Chapter Seven

Alex rolled over with a groan. His head was throbbing uncomfortably and the alarm sounded twice as loud as it should.

“Three shots of tequila. I must be going soft.” He rolled off the bed and stumbled toward the washroom, ordering the lights slightly dimmed. The face in the mirror was so like the picture on the night stand in his fathers bedroom back on Cryian, Alex nearly started in surprise.

He began to shave away any resemblance to his father while trying to figure out what it was that had driven him to the tequila, a drink he hadn’t touched in years. It had something to do with Sha’erah . . . He glared at the reflection in disgust. “And what do you know about friendship?” Certainly not enough to try and explain the concept to an alien. Evan must think he was an idiot.

“He was right about one thing.” Alex wiped the soap residue from his face with a cool towel. “A Sha’erah beats a friend any day.” They certainly argued as much as any friend he’d had. Evan didn’t seem to be shy about speaking his mind. What did he need with friends, anyway? “Grow up, Alex.” He tossed the towel into the cleaning chute and stormed back into the room to get dressed, ignoring the pounding in his head. “You go through life alone, everyone does. Get used to it.”

Evan had breakfast ready when he came out of the room.

“I can’t remember the last time I had breakfast this regularly.”

“I’m surprised you remember to eat any meal.”

Alex shrugged. “I get preoccupied.”

“I know.” Evan sat opposite him at the table. “The medical staff left you a message. Apparently you and I are the only two here who didn’t undergo a pre-flight physical.”

“Oh, damn, you’re right.” Alex set down the coffee cup. “I forgot. It’s for the insurance.” This section of the trip could be pretty uneventful, still too far out to send a new probe, and thankfully too far distant from the Vision to make conversation with Franklin. “I guess we should do that.”

“They’re expecting us in thirty minutes.”

Alex glanced at Evan, meeting sparkling black eyes. “Good. Okay.” Had he always been this complacent? Jeff would have done the same, probably. And he would have gone along with it, too busy to care about unimportant details.

They both returned to their breakfast silently. A strange feeling was creeping into Alex’s mind, still hiding in a back corner, afraid to be noticed, but there nevertheless.

“Is something wrong?”

He looked up, surprised out of his thought. “What?”

“You aren’t eating.”

“Oh.” Alex shook his head and set the coffee back down. “Still a little hung over, I guess.” He cleared his throat and looked at Evan again. “Listen, last night, if I said anything. . . I mean, I don’t usually do that.”

Evan’s eyebrows creased together slightly, making his eyes seem even darker. “Do what? Get drunk or sit on the couch sulking?”

“Both, actually.” He stood and took his unwanted food back to the galley for recycling. “I think it just hit me yesterday, what Jeff did. Now that we’re off and running, things will fall back into place.” He cleared off the dishes, hoping Evan didn’t hear the desperation in his voice.

“I’ll see that they do.”

Alex suppressed an ironic laugh and led the way out of their quarters and down the corridor that would take them two levels down to the medical bay. God, it was tempting. Just sit back and let this guy make everything get back to normal. Give him all the responsibility, so the rest of the journey could be devoted, single-mindedly, to the task at hand. But then, that’s what Sha’erah were for, right? So it wasn’t all bad, to let him do what it was he did. If that made him happy. Who was he to say what was right or wrong for these people, after all.

“Wait a second, I forgot this guy’s name.” Alex stopped Evan with a hand on his arm seconds before he was able to palm open the door to Medical.

“Dr. Gorman,” Evan replied calmly. “He joined the crew while you were on Cryian.”

“Right.” Alex cleared his throat and nodded. “Gorman.”

Evan opened the door and they both stepped inside.

“Sounds a little funny for a doctor.”

“Captain Marcase, good to see you.” Doctor Gorman caught sight of the two of them from the next room and came out smiling. “Evan, you’re in room two.” With a gesture and nod, he indicated the room next to the one he’d just exited. “Captain, if you’ll follow me.”

“Alex.” He followed the man, taking quick note of Evan’s slight hesitation before he entered his own assigned exam room. “Just Alex, Doc.”

“All right, Alex. Why don’t you just hop up there and unbutton your shirt.” Doctor Gorman waved to an assistant who had entered from a back door. “Leslie here will hook you up to the scanners. This is all quite routine.” He glanced at one of two chart disks in his hand. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to examine Evan personally.”

Alex looked up from the multitude of leads being deftly attached to his chest.

“I have to admit, I’ve never seen a Sha’erah before. I’d appreciate the opportunity to examine him myself.”

Alex shrugged. “Be my guest, Doc.” These exams were so routine, he often wondered why the doctors and nurses felt the need to be present at all anymore.

“Leslie will take care of you. I’ll be back to perform the final physical.” Doctor Gorman grinned, his older brown eyes sparkling with child-like anticipation.

“Knock yourself out,” Alex muttered. He was fairly sure Evan wouldn’t kill the man. “I’m all yours, Leslie.”

The nurse blushed, but quickly regained her composure and completed the attachments, then ordered Alex to lie down and relax while the computers did the rest.

After an hour that according to the wall chronometer had lasted only ten minutes, Doctor Gorman came back into the room, all smiles and reassurances.

