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  Scenario Three: Complete.

  “Oh, come on, Barry! I was just getting started.” She threw her hands into her lap as the images went dark.

  Scenario Four: Wormhole Travel.

  Dani reread the words several times before they faded then exhaled loudly. “Here goes nothing.”

  The image shifted once more. The Vaerian ships were gone. There in their place was the swirling maw of the very object that had stolen her career, her life. The wormhole spun like a whirlpool in space. The pink, white, yellow, and blue light from the stars blurred around the edges of the massive funnel, and a soft glow emanated from within. The simulated version lacked the depth of the real thing, which made it seem less daunting, though only slightly.

  Dani stared down the throat of what undoubtedly would be her very near future, but her hands felt heavy. Images of the Vaerian battleship shooting the speciously large energy blast into the star and the resulting chaos and the destruction of PS683 flashed in her mind. She felt her pulse quicken and sweat start to bead on her forehead.

  The hypnotic swirl drew her attention before she focused inward instead. Her thoughts moved to her crew as she wondered if this whole mission would be a big mistake. Could she risk her crew in such a dangerous mission? It had already nearly happened once. She was wondering if she had been foolish to demand their presence.

  Scenario Four: Failed.

  There it was, in bright, bold letters: Failed.

  “Uh, sorry. Can we try that one again, Barry?” Dani tried to shake the negativity from her hands as she fluttered them wildly before grabbing onto the controllers.

  “I’m ready now, I swear.” She waited. “Barry?”

  After waiting another moment, she took off the helmet and opened the hatch. “Barry, what’s the hold—oh, Patrick.”

  Patrick stood silently, leaning on his cane. “I excused Barry.”

  “I can see that... now.” Her eyes darted around the room. “So... I guess you saw—”

  “Yup.”

  She couldn't quite get a read on the situation.

  “I just wasn’t expecting...” She trailed off with a shrug.

  “It’s fine. You need some more time in the simulator before you run any wormhole missions, obviously, but it's fine. That’s not why I pulled the plug.”

  “Oh, okay.” Her muscles relaxed. “So, we’re there then?”

  “We are. And I want you, Jag, and Howard to go down and get Cruz. It’s a small outpost and he’s the only one there, so I’m not worried about anyone seeing you. I figured you were dying to get off the Houston for a bit, so here’s your chance. Maybe it will help you clear your head.”

  A smile reached across Dani’s face. “Not a problem at all. When?”

  “Now. Unless that's a problem.” Patrick raised an eyebrow.

  “No, of course not. Let’s go.” Dani hurried past Patrick out of the simulation room. She was awash with excitement to see her old friends.

  Chapter 4

  Together Dani and Patrick made their way to the airlock. The ship was docked at the space station, which paled in comparison to the colossal Houston. Jag and Howard were already waiting for them.

  Jag couldn’t help but laugh. “This is where Cruz was assigned? It’s so tiny.”

  “It’s a temporary outpost,” Patrick explained. “That’s why it was such an easy choice. The outpost itself will relocate after we’re gone.”

  “A mobile outpost? Why not just use a ship? I mean, that seems like it’d be easier. What’s this place for, anyway?” Jag rattled off questions without giving Patrick time to respond.

  Patrick’s lips remained pursed together as he stared at Jag with narrow eyes.

  Jag rolled his eyes, shrugged, and slapped Howard on the back. “Well, let’s get going.”

  The trio stepped up to the airlock, and Patrick entered the code to open the door. Before them was a cramped hall leading into the space station’s airlock. As soon as they stepped in, the door closed behind them and the weightlessness kicked in.

  “No gravity here it seems,” Howard mumbled as he awkwardly kicked his legs inches above the floor. “Maybe I’ll wait here.”

  Dani chuckled. “We’ll be quick.”

  The inner door of the airlock opened, and Cruz floated before them, his eyes wide.

  “How is this possible?” he signed quickly before propelling himself forward to give Dani a quick hug. “You’re alive.”

  “There’s a lot to explain, but we should get you over to our ship before Howard here has a conniption.” Jag jutted his thumb toward Howard, who was rubbing his head after hitting it on the ceiling.

  “Sure, but I’m not sure I’m authorized to leave. Apparently this tiny place is a pretty big deal to someone.”

  Jag’s eyes lit up and he looked at Dani like a dog waiting for his bone.

  “No, Jag. No. Stay on mission.”

