20. The Remembered
Hands clasped behind his back, Cataloupe paced the bridge of the Sabertooth, trying to project an air of calm and fooling no one. His crew knew him too well.
Captain Goodspeed's desperate, heartbreaking litany as he fought to keep Avocato alive played over the comm lines, and Cataloupe suspected the whole fleet was riveted. The Sabertooth's crew certainly was. No one spoke anything beyond what was absolutely necessary as they rushed to the Mynn. A handful of officers – his second in command, his chief engineer, the ship's doctor – were aware of Avocato being poisoned. The rest of the crew knew he was injured at least. Some of them had served under Avocato in the past, some just knew the name, but they all wanted him back. Avocato was a formidable warrior and leader, and Ventrexia needed him.
"Time to reach the Mynn?" he asked.
"Seven minutes, sir."
Too long. Cataloupe suppressed a growl. Avocato did not have that long. When the akusan reactivated, the attacks could last for hours and the only thing keeping Avocato alive in those instances was his medical team.
"How long before Mogs' shuttle arrives?"
"Ten minutes, sir."
"Are all teams ready?"
"Yes, si-"
Suddenly Captain Goodspeed gave a wild shout, echoed by an animal scream that could only have come from Avocato. Cataloupe turned to the comm station, knowing what was happening but helpless to do anything. There were sounds of a struggle, and finally long, panting breaths as another crisis passed.
And then . . .
"Avocato?" called Captain Goodspeed, his voice breaking. "Avocato! Hey! Avocato! Breathe! Come on! Breathe! Avocato, no! Oh, god, no! Please! They're almost here! Avocato don't – don't you dare die on me! Come on! Come on! Avocato!"
Goodspeed's rising panic was infectious. Cataloupe all but pounced on his helmsman. "Get us in there now!"
"General, we're too close to the Mynn to accelerate. Our shields could destabilize their plasma fields."
"Then drop the shields!"
"We're in a debris field!" the young officer pointed out.
"No, we're in a Ventrexian heavy battle cruiser. She can take it. Shields down! Get us in as close as possible to the aft docking bay. We'll launch the shuttles when we're there." That would reduce travel time and get them to Avocato faster. Every minute, every second counted.
His arguments spent and overridden, the helmsman obeyed and increased the Sabertooth's speed. Cataloupe watched the screen as the Mynn - or what was left of her after Hive had struck - drew closer. She was a wreck, her guns knocked out by the Infinity Guard, her hull reduced to shreds by the indicated she would not last much longer, but Cataloupe was confident they would get there and back with time to spare.
Over the comm lines, Goodspeed's tragedy played out, his voice little more than a grief-choked whisper as all his begging came to nothing.
"No. Cato . . . please. Don't leave me."
Then but for a short whine that spoke of grief too great to be borne, there was silence.
"We can launch shuttles in less than two minutes, sir," advised his first officer.
"I'm going with them," announced Cataloupe. He headed for the lift, saying, "Commander Kikit, you're in charge. Tell the Resistance to take prisoners only if they surrender. Let Captain Goodspeed know we're coming. Hold position, but be ready to depart. When Mogs gets close, let him decide if he wants to wait onboard or join us."
He issued more orders as he walked through his flagship. Often the aftermath of a battle was as complex as the fight itself, and there were many facets to this situation and many personalities that had to be managed with care.
He hadn't planned on stepping foot on the Mynn, but he needed to see for himself that the Lord Commander was dead. He needed to be sure, to be able to tell Ventrexia's king that their enemy was eliminated and finally, finally, there was a chance for lasting peace. He suspected, too, that the human who loved Avocato so completely was going to need his help and sympathy from someone who understood the situation better than the Ventrexian troops. Cataloupe knew what the akusan seizures looked like, what the poison could do, and he knew, but dared not say, that all hope wasn't lost so long as they reached Avocato in time.
"General," Kikit called, "I'm unable to raise Captain Goodspeed. General Menendez reports E35-1 is going to the Crimson Light accompanied by a SAMES."
"Good. Alert Captain Cree'took. Keep trying to raise Goodspeed, and keep me posted," ordered Cataloupe. He activated his helmet as he jogged up the ramp of the last shuttle, just as it started to close.
The first shuttle was packed with soldiers to secure the scene, the second full of medical personnel and equipment. The third shuttle, carrying extra soldiers, made room for him. The ride was brief, and Cataloupe let the teams surge forward through the docking bay to make sure all was safe. Thanks to Avocato, they were very familiar with the layout of the Incinerator and the Ventrexian troops fanned out in teams. Cataloupe exited the ship last, taking in the wreckage, the signs of a battle, the dead Tera Con troops.
"Secure!" called the lieutenant in charge of the soldiers, and the medical team and their escorts rushed off down a hall to the battle deck. Cataloupe kept pace with them through the back entrance of the Lord Commander's throne space was ridiculously huge and poorly lit. Traces of smoke from distant fires on the ship hung low to the deck. Broken equipment and rubble was scattered about. Quite a miserable setting, all in all, thought Cataloupe. It was a moment before he spotted Avocato, still propped up against Captain Goodspeed. The human's head was bent, and he was very still. He seemed unconscious of their arrival.
The medics swept down en masse, catching Captain Goodspeed completely by surprise. The human let out a shout of alarm, thinking he was being attacked. The lieutenant bodily pinned Goodspeed's arms from behind and hauled him back and out of the way before he could react further. Ignoring him, the doctors got to work on Avocato. Cataloupe rushed forward and set himself directly in front of the panicked, struggling primate, putting both hands on Goodspeed's should shoulders to calm and steady him. With ease, he held the man still, making Goodspeed look at him through his visor.
