned overlaying the Covenant symbols with a language the humans understood, but it still involved a matter of tweaking. All in all, if things went to plan, they would be off to the rendezvous in less than two hours, leaving them a two hour cushion.

And leaving him a moment's respite with Kandis. It would have to be quick, but that had never stopped them before. Taking a deep breath, he marched back into Nagamo's hold.

From the medroom's doorway, Amanda watched Rolf closely. While her movements seemed slow they were not too labored. The younger woman shifted uneasily on the edge of her bed, but managed a smile. It was a good sign. "How are you feeling, Sorenson?"

"Much better, Captain." She tucked a loose lock of blonde hair behind her left ear. "These pain blockers are doing wonders, but I'm already scaling back my dosage. The medtechs tell me I'll be fit for duty soon."

Amanda caught the attending medtech's eye. It was Amanda that requested for the medical team to try to speed up Sorenson's recovery in any way. After authorizing the necessary treatments, Rolf had improved drastically overnight. Some would look at the Captain's diverting of resources an abuse of power, but she needed the young woman to be on that Corvette. It was more of a reaction to a gut feeling than basic protocol.

The Captain walked over and stood in front of Rolf, giving her a look of pure clinical concentration. "Well, will you be ready in an hour? I'd like for you to join the crew aboard the Corvette."

Rolf pushed off the bed slowly and stood on sure footing. "I'm pretty sure I can. Don't know how much good I can do over there, though."

"You'll be acting as Lieutenant Jokling's First Officer, and you'll offer her tactical and consultation advice just like you were here on Apocolypso." She looked into Sorenson's eyes. "Don't sell yourself short, Rolf. You have a brilliant mind, and all you need is a little self-confidence to help push yourself even further."

Rolf took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, ma'am." She took a few steps forward, past the Captain, and then walked over to the other side of the bed. "I'll be ready."

"Good." Amanda pulled out her datapad. "Spartan-458 will be your escort and will stay on the Corvette for the duration of the mission. Godspeed, First Officer Sorenson."

As Captain Greene headed for the bridge, she found herself pushing back a nagging feeling that they were all in way over their heads, that this mission would be the last they ever attempted. It wasn't for lack of a competent crew. Despite not having Hyde aboard, Apocolypso was at peak performance, and she could only assume Galin still ran as tight of a ship as when they were both serving aboard Nagamo. It was that tinge of doubt that forced her to be overly cautious in many situations, but taking the initiative when appropriate had been drilled into her ONI officer training since taking possession of her own ship.

And then there's Rolf. She sighed as she started down the last long stretch of corridor to the bridge. The young woman had already seen enough action for one mission, but her ability to find holes in tactics and offer suggestions was priceless and was needed now more than ever. It wasn't that she didn't trust Rolf but her lack of experience. Though she won't be alone.

She entered the bridge and quickly noticed that Laszlo Sorvad was not present. She keyed the comm unit on her command chair. "Professor Sorvad? Are you already on Eye of Karaan?"

There was a crackle then a distant sound of a foreign tongue swearing. "Yes," Sorvad answered distractedly. "We have all of the translation programs in effect and are just about ready to test the Slipspace drive." He continued his cursing rant under his breath.

Amanda frowned. "Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, Captain." His sigh sounded like static over the comm. "It's just these blasted seats. They're not fit for a human and they rub you something fierce if you've sat in them for too long."

"Carry on, then," she replied with a grin. Things were falling into place and now they just needed to execute as flawlessly as possible.

Nicole wondered how she would react to seeing Rolf Sorenson again, but it seemed her momentary lapse in control was past. At least for now. The petite woman held her blonde hair in place with a loose pony tail that fell on her left shoulder. It only hindered her ability to look older, Nicole thought, but she carried herself with a more rigid posture than the first time she had seen her. If it was from the injury or the fact that she was now a leader on the Corvette team, Nicole didn't know.

