Keryn awoke in a strange bed in a strange room. Groggy and disoriented, she rolled to her side and was surprised to see the mop of blond hair splayed across the pillow beside her. Keryn remembered her long talk with Iana the night before and, knowing that she probably felt as emotionally drained as Keryn did, slipped out of the bed without waking her. Though she looked disheveled from a night full of heavy emotions, Keryn quickly got dressed and left the room, heading back toward her own room. As the door slid open to her quarters, she noticed Adam sitting at the table.
He eyed her curiously before he spoke. “You look like hell, love.”
Keryn nodded. “I’m fine, just still exhausted even after sleeping through the night. Iana and I had a lot of catching up to do and a lot of tears to share.”
“Is everything alright?” he asked. Keryn could tell that he wanted to pry, but wouldn’t.
“Everything’s fine now,” she answered as she walked over to pour herself a cup of coffee. “We just had a whole lot to discuss. Girl stuff, mostly, you know how it is.” Noticing his look of skepticism, she quickly changed the subject. “So, I’m surprised to see you still awake after such a long shift on the bridge.”
As if on cue, Adam yawned loudly. “I’m beat. I was just worried about you after I got home and saw the place untouched. After everything that’s been going on, I have a tendency to fear the worst.”
“You really are a sweetheart,” she said as she leaned over, kissing him softly on the cheek.
“It’s why you keep me…” he was interrupted as red fire warning lights illuminated the room and sirens sounded throughout the hall. The screeching siren pierced through their door and drove a spike into Keryn’s tired mind.
“That noise is Gods awful!” she yelled to be heard over the sound. Activating her radio, she called to the bridge. “Where is there a fire?”
Alcent’s voice called back. “It’s nothing serious. We’re shutting down the sirens now.” As he finished, the lights and noise ceased.
“What the hell was that?” Adam asked, activating his own radio.
“It was a fire, but it was quickly contained,” Alcent answered.
“What was the location of the fire?” Keryn asked dubiously. She knew how dangerous an uncontrolled fire could be onboard a ship. With only a limited amount of breathable — and flammable — oxygen and all the explosive rounds, fires could be deadly in space.
“The location was the science wing, laboratory three,” he replied.
Keryn and Adam turned to one another. “Wyck,” they both said as they leapt to their feet and hurried toward the door.
They reached the lift quickly and tapped their feet impatiently as the elevator slowly took them upward, toward the science wing. Used mainly for the Terran’s biological research, the science wing was a converted wing of living quarters on board the ship. After its discovery, the new crew had added some modifications, making it the optimum area to conduct their research into the Deplitoxide cure. Wyck and Tora had been working in the lab most of the night, which left Keryn dreadful of any fires that might have broken out.
As the elevator doors opened on the floor, however, laughter flooded from down the hall. Keryn came around the corner just in front of Adam to find both Wyck and Tora collapsed on the floor, giggling like children to one another. A group, mostly technicians with a mild amount of scientific knowledge, gathered around the pair. On the floor, both the young geniuses were covered in soot, their hair unkempt and singed from an obvious burst of flames. Undaunted, though, they continued to laugh as they shared insights into their obvious failure.
“Next time,” Tora said as she was overcome with laughter again, “we probably shouldn’t be looking down on the results when we mix the chemicals.”
“Oh yes,” Wyck added sarcastically, laughing as well. “Mixing the chemicals with our faces a mere foot away was the only mistake we made tonight.”
“How do you feel about robots?” she asked, trying to sober up from her fits of laughter.
“They’re not really my type,” Wyck replied, laughing again. Tora punched him hard in the arm and humor fled from his face.
“I’m being serious here,” she said, feeling little sympathy as he rubbed his bruised limb. “What if we designed a robot that could mix the chemicals remotely? I think we could make it out of one of the loaders, but we’d have to cannibalize it for parts.”
Wyck still sulked, but his scientific curiosity got the better of him. “Combine that with the blast shield off the front of one of the fighters, and I think we could conduct the experiment again under much more controlled circumstances.”
Keryn cleared her throat loudly as she and Adam stood above the pair. Looking up in surprise, they both scrambled to their feet. Though they were both still smeared with ash and parts of their clothing had obviously caught fire in the blast, the dominant look on both their faces was embarrassment.