“Well now, let me have a look at your results.”

“Evan had pneumonia before we left Cryian.” Alex helped pull off the last of the scanner leads and handed them to Leslie.

“Yes, he mentioned that. I’m happy to report he’s perfectly recovered.” Doctor Gorman’s eyes never left the chart in his hands. “And I see you’re in fine shape. I’ll just have a look or two myself.” From his white lab coat came a hand-held instrument Alex knew was required by law to be ice cold. He flicked a few switches and the unit purred to life. “I’m a bit old fashioned sometimes. Still like looking at the patient myself.”

Alex held still while his eyes, ears and throat were scrutinized.

“Evan is a fascinating person.” Doctor Gorman returned the unit to the little freezer pocket – no doubt for a re-cooling – while he poked and probed Alex’s neck. “That silver metal in his hand is as natural to him as skin. I’d heard of that, but never saw one myself.”

“He’s interesting, all right.” Alex found himself suddenly desperate to have someone he could open up to, but he’d only just met this man. A fleeting review of his current crew and command staff revealed absolutely no one he felt he could spill his guts to comfortably. No wonder he’d wanted to get drunk. With Jeff gone, the only person on board the Ascalon – or anywhere else for that matter – that Alex felt he could trust with anything important or personal regarding Evan, was Evan.

“Well, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you about him.” The doctor finished his probing and pulled the chart back out of his pocket.

Actually, doc, I wish you would. I’d like to know why his eyes are black. How does he do what he does with the computers and just that silver in his hand? Why is he frightening one minute and completely obedient the next? Why am I so afraid of him and so sorry for him all at the same time? What the hell am I supposed to do with him?

“Did I pass?”

“Yes, you’re as healthy as expected.” Doctor Gorman smiled and motioned for Alex to get off the exam table. “Just routine, you know, for the insurance. You’ll be happy to know your entire crew checked out with flying colors.”

“Thanks, doc.” Alex shook Doctor Gorman’s extended hand.

“My pleasure, Captain.”

He found Evan waiting in the med bay’s small reception area.

“I checked his background. He worked on two colony planets, immediately after medical training, then signed on for a deep space mission with the military before settling down to a private practice on Scotian.”

“Wonder what brought him here.” Alex scratched at his chest where the leads had been, trying to rid his skin of the ghost feeling they were still there.

“He stated boredom on his application. A desire to return to the adventures he knew before.” Evan shook his head. “His background seems too simple, but I couldn’t find anything to suggest otherwise.”

“What, you’re still suspicious?” They were near a lift, so Alex stopped and called the next car to save them a longer walk back to the bridge. “You can’t think Harvey got his own people on this ship?”

“No,” Evan shook his head. “I just wanted to know. There were several crew members added while you were gone.”

Alex sighed. “People Jeff cleared, you mean.”

“Yes.”

“Up until the day he walked out, he couldn’t have had anything evil in mind.” Alex felt sure about that. The car they were in made the trip two levels up quickly and quietly, depositing them on the walkway just above the bridge. He started walking to the office, twisting the silver ring around his finger. “You think he might have?”

“His wife had already moved out when we came on board.” Evan spoke quietly so no one below would overhear. “Would she have left him, before he knew he was leaving himself?”

Alex opened the door to his office, feeling less and less sure of anything anymore. “Good point. That means he was prepared to leave even before he asked about you staying.”

“Or he knew he would, regardless of your answer.”

“Which means . . .” Alex leaned on the edge of his desk and looked at Evan. His black eyes and constantly serious expression were next to impossible to read.

“I’m not sure yet.”

That confession surprised him. Alex stood and slowly walked around to his chair. “I’m not very good at this conspiracy stuff.” He sat down and looked at Evan sitting on the couch next to the desk. “If he wanted to quit, even if he wanted to work for Franklin, he would have done it sooner, don’t you think? He certainly wouldn’t have secured such a good agreement with Carpenter on my behalf.”

Evan shrugged. “Unless he did so to give you every reason to believe he was trustworthy up to that point.”

Do I have Screw Mew Over written on my face? “All he ended up with was a new job. He didn’t get the maps, since they don’t exist. And he wasn’t here when you enhanced our speed, so he missed out on that. In fact, he’s going to lose.” That was one thing Alex was sure of. Nothing was going to stop him from winning this, gaining both his goal and his ship.

Evan said nothing, but seemed to be considering something as he sat on the couch, quietly gazing at the wall behind Alex. After a moment of contemplation, he reached over and pulled out the terminal attached to the end of the seat, positioning the keypad in front of him.

“What are you doing?”

He rested his left palm on the input pad. “I’m going to scan the Ascalon’s systems.”

Alex watched in fascination as Evan’s black eyes seemed to lose focus. The monitor, left at the side of the couch, flicked to life, then moved so quickly through files, he couldn’t begin to read them. “What are you looking for?”

“Anything unusual.”

Curious, Alex came around to the front of his desk and leaned against it, watching. “You think Jeff did something?”