  “I’ll just ring up command and grab my things. Stay here.” Cruz turned and pulled himself back down the hall and around the corner.

  “Well this is weird.” Jag scratched his head.

  “What about any of the last few months has seemed normal to you?”

  “Right, fair point.” Jag refocused his attention. “You need a hand, Howard?”

  Howard begrudgingly grabbed onto Jag’s extended hand and pulled himself lower while Jag kept a hold on the doorway.

  Dani helped Howard right himself when she heard a noise from the hall behind her. Cruz navigated a large duffle bag through the hall and smiled as he signed, “All set. Now, tell me everything.”

  “It’s quite the story. Why don’t you come aboard and we’ll go over everything where everyone is more comfortable?” Dani gestured to Howard with her eyes before turning to signal Patrick and his men through the airlock.

  The door slid open, and Howard hurried forward into gravity’s sweet embrace, taking a few wobbly steps as he held onto the wall and mumbled under his breath.

  Jag and Dani followed close behind.

  Cruz remained just out of range of the extended gravity field and attached his prosthetics before carefully easing himself down to the ground and across Houston’s threshold.

  “Welcome aboard the Houston,” Patrick said as he swept his arm out. “These guards will see you to your quarters, then we’ll meet in Conference Room B to sign paperwork and go over the details to the mission.”

  “It’s about time.” Jag took Cruz’s bag, handing it to a guard, who clumsily accepted it.

  Patrick shook his head. “My staff are not your slaves, Mr. Reinhart.”

  “Let’s get moving.” Jag grinned, ignoring Patrick’s comment and taking Cruz by the shoulder.

  Cruz raised an eyebrow at Dani and subtly signed, “Patrick Alexander?”

  Dani gave a quick shrug, Cruz’s limp drawing her gaze. She waited for him to pass and leaned over toward Patrick. “You have a prosthetic, don’t you?”

  Patrick nodded, watching Cruz’s painful gait as he made his way down the hall, patting Jag on the back. “I’ll talk to Cruz and see if he’s interested in working with my guy.”

  Dani smiled. “Thank you. So, now the real fun begins, right?”

  Patrick glanced back toward the outpost stoically. “I’ll meet you in the conference room. I have other matters to deal with for now.”

  Dani followed his gaze back to the small outpost. “What’s in there?”

  Patrick narrowed his eyes at the outpost doors before he turned to face Dani. “Go enjoy your team.”

  The long pause before his answer made her uncomfortable, but she was eager to catch up with Cruz and Cassia. She shrugged off Patrick’s response, assuming it was more science stuff that she wasn’t very interested in, and made her way toward the conference room.

  Howard was already seated at the table when Dani entered. He gripped the arms of his chair tightly and looked relieved to feel the comfortable pull of gravity.

  “Are you doing better now?”

  “Muc
h.” Howard smiled. “I don’t know how you folks ever get used to that. Maybe it’s different since I was actually born on a planet.”

  “Hey, GCHQ is technically a planet.”

  “Somewhere beneath the surface, yes. But that doesn’t change the fact you grew up in space and not with your feet on solid ground.” He laughed.

  He was right of course. She had been in space for more of her life than she had been on the ground. She plopped down next to him. “It’s going to be so nice to have the crew back together.”

  “I’m looking forward to getting our ship and getting off the Houston. This place is too big for me.”

  “I hear you there, Howard.”

  The door to the conference room slid open. Patrick was the first through the door, looking disgruntled. The most likely cause for his discontent, a grinning Jag, entered behind him, followed by the calm and collected Cruz and a wide-eyed Cassia, who clutched a mess of black fur to her chest.

  Dani found herself grinning as her crew joined her around the table. They quickly handled the necessary paperwork and looked to Patrick expectantly.

  Patrick’s eyes moved from face to face, hesitating on the fluffy black cat occupying Cassia’s lap before finally landing on Dani “Are we ready?”

  “Patrick, we’ve been ready.” Dani laughed.

  A small smile graced his lips before he began, “Alaska’s Vengeance surprised everyone with its little jaunt through the wormhole. As you’re all aware, wormhole travel is unprecedented. When I was made aware of who the pilot was, I wasn’t surprised. The GC’s top six-ring pilot was the first to successfully navigate a wormhole. Unfortunately, by the time it was discovered that you all survived, the evidence against your crimes had already piled against you.”

  “Patrick, I didn’t—”

  Patrick held up his hand. “We’re not here to discuss that.”