“So,” Keryn said, drawing out the first word, “what experiment?”
Their faces brightened as they both tried to explain at the same time. Having only worked together over a short time, the two technological geniuses were now inseparable. Adam held up his hand, stopping them both in mid sentence.
“One at a time or I can’t understand you,” he said, talking to them both like a patient father. He quickly turned his open hand into an accusing point. “Speaking of understanding, keep all your scientific jargon out of the conversation.”
“We think we found your answer,” Tora started, elbowing Wyck in the ribs when he started to talk too.
Keryn looked around the corner at the destroyed laboratory. White circles stood in stark contrast on the blackened table, marking spots where beakers and plates had once stood. Shattered glass lay strewn throughout the room and was noticeable in the areas that the flame-retardant foam hadn’t covered the floor. Both chairs were ruined; their foam backs had obviously caught fire, smoldering long after the rest of the fire was extinguished.
“That’s my answer?” she asked.
“Well, not so much now, but it was,” Wyck answered, stepping in front of Tora before she could explain. “What that was just prior to the explosion was a mixture of Deplitoxide and a new chemical formula we devised using the Terran data we recovered as a baseline.”
“The counteragent for Deplitoxide is an explosive chemical?” Adam asked, arching his eyebrow inquisitively.
“Well, not exactly,” Tora said embarrassed, reasserting herself in the conversation. “The Terran data was woefully incomplete. If we had followed their guidelines exactly, we wouldn’t have managed a real solution to the problem. So, we made a few modifications to their formula, adding some elements that we thought might make it more effective.”
Keryn stared into the scorched room as a plan began to formulate in her mind. “Can you do it again?” she asked.
“Do what again?” Wyck asked.
“Can you make it explode again?” she clarified.
The two smiled. “Exploding isn’t a problem. We were worried you wanted us to find a way to make it not explode!”
“No, I like it just the way it is,” Keryn said. She turned toward the beaming pair. “What do you need from us?”
Wyck looked around at the gathered workers. “Well, we have enough of a labor pool to get the necessary equipment up here, so that’s not really a necessity.”
“Um…” Tora added. “Would it be possible to turn of the fire alarm?”
Keryn smiled. “We’ll get right on that. You two, get back to work and call me as soon as you have it ready to be presented to me, Adam, and Alcent.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Wyck replied. He turned away and started barking orders to the workers.
“What are you thinking?” Adam asked as they made their way back to the lift.
“I’ll explain as we walk,” she replied as they climbed into the elevator.
As the lift descended through the ship, Keryn explained in brief detail the extent of her plan. Adam laughed at her as she used her hands to demonstrate aerial maneuvers and the necessary strategies for the bulky Alliance Cruisers. By the time the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Keryn had finished describing her plan.
“And you thought of all of that after listening to Wyck and Tora?” he asked.
“More or less,” she said distractedly as she continued refining her plan in her head.
“That’s why I love you,” Adam said, kissing her on her forehead.
Though she tried to focus on their new plan, her thoughts kept drifting to High Council’s message. She wasn’t supposed to tell anyone of their mission, but she wasn’t sure if she was strong enough to do it alone. Keryn stopped. Adam made it a few more steps before he realized she was no longer following.
“Keryn?” he said.
“Adam,” she said, trying to read his body language as she continued. “Please hear me out before you say anything.” More than ever, Keryn worried that Adam and Yen’s friendship would get in the way of her mission.
“You’ve known me for a while now,” she began. “We’ve become so close, even though you’ve seen me do some horrible things that would scare away most men. But every time I’ve ever done something bad — like killing a man or torture — I’ve always felt it was justified. Most of all, I knew that you thought it was justified. I never worried about you leaving me. What if we ran into a situation where you didn’t think killing someone was justified? Even if it was necessary, could you support me if I suddenly decided to kill someone like Alcent or Wyck or Tora?” Keryn lowered her voice until her tone became almost sheepish. “Would you stay with me, even if you didn’t support me?”