“It’s possible.” Evan continued his scan, slowing down only occasionally to check additional areas and submenus. “I might not recognize anything out of the ordinary, but if I can get a good feel for the ship as it stands now, I’ll be able to spot any changes that might take place.”

It was too much to ignore any more. “What’s that like?”

Evan paused, focusing with a blink of his eyes on Alex. “What?”

“Doing that.” Alex pointed at the computer terminal. He didn’t even have the words to describe what he wanted to know, having never heard of this behavior before. “The way you get inside the computer and read the files like that, so quickly. It’s like you’re in there.”

Evan shrugged. “It’s no different than the way you read files, I just get them in a burst, then sort them out.”

“That’s different than the way I read them, trust me.” Alex shook his head, trying to imagine having a manual suddenly appear inside his mind.

“No, not really. You absorb information when you read, then you sort it out later in your head.” He pointed to the screen. “The human brain isn’t that different than these, able to absorb and process information just as rapidly. It’s the eye and consciousness that slow it down.”

“Some of us must be slower than others.”

“No,” Evan hurried to reassure. “It’s just the method. I can bypass my eyes and consciousness and put the information straight inside, then process it more slowly.” He glanced at the terminal. “What it looks like is just a blur of words and diagrams. But like you scanning a document, I can look for anything unusual without having to scrutinize it all every time.”

Was it modesty, or did he honestly think it was that unremarkable? “Well, I’m glad one of us understands it.” Alex returned to his chair and sat with a heavy sigh. “I’ll leave you to it, then.” Whatever he did, it worked. He’d been able to find a way to increase their speed just by studying the specs. If Jeff had done something, worked any kind of sabotage, Evan would certainly stand a better chance of finding it than anyone. He wouldn’t have done that.It was just too hard to conceive of, after all this time together. Even if Jeff hated Alex for letting him quit without so much as an argument, he couldn’t see a man such as that doing anything to harm the Ascalon. He had more respect than that for a good ship.

Evan seemed completely absorbed by his scans, so Alex pulled up the nebula data on the large screen and returned to his assessment of their as yet unplanned route. They broke for lunch and Alex decided a change of scenery would be good, so he insisted they take the meal in main galley where conversations about Evan’s enhancements and the Ascalon’s new-found speed permeated the atmosphere. Alex couldn’t help noticing the compliments seemed to bother Evan, who kept looking at him as if expecting him to accept them for himself.

Alex rescued him from the scrutiny after lunch.

Evan looked positively confused when they’d returned to the office. “I don’t understand why anyone feels thanks are necessary every time someone does what was their duty to do in the first place.”

“It’s just what people do. After all, you’re new here, and you have nothing at stake whether we win or lose this thing.”

“Of course I do.” He shook his head, clearly frustrated. “Your success is all that concerns me. It should be all that concerns your crew.”

“It is. Believe me. They all stand to win here.”

“Then why would thanks be in order? If you thanked someone every time they did their job, nothing would get done.”

Alex shook his head. “You mean Spencer never appreciated what you did for him?”

“He appreciated my abilities, if that’s what you mean. Anything less than complete success would not have been tolerated.” He sat down but didn’t return to his computer right away. “He knew what I was capable of, and he knew I would always do whatever was needed.”

“It shouldn’t be that way.”

“Why not?”

“This is what I was talking about last night.” At least he thought it was, that tequila had gone straight to his head. “People doing things and being appreciated for it. You might think it was your duty to increase the speed of this ship, and whatever else you might have done or will do in the future, but I honestly appreciate what you’ve done.”

“It’s my duty to do what you expect.”

“Yes, but I never expected that.” Alex leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. “I was perfectly happy with the engine performance the way it was. So what you did was – to me – above and beyond what I would have expected.”

Evan seemed confused, and for once didn’t have an offhanded dismissal to offer up.

Believing he’d finally won one of these arguments, Alex sat back. “So you see, you didn’t just do your duty, you went beyond that. You went out of your way and found something that benefited me and my crew, and expected nothing in return.” He grinned at the lack of response. “Maybe you’re getting the idea after all.”

With a confused shake of his head, Evan reached for the terminal and pulled it back in front of him, returning to his work without another word.

__________

The next few days passed in comfortable routine. Alex spent his working hours studying the nebula while Evan made a habit of curling up on the couch with the computer terminal, scanning the entire ship’s systems daily. After adjusting their schedule to the Ascalon’s new speed, the onboard scientific community determined they were close enough for a new probe four days ahead of schedule.

They watched the launch from the bridge as the small unit shot through space ahead of the ship, screaming in vacuumed silence toward the Nebula barely visible in the distance. Within minutes, the high powered missile began sending back new data that had Alex’s heart beating faster.

“Look at that.” The images displayed brightly on the main view screen, showing more detail of the Pendulum Nebula than anyone had seen before. “It’s incredible.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t improve the speed of your probes.” Evan hadn’t accepted that defeat well yet.

“What? Oh, don’t worry about it. Those things are fast enough as it is. Besides,” Alex clapped a hand over Evan’s shoulder, trying again to make him understand it wasn’t failure in his or anyone else’s eyes. “You’ve got us going so much faster, we’re here sooner than we planned. And well ahead of Franklin.” The screen’s display changed, bringing them an ever closer view of the gas giant they were approaching. “Look at that. It’s incredible. And we’re the first to see it.”