"Ready," Rolf said, hoisting a bag onto her shoulders and only cringing slightly. She picked up her datapad off the counter in Hyde's quarters and stepped into the hallway.

Nicole hesitated. The usual protocol was to walk behind a commanding officer, but she wasn't sure if Rolf would interpret that as an uncomfortable choice. And if I walk in front of her, it would look like she's my prisoner. Nicole hated drama. Instead, she did neither and walked alongside Rolf towards the docking bay.

They walked in silence for the majority of their trek into the Corvette, but while they headed down the last stretch of corridor to Eye of Karaan's bridge, Rolf finally spoke. "I never did thank you for what you did, saving my life and all."

So, say it then. Nicole grimaced behind her visor and didn't reply. She knew Rolf was looking for some sort of acknowledgement of the deed, but it wasn't anything special to Nicole. She had saved lives before and it didn't do her any benefit to befriend the damsel. It was mostly annoying. Still, there was a tinge of guilt, and Nicole could feel that distant emotion from the previous day reach its decrepit, withered hand from the grave in which she buried it. Her response was a single solitary nod to Rolf.

"Yes, well, thank you, Spartan." She let the last word hang in the air, as if she was fishing for a friendlier term to use.

Nicole just nodded again. She knew the girl was just being polite, but Spartans are ingrained to shut off the outside when necessary. And right now it was necessary. For my sake.

Surprisingly, the Corvette didn't feel all that different than before to Nicole. Even with gravity and every system restored, it still felt very uneasy aboard an enemy ship, like some Elite was waiting to pop out and start shooting everyone at any second. But the bridge doors opened silently and the two women walked into a busy scene. Nearly a dozen crewmen were already stationed at consoles, most with their datapads on stands beside them, and Nicole spotted the de-facto Captain talking with Sorvad. The woman looked even taller with her long black hair falling past mid-back, and the tighter uniform she wore left little to the imagination.

Sorvad saw them first and smiled. "Good to see the both of you," he greeted in an unusually chipper mood. "Lieutenant—I mean, Captain—Jokling and I were just discussing our plan for the first rendezvous."

Jokling gave him a sideways stare. "First Officer Sorenson, if you'd like to be included in the discussion the Professor can fill you in on his plan." Before Sorvad could open his mouth in retort, she added, "while I show the Spartan around for a moment." She flashed a brief smile and motioned for Nicole to join her.

Nicole smirked and nodded once to Sorenson before she began walking with Jokling. Out of the corner of her visor she saw the Professor escort Sorenson to an open terminal and begin his explanation.

When they were just outside of the ring of consoles Jokling sighed. "Once the Professor has something in his head, there's no chance to change his mind," she muttered. "He and Melissa are running the show pretty much on their own."

Nicole snorted. "What about you, ma'am?"

"Oh, I'm sure once all hell breaks loose they'll ask me to clean up their mess." She led them to the back of the bridge and turned around to look out at the crew. "Our AI Melissa needs to be at the proverbial helm, but I'm still in command of the bridge. This first rendezvous, though . . ." She shook her head. "If Dawning Prospect suspects anything then we're going to have to be lucky enough to catch it with its shields down. I've never been on the giving-end of Covenant weaponry, but I imagine their defenses are much better than the armor plating on our Prowlers."

Nicole nodded. She liked Jokling. Very commanding and very to-the-point. "What's the next step, ma'am?"

She folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the back wall. "We're all prepped and ready, waiting on either captains' blessing. Captain Thorm has already activated and jettisoned an ONI-encrypted beacon stating our intentions, if we don't make it back." She rolled her head to the left then right. "Personally, I give us one in three odds." She glanced over to Nicole. "Any takers?"

Yeah. I like this one.

With the dorsal docking bay doors sealed with both ONI vessels safely aboard, the Corvette Eye of Karaan cleared the orbital plane and fired up its Slipstream drive. The black void appeared before them in a spinning vortex and the ship vanished inside, leaving only the ONI beacon behind them and a waiting Covenant Frigate at their destination.