“Keryn,” Adam said, his brow furrowed in confusion. “I know you well enough to know that you would never harm one of your friends. On Othus, you did everything you could to save Penchant, even being willing to risk your own life to save his. I can’t imagine a situation where I wouldn’t support you. Hell, I don’t know where this is coming from, but I will always support you. I don’t know why you would even think I might leave.”
Keryn nodded as they began walking toward the bridge again. She stole glances in his direction, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that he wouldn’t have been so quick to agree if he knew the truth.
It took over a day before Wyck notified everyone that they were now ready for a more effective display of their new counteragent. Alcent joined Keryn and Adam as they entered the newly redesigned laboratory. The scorched interior had been removed and replaced by clear blast shields surrounding a collection of mechanical contraptions. The mechanical arms extended over a table placed in the center of the room, on top of which rested two Petri dishes full of a black substance.
Wyck and Tora hurried over to their side as they entered. “I really think we have something great here,” Wyck began, skipping the mundane formalities.
Tora placed a patient hand over his. “First of all, welcome. Secondly, before we begin the demonstration, you really need a little background information.” Tora led them toward the blast shields, through which she pointed toward the two dishes. “We’ve isolated two samples of Deplitoxide in the dishes on the table. As you know, the big D is an organic compound created from plants on Beracus. On a cellular level, the compound absorbs direct and ambient heat from its surroundings, emitting a dark tar.”
“Basic Deplitoxide 101,” Wyck interjected, smiling at his own humor.
“What you may not know,” Tora said before Wyck could continue, “is what the Deplitoxide does with all that heat. If I can draw your attention to the screen, I can explain a little clearer.” A monitor to their right flickered to life, showing a microscopic view of a collection of cells. Within each of the cells, a reddish mass swirled just beneath their surfaces. “When the big D absorbs the heat, it converts it to a nucleic mass, trapped within a thick outer membrane. The superheated mass jumpstarts a process within the cell that results in cellular fission. The two new cells, having shared the superheated mass as well, have now cooled and are now capable of absorbing even more increasing amounts of surrounding heat. Using this process, the Deplitoxide is able to organically spread and, as we’ve seen, cover an entire sun.”
“Fascinating,” Alcent said, “but I’m not quite sure where you’re heading with all this.”
“That was just the background information,” Wyck retorted. “The real fun begins when we introduce our special sauce. I’ve named our chemical Torazine.”
Tora blushed as Wyck told everyone the name. Quickly, she tried to change the subject. “If you look back at our setup,” Tora explained, “you’ll see that we have two mechanical arms perched above each of the dishes. At the tips of the arms, small droppers filled our… of Torazine are ready to inject the chemical into the Deplitoxide. I think you’ll be impressed with the results.”
“If it’s anything like what happened earlier, we may want to back up,” Keryn said as she backed from the blast screen. The others quickly followed suit.
Wyck retrieved a wireless console from behind him and began pushing a series of buttons. In response, the first arm lowered toward the Petri dish until it hovered a foot above the table.
“Everyone ready?” he asked. Without waiting, he pushed the release button. The arm depressed the plunger on the back of the dropper, shooting a small amount of an orange fluid into the dish below. The observers all flinched involuntarily as the Torazine struck, expecting an explosion. When nothing happened, they slowly lowered their arms and turned toward the two scientists.
“Somehow, I was expecting a little more of a world shattering kaboom,” Adam admitted.
Tora and Wyck exchanged knowing smiles. “We didn’t,” Wyck stated. “The fact is, the first experiment wasn’t meant to explode.”
“The first dish was full of an inert collection of the Deplitoxide cells,” stated Tora. “Taken straight from one of the rockets, the cells had never been introduced to a heat source. The Deplitoxide, therefore, didn’t react to the Torazine.”
“Then what, exactly, does your chemical do?” Alcent asked impatiently.
“Exactly what we promised,” Wyck responded angrily. “Torazine breaks down the outer membrane of the Deplitoxide cells, releasing the pent up superheated mass in an impressive display. No heat source equals no explosion.”
“Then the second dish?” Keryn asked, prodding the experiment forward before Alcent and Wyck entered a bickering contest.
“The second dish was introduced to intense flames and has already begun the fission process,” Tora explained. “Yes, it will explode.”