The images were incredible. Gigantic arms of purple and pink gas stretched in many directions, each one large enough to hide entire star systems. The Pendulum Nebula was large enough to take three lifetimes to fully explore and Alex felt he could be perfectly happy doing just that. Probes could locate turbidium and direct them straight to the claim. But what other mysteries lay inside the gas were anyone’s guess. Even if there were no more than a few habitable planets and some interesting lifeless hulks, he’d be happy staying out here discovering them. Alien life had never been a goal and none had ever been found. Even the Sha’erah’s possible alien attributes weren’t proven. Alex didn’t care if he made the ultimate discovery of intelligent sentient life or not. But whatever was out there, he wanted to be the first one to see it.

“Copy that data directly to my office.”

“Aye, aye, sir.”

It was an order that could easily have gone unsaid, but the command staff seemed to expect it out of protocol, even amidst their own growing excitement over the new views.

Before the probe finished transmitting the new information, Alex was at his desk, printed sheets in hand, poring over the data. This was the first of many probes, but also the one that would help determine the start of their route inside. As updates continued to filter in, Alex quickly forgot everything else, even the lunch he idly picked at that Evan shoved under his nose two hours later.

It wasn’t until his stomach’s growling and Evan’s insistence grew too loud to ignore that he finally put down the scans and agreed to dinner.

“There’s still some data filtering in.” His protests were futile against his stomach and common sense, considering the fact that the same information would be waiting for him in his quarters anyway.

“It’s late.” Evan gathered up the hard copies, taking two right out of Alex’s hand. “The day shift ended two hours ago. And the probe is set to send one last burst in ten minutes. You’ll have three weeks to study that information. Sometimes I think you’d sleep in here if you could.”

Alex suppressed a laugh at Evan’s scolding tone. “Okay, you’re right.” He took the neatly stacked sheets from Evan’s hand and followed him out of the office and around the bridge. “Oh, hang on a second.” He handed over the sheets again and stepped down to the bridge level. “Mitchell, do we have a position on the Vision, or is she too far behind?”

He could have sworn he saw Lt. Mitchell’s mouth move, but the only sound that reached Alex’s ears resembled an explosion more than an answer.

“I assure you, he’ll be fine.”

The next thing he heard didn’t make much sense. He knew he was lying down, or at least he was pretty sure of it, but he wasn’t sure if he was in his quarters in bed or if he’d just dozed on the couch again.

“You really should get some rest.”

Were they talking to him?

“There, you see, he’s waking up.”

Alex blinked, trying to force his eyes open against their will.

“Just lie still, Captain. You’re going to be fine.”

“What’s going on?” Alex finally managed to blink. Evan was standing over him, staring into his eyes with such intensity he wanted to back away, but he couldn’t. It wasn’t the couch he was lying on after all, but a bed in the medical office.

“You’ve had a concussion, Captain. Just a mild one, luckily.”

He could barely make out Doctor Gorman standing on the other side of the bed. The room lights were so dim it was too dark to see anything.

“What happened?” All he remembered was the probe data, and this headache!

“There was an explosion.”

“It was the probe.” Evan backed his face a way a few inches, but still looked angry enough to tear the ship apart with his bare hands.

“The probe exploded?” Even with his head pounding the way it was, that didn’t make sense.

“No, it sent a command to the engines.”

“Evan here seems to think there’s been a bit of sabotage.” Doctor Gorman glanced at Evan and shook his head. “That’s not for me to decide, I’ve got patients. Captain, you’ll be off your feet for a day or two, but there’s no lasting damage.”

“Was anyone else hurt?” Alex wanted to raise his head, but he didn’t dare.

“A few broken bones, some concussions. Nothing serious.”

A sudden thought occurred to him. “He didn’t kill anyone, did he?”

Doctor Gorman shot Evan a quick look of surprise. “No, of course not. We’ll talk later, get some rest.”

Before he could make light of the question, Evan’s scowl had changed to irritated disgust.

“If I thought the person responsible was onboard, I might have.”

Alex looked up at him, staring into his black eyes as a point to focus on while the worst of the sharp pounding subsided to a slightly more tolerable level. “Okay, let me catch up.” Evan was still standing over the bed, hovering like a security monitor. “What exactly happened?”

“It’s my fault. I scanned the probes for signs of tampering, or bombs built in, but I didn’t examine the programming.”

“Of course not, there was no need to.”

“Obviously there was.” Evan’s anger returned, but it was directed inward. “The probe was programmed to send one last burst to the ship’s computers, causing a malfunction in the drive. With our new fuel mixture, the malfunction resulted in an explosion. Everyone standing at the time hit the deck, or the walls. Or in your case, a terminal.”

Through the intense throbbing, Alex felt a central point, along with the tickling of a bandage, just over his right eyebrow. “How do you know that’s what happened?”

“I traced the command received in Engineering. Then I scanned all the other probes, and found similar commands in the programming of each one.”

“What?”

“Someone set up the probes to sabotage the Ascalon.”