"Captain," he said, firmly and with authority, rightly suspecting his tone, if not his words, would get through. "I'm General Cataloupe."
Goodspeed stilled, staring at him in shock. He looked around, realizing he was surrounded by Ventrexians. Cataloupe nodded to the lieutenant, who carefully released the human and stepped away.
"Colonel Cato is safe," Cataloupe assured him, speaking slowly and clearly. "E35-1 is as well. They're with Clarence's children on his ship, being watched by the captain in charge of the Zintabo fleet."
A little squeak sounded, and Goodspeed swayed, then dropped to his knees, spent. He bent so low his helmet rested on the deck, his chest heaving as he tried to calm himself. Cataloupe knelt with him.
"A-Avo-"
Cataloupe raised a paw and placed it on Goodspeed's back trying to comfort him and give assurance he was not alone anymore. Softly Cataloupe said, "Let them work. Now that they're here, there's still a chance. A small one, but this has happened before."
Perhaps not as badly or for as prolonged a period of time, but Cataloupe saw no reason to destroy this man who had done so much for their cause. Better to give him hope. Goodspeed slowly sat up and rested on his heels, staring at Cataloupe and wondering,
"Really?"
"Yes."
The human slowly reasoned aloud. "When . . . when I saw this the first time, Little Cato asked the doctor if Avocato's heart stopped."
Cataloupe nodded, familiar with just such a scenario. "Did it?"
"Yeah. Twice." He frowned. "The other thing that was here before, the one that gave the Lord Commander his power . . . it said Death didn't want Avocato."
"Other thing?" echoed Cataloupe, quietly horrified.
Goodspeed nodded, still too stunned by events to realize Invictus was an unknown. "It was just shadows and cold. It had horns and lots of eyes. You could tell it was, like, super evil. It was mad at the Lord Commander and took away his power when he hadn't caught Mooncake or opened a breach. It wanted to come into this dimension and needed Mooncake's power to do that."
The general stared at him, having no reason to doubt and no basis for understanding. They both looked at the cluster of doctors as they quickly transferred Avocato to a gravity stretcher and whisked him away, followed by a few soldiers carrying equipment and medical supplies. Cataloupe was relieved to see them go. If there was no chance for Avocato, they would not have rushed so.
"Medical team and escort departing, Commander Kikit," Cataloupe called. "They should be docking in less than five minutes."
"Dr. Mogs will meet them in our docking bay. Sir, be aware, fires on the Mynn are almost at her engine room," Kikit responded. "There's no telling when she might blow. You need to get out of there as soon as possible."
"Understood. We'll be departing in a few moments. Be ready to receive us and initiate emergency withdrawal. Alert our forces to put a safe distance between them and the Mynn."
"Already done, General. The fleet's moving out."
"Good."
He rose, offering a hand to help Goodspeed to his feet.
"Where did the Lord Commander fall?"
Goodspeed accepted his aid and led Cataloupe a few paces away from where Avocato's blood stained the deck. A soldier standing guard stepped back as the captain pointed to what looked like a heap of burned rags. The remains were surprisingly small and fairly well charred. Goodspeed had done a thorough job. Such a pathetic and fitting end. It was amazing that something so small could affect countless billions of lives.
Well, no more. Cataloupe looked at the man beside him. They were surprisingly daring, these humans, and remarkably resilient despite their frail appearance. Goodspeed was staring down at all that was left of the Lord Commander's physical form. His face held no expression as far as Cataloupe could read, but his body language spoke of utter exhaustion.
"Captain Goodspeed," said Cataloupe, "no matter what happens after today, you have rendered the universe a great service, greater than you know. You have the gratitude of this rebellion and all of Ventrexia, not to mention my personal thanks. Avocato was my student, then my commander, and finally my friend. For all you've done for him and his son, thank you."
Too overwhelmed to answer, Goodspeed just nodded. It was enough for Cataloupe. He smiled, then looked to the soldier standing closest.
"Do you have a thermite charge?"
"Yes, sir," she replied, producing a small thermal grenade off her belt.
"Remove the initiator and pour the explosive on top of that," he ordered, pointing at the Lord Commander's remains. Cataloupe watched as she obeyed, then ordered everyone to step well away. Drawing his personal blaster for the first time in this rebellion, Cataloupe took aim and shot, igniting the powder. Searing white flames erupted, casting the room into lurid shadows and devouring what atmosphere was left. The heat put off was astonishing, and within seconds, all that was left of the Lord Commander was ash.
"Move out," ordered Cataloupe as the blaze began to melt the deck and spread up the wall. They double-timed it back to the hangar and the piled into the waiting shuttle, leaving behind the collapsing remains of the super Incinerator. The rank-and file soldiers, all intensely curious about the additional passenger and well aware of what he had done, made way for their general as Cataloupe guided his human companion to a seat.
Goodspeed hesitated for a moment before following the Ventrexians' example and deactivating his helmet. His disheveled blond hair and large, hazel eyes caught them by surprise.
"General?"
Cataloupe sat beside him, intensely interested in this exotic alien who had managed to charm Avocato. "Yes?"
He gestured with his mechanical hand. "Is – is it over?"
"It's over. The battle, if not the war."
Goodspeed took a moment to ponder this news, then asked,
"Did we win?"
Cataloupe broke into a broad smile. "Yes, Captain. We won."
But in his heart, he knew the most desperate battle of Avocato's rebellion had just begun.