Wyck passed out shaded goggles to everyone, encouraging the observers to don them before they continued. When everyone was wearing protective eyewear, he entered his next code. The second mechanical arm lowered until it was perched above the dish. Shrinking into his chair, Wyck pushed the second button.
As soon as the Torazine struck the dish, the room erupted into bright orange flames. The fire, originating from the Petri dish on the table, rose and curled like a solar flare. Blast screens that were made to withstand the rigors of deep space rattled from the force of the explosion. Quickly, the fires died, leaving the whole room filled with a choking black smoke.
“That was more like it!” Adam exclaimed.
Alcent lowered his goggles and peered into the smoke-filled laboratory. “This is a cure for the Deplitoxide?”
“Yes it is,” Wyck said proudly.
“So we can use this to restart one of our engines should it get struck by a Terran Deplitoxide rocket?” Alcent asked, his gaze never leaving the room.
“Um…” Wyck paused, scratching his head nervously. “No, not really.”
Finally, Alcent looked away from the laboratory and stared at the young Uligart. “What do you mean ‘no’?” Alcent demanded. “What’s the point in finding a cure to Deplitoxide if we can’t use it? What would this do if we introduced it into a stalled engine?”
“The explosion would probably rip the ship in half,” Tora explained, trying to save Wyck from his berating. Noticing Alcent’s reddening face, she quickly added, “But it’s exactly what Keryn asked for!”
“It’s true,” Keryn said, placing a hand on Alcent’s shoulder. “It is what I asked for and believe me when I tell you that it is perfect just the way it is.” Turning to the two scientists, she continued. “Are you sure you can weaponize this?”
“We’ve already started some preliminary tests on a couple rockets,” Wyck said. “I’m pretty sure we can have this ready in time.”
“Don’t be ‘pretty sure’,” Keryn said. “Make sure it’s ready. Adam, take Alcent and please notify the Revolution of our requirements. I’ll meet up with you both shortly.”
Keryn left the laboratory and took the lift down to the living quarters. Walking the hall in relative quiet, her thoughts drifted back to Yen. After watching the demonstration, she was sure of two things. First, they actually had a chance to pull this off. More importantly, though, she was ready to respond to the High Council.
Entering her room, Keryn turned on her console and entered the code she had been given for High Council. As the screen changed, a small recording symbol appeared in the top corner of the screen.
“This is Captain Keryn Riddell of the commandeered Terran Destroyer Ballistae. I am responding to the High Council’s mission request.”
Keryn took a deep breath before continuing. “I firmly believe that your mission is justified. Yen Xiao has committed atrocities throughout the Fleet. Even now, one of his potential victims is living in hiding on board my ship. I have no reason to doubt that your accusations against Captain Xiao are truthful.
“I had to wonder, for quite some time, why you would pick me to complete this mission. Of all the ships in the Fleet, I couldn’t help but feel that it wasn’t a coincidence that you would pick me, one of his former lovers, to be the deliverer of his death. It was while pondering the why of this situation that I realized why you picked me. It’s because we were lovers once, and that he would trust me enough to let me get close. Using his trust against him would be the ultimate karmic backlash against all his betrayals. While I may not like the task at hand, I do have to appreciate your methods.
“However, it is also your methods that I have to refute. We are getting ready to engage in one of the most difficult battles in Alliance history. This is a battle that we very possibly may not win. As such, the Fleet needs every single available ship, pilot, Crewman,” she paused, staring at the screen, “and Captain that we can find. I cannot, in good conscience, destroy the Revolution during such a difficult battle. And, unfortunately, I can’t bring myself to destroy the ship after the battle, either. Knowing that the crew laid so much on the line to save the Alliance, only to be served so dishonorable a death as payment for their sacrifice… well, I can’t be part of that.
“I want to support you in every way, but I cannot take part in your plan to kill Yen Xiao. I wish you luck in finding a Captain that will. If you decide to change your plan to spare those who are innocent, I would be happy to reassess my position. Until then, Captain Keryn Riddell, out.”
Keryn turned off the screen and tried to stifle the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. With the High Council’s plan, she knew how many innocent people were condemned to death. By leaving Yen alive, Keryn feared how many more innocent had been condemned by her inability to act.