Alex stared at Evan for a long while, trying hard to absorb the information. Just moments ago – or so it seemed – he’d been busily enjoying the probe data. Now his ship had been sabotaged, crew members hurt, and God knew how much damage was done. And he couldn’t even sit up and start getting angry about it.

“Sit down.”

Evan complied, sitting on a chair next to the bed. They were in a far corner of the main trauma section, where large walls of medical equipment and monitors afforded each patient a good amount of privacy.

“You think Jeff did this?”

“He’s the only one I can imagine would, at this point.”

“What kind of damage are we talking about?” He was too afraid to ask the more important question, but more afraid not to. “Are we stopped?”

“Not completely, no.” Evan shook his head once, sharply. “We’re down to the normal cruising speed, before we altered the fuel mix.” The look of anger flared dramatically. “If we’d been running at that mix when the probe’s command reached the engines, we would have lost one of them completely.”

Alex blinked, staring at Evan. This was all too much, especially with such a headache. “Okay, one thing at a time. How soon can we get back to speed?”

“They’re working on it now. I’d guess another twenty-four hours.”

“They’re working on it? You haven’t been down there?”

“I’ve been with you.” Evan’s answer was matter-of-fact and too forceful to argue with.

“Okay, fine. You’ve been here.” Probably intimidating the hell out of everyone. “Can you fix the other probes?”

“I already have.”

“So everything is fixed now, right?” Alex closed his eyes, hoping that would help with the throbbing. It didn’t.

“For the time being.”

“Okay good. I need time to think.” Actually, thinking hurt too much. What he really needed was a new head, but he’d settle for some time out of this one.

Which was exactly what he got. By the time he thought to open his eyes again, the room was more brightly lit, and the chronometer on the wall facing him made him think of breakfast. Of course that thought didn’t pass inspection with the pain between his eyes.

Evan was still in the single chair beside the bed.

“The doctor says I can take you back to your quarters as soon as you’re ready.”

Alex swallowed a few times and tested his headache with a slight nod. The pain was at least tolerable now. “Any updates on our engine status?” He slowly pushed the blanket aside and thought about how best to get up without his head hurting any more than it already was.

“They’re estimating another eight hours.”

Before Alex could begin to roll to one side, Evan reached out and snaked one arm under his shoulders, helping him up. “Thanks.” He paused, sitting on the edge of the bed. “This is like the worst hangover I’ve ever had. You must have been bored to death sitting here watching me sleep.”

“Doctor Gorman said you should move slowly for a while, but aside from a headache there’s nothing to worry about now.”

“I think the headache is enough, thank you.” Alex intended to do most of the walking himself, but he found it much easier to navigate the corridors while leaning against Evan. By the time they made it to their quarters, he’d regained much of his balance. The couch was inviting, but the table in front was devoid of his charts and probe data sheets. “You’re not going to let me work, I take it?”

“The doctor said rest today, work tomorrow.” Evan didn’t let go until Alex was seated, then glared at him from beside the couch. “Are you hungry?”

Alex winced at the thought. “Just coffee, please.”

He paused, then nodded once and walked to the galley.

“How many were injured?” He couldn’t remember if he’d asked Gorman or not, but he did recall there were no serious injuries.

“Twenty-five in all. Mostly scrapes, nothing serious.” Evan spoke from the galley, watching Alex’s reflection in the glass of the large window. “I’ve evaluated the damage, and the other probes.” The coffee finished pouring into two cups, so he picked them up and carried both to the couch. “If we had been running the engines in the normal fashion, we would have lost one entire engine.”

“Yeah, you said that.” He accepted one of the cups while Evan sat down, facing him.

“But that’s all.”

The look on his face suggested Alex should be one or two steps farther ahead than he was. When it was obvious more information was needed, he continued.

“It was designed not to destroy the ship, just slow it down significantly.”

Alex considered this new information. “That would certainly do it. With one engine completely gone, we could have made it to the nebula in another year, or made it back to populated space safely.”

Evan nodded. “So whoever did this didn’t want to kill you or destroy the Ascalon completely, just slow it down.”

He leaned back into the couch with a sigh. The caffeine seemed to be easing the headache, reducing it to a simple annoyance that only threatened to flare if he moved his head. “So, it really is sabotage. I’ve never had to deal with this before.” All these years in competition – sometimes heated – not one of his competitors had ever directly attacked him, or anyone.

Alex looked at Evan, considering his options. It wasn’t what he would have preferred, but things had changed. “In the Vision’s files, when you were fishing around, did you see anything?”

“I saw everything, for the most part. What exactly are you asking?”

Alex turned his head and gazed at the window in front of them. “Is there anything Franklin knows about this nebula that we don’t?”

Evan considered the question, staring at the couch with unfocused eyes. “No, nothing that I saw. If I could get in there again, I could look more carefully.”

“If we don’t get those engines back in gear, he’ll catch up soon enough.” Alex drank his coffee and looked out at the stars. There was no way in hell he’d come this far to lose. Not after everything that had happened in these past few weeks. His life had been picked up, shaken, and dropped roughly on uneven ground. Enough was enough. “How long would you estimate it will take the Vision to catch up to us?”

“If we remain at this speed, another thirty-six hours, I think.” Evan glanced at the computer terminal on the desk, but didn’t get up. “We might be in communication range before then.” He looked at Alex again. “That’s all I’d need.”

“We don’t have any proof it was Jeff or Franklin.” Years of upright behavior were harder to put aside than he thought.

“I could find proof.”

“But only if it’s there to find.” The last thing he needed was a war.

“Of course.” Evan looked slightly offended by the implied warning. “What good would it serve to blame someone who wasn’t guilty, allowing the guilty to go free?”

“Exactly.” At least they were seeing eye-to-eye, more or less. “If Jeff did this, I’ll deal with it. But if he didn’t, or we can’t prove it . . . I’m not ready to give up this expedition. Not for this.” He finished the coffee and let his cup rest on one thigh so he didn’t have to get up or lean forward to reach the table. The throbbing in his head had reached a comfortable stability.

“You won’t have to.” Evan got up and reached for Alex’s empty cup. “I’ll recalculate and find out exactly when the Vision will be in range. And when the engines will be fully repaired.”

It was hard to pinpoint when, exactly, his life had gotten so screwed up. Sure, when VanHolt called things had begun to spiral out of control. But was that really it? He couldn’t remember another time when things hadn’t gone his way for the most part, but that could very well have been a simple matter of time. If he’d truly been this ignorant about Jeff’s attitude and Franklin’s integrity, there was no telling what else he’d been skating by, unaware.

And he had to admit, oddly enough, he actuallyliked Evan. Once the shock and annoyance factor had dimmed, the guy was turning into a decent person. Talented, for sure. And so far this Keeper business wasn’t all that bad, as long as he didn’t devote too much time to the notion. He certainly hadn’t eaten this regularly before. If this kept up, Alex knew he was going to have to devote more time to the gym on deck ten. All in all, they were falling into a rather comfortable routine. Or they had been, anyway, until this little mishap. Without Evan’s abilities, there was no telling how long – or even if – they would have discovered the source of the accident.

What was out there? Did Franklin know about that spot Alex had his eye on? Did he know what it was?

The view from the couch provided no answers, no matter how intensely Alex stared at it. He couldn’t give this up. He had to win, and win the title to the Ascalon. It was the only way he was going to be able to silence all those hidden voices, not to mention his mother’s very loud and clear one, that kept reminding him how much Evan was worth.

“You’re being hailed by the Vision.”

Alex still couldn’t quite manage standing without his head wanting to explode, so he sat at his desk, affecting as much calm as he could, while Evan stood to the side of the large monitor, left hand ready on the communications terminal. When the screen flicked to life, he knew the only view the caller would have was of him.

“Marcase, you sly boy!” Jason Franklin smiled at him, eyes darting quickly around in a search of more of an audience. “It took my engineers nearly two days of studying your backwash to figure out what you’d done.”

“Really? I sent you a memo on the changes, you must not have gotten it.” Alex’s hands were nearly shaking with anger, but he forced as much calm into his voice and manner as he could muster. They had no proof. No sense in making accusations, yet. “I see you’re playing catch-up, as usual.”

Franklin’s gaze continued to search the room, apparently unwilling to believe Alex was alone. “You didn’t have to slow down for me, I would have caught up eventually.”

Alex shrugged, feeling a rage build inside. “I felt guilty. You know me.” Behind Franklin, he could see Jeff and two other men. All three were manning computer terminals, shooting quick glances at each other. He tried hard not to look at Evan. “How’s your shower working these days?” Surely Evan was good enough to get around undetected. He had to be.

“You little bastard!” Franklin’s smile faded ever so slightly, then seemed to be forced back into shape. “I thought that might have been your handiwork. Cute trick.” This time he made no secret of looking around Alex’s office, what he could see of it. “Your pet do that?”

“You know I don’t allow pets onboard.” This little conversation was wearing thin.

“But seriously, Marcase, why did you slow down?”

Before Alex could reply, his own screen flashed at him, showing what appeared to be a private file and remnants of a command protocol. He looked at Evan. “Can you show him this?”

“Show me what?” Franklin’s smile faded again.

Evan’s barely perceptible nod was his only answer.

“Our probe was sabotaged, Franklin. The last data burst it sent was a command to our engineering computers that caused an explosion.” Alex let some of his anger show. He saw Franklin look down, presumably at his computer, while Jeff and the two other men gathered closer. “I didn’t want to believe it, Jason. But it looks like one of your crew didn’t erase all of the evidence.”

Jeff whispered in his captain’s ear, but his voice didn’t carry to the speakers. Franklin continued to stare at the data, then barked an order to one of the other two. Immediately, the crewman hurried out of view.

“Alex, this was not done by my order, I assure you.” Franklin’s face was nearly as red as his hair.

“Someone on your crew sabotaged my ship!” Alex instantly regretted having raised his voice. His head began to throb painfully and he felt the eyelid under the laceration lower in reaction. “The other probes have the same programming, Jason. The Ascalon could have been destroyed!”

“I swear, it wasn’t done with my knowledge or consent. My God, Alex, you know me better than that.” To his credit, Franklin’s face had actually gone pale. “I’ve got people looking into this right now.”

“If this information is real.” Jeff stepped forward, raising his voice for all to hear. “That thing of yours could just as easily have planted this!”

Alex wanted nothing more than to leap to his feet, reach through the screen, and strangle his former second. The only thing he could do was pointedly ignore the man. “Jason, we’ve known each other some time now.”

“I promise you, I’ll get to the bottom of this.” Franklin, too, ignored Jeff’s accusation. “How badly were you damaged?”

“Our engines will be up and running soon enough. Luckily injuries were minor.” Alex glanced at Evan and noticed his eyes were still unfocused and his hand still rested on the terminal. “I’m going to leave this in your hands, Jason.”

“I appreciate that.” Franklin sighed. “I’ll keep you informed, Alex. I’m investigating this myself. Meanwhile, is there anything I can do to help you out?”

Alex started to reply, then saw the new message on his computer. He smiled, glancing at Evan. “Thanks, but no thanks. We’re heading out now.”

The monitor went blank after a final nod from Franklin.

“Engineering reports the engines are ready.” Evan set the terminal down and rubbed his left palm.

“Engineering, this is the Captain.” Alex gingerly fingered the small bandage above his left eye. “Kitts, get us moving.”

“Aye, aye Captain.”

Alex stood, slowly and deliberately. “I need a drink.”

“The doctor said no alcohol for several days.” Evan scolded, still rubbing his palm.

“Are you okay?”

He nodded and Alex realized he was squinting.

“Seriously, you don’t look good.”

Evan shrugged. “Just . . . information overload. I’ll be fine.”

“You’re sure?” Alex watched him for any sign of an untruth, but even as he did he knew he’d never be able to tell if Evan was lying or not. “We’re quite a pair today. I think we both deserve the afternoon off.”

“I’ll need time to process all of what I saw.” Evan stood, still rubbing the palm of his left hand with the fingers of his right. Now and again he stopped and shook the hand, then started rubbing again.

The change in engine pitch was barely perceptible, but it felt like the best reassurance Alex could have had. Evan was still rubbing his palm, almost unconsciously, and squinting as if the lighting was too bright.

“Why don’t you get some sleep? Neither one of us is in great shape right now.” Alex badly wanted another cup of strong coffee, but he wanted sleep more.

“I’m fine. I uploaded the data here so I could go over it in more detail.” Evan moved for the desk, but Alex stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“It can wait.”

Evan turned to look at him, eyebrows creased with more than perplexity. “There’s a lot of information there to process.”

“And plenty of time to do it.” Alex didn’t release his grip. “I’m serious, we both need sleep. You just as much as me.” It occurred to him he could probably just order the man to go lie down, but he didn’t want to put it that way. “Look, you’ve checked the ship over a million times since last night. The engines are back up, Franklin’s dealing with the problem. We can take one night off.”

Evan looked as if he wanted to argue, but reluctantly he nodded. “I’ll get to it first thing in the morning, then.”

“First thing’s fine, but morning doesn’t have to start early.” Alex finally let go of Evan’s arm and gestured toward his bedroom. “I’m sleeping in.”

“Do you believe him?”

“Who?” Alex started for his room, but Evan was still standing near the desk.

“Franklin. Do you believe him when he said he had nothing to do with it?”

Alex stopped beside the door, turning to look back. “I want to.” He watched Evan’s gaze drop as he nodded slowly. “You don’t?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t find anything connected to him, personally. Just that crewman, and his name meant nothing to me.”

Alex reached for his door, but Evan wasn’t making any move toward his own. “What’s wrong?”

“I should have scanned the probe before it launched. It was a stupid mistake that could have cost you your life, or your ship.”

“But you had no reason to. I certainly had no reason to.” The look in Evan’s face was so intense it sent a chill down Alex’s spine. He swallowed, taking a step forward. “Listen, I’ve never had to worry about anything like this before. It never occurred to me to scan the probes, I wouldn’t even have known what to look for.”

Evan’s black look didn’t fade. “You shouldn’t have to think of these things, that’s what I’m for. I failed, you were hurt and the ship sustained significant damage.”

“Wait a second.” Alex walked back to where Evan was standing. Obviously his anger was directed inward, and it wasn’t justified. “First of all, you’re not foranything.” He held up a hand to stop the protest before it could start. “And don’t give me that Sha’erah/Keeper business, all right?” Evan remained silent, but his eyes were still sparkling black. “You’ve already done more for me and this mission than anyone. Through no fault of your own, you ended up in a position you’d never been in before, and managed to adapt immediately.”

Evan shook his head once. “There’s no excuse for it.”

Alex sighed. “There’s no excuse for someone committing sabotage in the first place.” He wanted to put a reassuring hand on the man’s arm, but the look of anger on his face and in his body language – even if it wasn’t directed at him – was intimidating. “I don’t blame you for anything.”

“I’d like to stay up and work on the data from the Vision.” Evan refused to be pacified.

“No.” Alex shook his head, slowly so he wouldn’t regret the movement. “I’m serious, get some sleep. You look exhausted.” If Evan felt the misguided need to be punished for something, he figured forcing a good night’s rest should do it.

Evan didn’t protest. He lowered his eyes and nodded once, then went to his room.

How could anyone possibly anticipate the actions of people he’d never met or heard of before? Alex eased himself into bed, staring up at the painted ceiling while his tired mind reeled through the recent events. Sabotage. Was he right to trust Franklin when he said he hadn’t ordered it? Not that it mattered now. They had evidence. If Jason didn’t prosecute his crewman, they could take it to court when they got back, and hold Franklin responsible for the actions of his people. That would lose him the Vision, so it was a sure bet it wouldn’t go that far.

What about Jeff? He’d been onboard up to the day before launch, and had full access to every inch of the ship. Could he be capable of . . . Hell, at this point, Alex could believe anything.

The only thing he was sure of, surprisingly, was his safety with Evan onboard. If he felt this bad about missing something no one would have thought was there, Alex knew he’d never leave anything up to chance now.

And he didn’t.

For the next several months, life onboard the Ascalon fell into a comfortable and familiar routine. Evan spent much of his time either poring over the data he’d downloaded from the Vision, or crawling – physically and technically – over every inch of the Ascalon. Alex had promised himself, once he’d regained some composure, not to ask about anything Evan found in Franklin’s private files as long as there wasn’t anything there posing a physical threat to his crew or his ship. He still had to win this legitimately.

Within a day the entire crew had heard of the sabotage, and speculation spread as to what part Jeff might have played. The general consensus was the same as Alex’s, that his former partner couldn’t have stooped so low. Evan wasn’t completely convinced, but Alex could tell the man’s instincts were to distrust everyone, so he didn’t argue.

By the time they were set to launch the second probe, it had been scoured so clean from programming to wiring, it was doubtful even a microbe could have hitched a ride. But the images sent back made all the scrutiny worthwhile.

“Look at this!” Alex held up a data sheet nearly wrinkled with use so Evan could glance at it for the hundredth time in the past hour. “God, I want to get a closer look!”

It was nearly two o’clock in the morning and they’d been on the couch surrounded by the new probe data for over nine hours. While the crew was pleased to see evidence of at least twelve planets, Alex’s focus was again on the curious speck still no clearer than before. He’d spent hours poring over the scans in the office, to the point of completely ignoring Evan’s demands that he eat.

Now barely awake and lounging on the couch with both feet propped on the large round table, Evan found himself being used as a surface, with data sheets spread over his chest and stomach. The table had already reached capacity, as had the rest of the couch, with colorful sheets spread about in a pattern somewhat resembling the nebula itself.

Evan opened one eye just to confirm it was nothing new, then closed it again. “What do you think it is?”

Alex shook his head. “I don’t know.” He set the sheet down and picked up another one that was on Evan’s shoulder. “That’s what I wanna find out.” He made some marks on the sheet with a stylus, then set it back on Evan and looked for another one. “There aren’t any energy readings, so whatever it is, it might be dead. But it’s hard to tell.” The sheet he was looking for was on Evan’s chest. “That’s the hard thing about a nebula, it’s made up of electrically excited gasses. Really screws up your ship’s sensors when you’re inside. Hell to navigate.” He left the sheet where it was and used Evan as a desk, marking what he wanted to outline for later study. “This thing could just be a group of rocks stuck in some bizarre orbit that keeps them in place. Or nothing more than a grouping of different gasses.”

“That’s what Franklin thinks it is.”

Alex stopped writing and looked at Evan. “What? That it’s nothing?”

Without opening either eye, Evan nodded.

So Franklin wasn’t interested in it. “So if I don’t blow this, he’ll steer clear of it entirely.”

Evan nodded again.

That just might make life easier. Alex sat back, re-evaluating his plan. If Franklin truly wasn’t going to have a closer look, then it wouldn’t be hard to keep him from wandering over there and seeing something before he could. Of course, it could very well be nothing. But then again, it could be something.

Alex returned to his marking. “You should get some sleep, I’m too wired.”

“I am sleeping.”

“Uh-huh.” When he finished with that sheet, he moved on to the next one. Never before had he seen so many potentially habitable planets inside a nebula. Granted, they’d require more exploration and evaluation before he could say if they really were livable, but this exploration could very well spell the expansion of mankind, yet again. If they – no, when they found turbidium – Carpenter’s company would have to build a settlement out here anyway. If there were enough planets to use for mining, processing, and development, the possibilities were endless.

But it all hinged on turbidium. If he didn’t find that, no amount of habitable planets would pay the bills. And since figuring out what they’d done to increase ship speed, the Vision remained only five days behind the Ascalon. And the outer reaches of the Pendulum Nebula were two weeks away. Just two more weeks before things would get tricky and they’d have to slow dramatically. Then Franklin would catch up, but be as blind as they were.

That’s when the fun begins.

Alex suppressed a yawn and found a space on Evan’s knee where he could set another sheet of data. In the morning, he’d have the scans merged into a three-dimensional model he could call up over the desk, with his notes and marks displayed. But until then, the couch and Evan served well enough. The man really was asleep. As was Alex’s foot.

And not much later, so was Alex.

Next Chapter

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