  Dani took a deep breath and pressed her lips closed.

  “Captain Veron’k was ordered to bring you in, and you’re all aware of what happened next.” Patrick paused to eye Dani momentarily before continuing.

  “The GC assigned the Houston to study wormhole travel immediately. Unfortunately, the untimely destruction of Alaska’s Vengeance made it impossible to scan the system as it transversed the wormhole. Regardless of the lack of data, we were ordered to begin testing.”

  Patrick sighed and accessed a file on the tabletop display. “Mistakes were made.”

  A video began playing on the display.

  [Wormhole Stabilization Task Force: Montgomery]

  A GC ship, much like Alaska’s Vengeance, approached a wormhole.

  “Houston, this is Captain Johns of the Montgomery. We are ready to enter the wormhole. Data recording is on and transmitting. Our little friend is in orbit around the mouth of the wormhole to provide a video recording of this momentous occasion.”

  “This is the Houston. You may proceed.”

  The ship fired up thrusters and sped into the gaping mouth of the wormhole. The satellite followed the Montgomery in, transmitting broken video of the ship ahead.

  Dani held her breath and leaned in.

  “All systems down!” The captain’s frantic voice cut through static. “We’ve sus— ... age. No con—”

  The video blipped off the display.

  The room was quiet.

  “Did you ever find them?” Cassia asked quietly, stroking the length of the cat’s back.

  Patrick shook his head slowly. “I’m afraid not.”

  “Okay then, so seems like a fifty-fifty success rate.” Jag smiled. “We’ve survived worse odds.”

  “Not exactly.” Patrick bit his lip and accessed another video.

  Dani and her crew watched as various wormholes devoured ship after ship. Different ships, different approaches, but always the same results to varying degrees.

  “Stop,” Dani said, her hand over her mouth. “Please, just stop.”

  Patrick shut down the video. “It’s important you understand what you’re getting into and how difficult this could be.”

  Dani nodded, her stomach turning as she looked around the table. Her fate was set in stone, but she wondered again, looking at each of their troubled faces, if she’d made a mistake bringing her crew into this.

  “How many ships?” Dani asked, staring at her wringing hands in her lap.

  “Twelve.”

  Dani met the eyes of each crewmember once more.

  “I see what you’re thinking, and I’m not going to let you give up that easy,” Jag spoke up.

  “You know where I stand,” Howard chimed in.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Cruz signed.

  Cassia smiled. “You know, life just hasn’t been the same without you Dani. We’re with you.”

  “You know, it really isn’t any different than any other situation we’ve flown into.” Jag grinned. “I don’t know of any other pilot who could pull off the things you do. I’m not worried.”

  Dani shifted her gaze to Patrick, who seemed impressed by her crew’s loyalty. “Okay, Patrick, tell us about the ship. What are we working with?”

  A smile bloomed on his face. “I have a better idea. Come with me.”

  Patrick rose from the table and walked out the door without hesitating. The rest of the crew scrambled out of their chairs and down the hall after him.

  The dread in Dani’s gut was replaced by excitement. She had been looking forward to seeing the ship since she first heard it existed. She felt lost, homeless without one.

  Patrick stopped them just outside of the hangar. “Howard, would you like to do the honors?”

  Howard lit up and stepped in front of the group. “Certainly. As you know, I’ve worked on ships my whole life. I’ve had experience with just about every ship out there. I’ve seen each of their benefits and disadvantages. The best of those ships pales in comparison to what’s behind this door.”

  “Would you get on with it, you old geezer?” Jag called from the back.

  Howard pointed a stout finger at him. “Don’t make me leave you in the hall.”

  Jag made a zipping motion across his lips, causing the rest of the crew to laugh.

  “Without further delay, I present you with Osirion.”

  Patrick keyed in a code, and the door slid open.

  Howard stepped aside to allow Dani to enter first.

  At first glance, the ship was unlike anything she had ever seen. The standard gray metal alloy exterior reserved for most GC ships was absent. It also lacked the shiny white body making up the Houston and other non-military craft. In fact, the hull looked organic. As Dani neared the vessel, she could see that the dark blue exterior with veins of green and white actually appeared to be rough and porous. It seemed like it was made of a kind of rock-like material, and Dani had to know for sure. She gently placed her hand on the hull, then withdrew it quickly, her eyes shooting to Howard.

  Howard laughed. “Go ahead, touch her. You know what that is, don’t you?”

  Dani leaned in for a closer look and reached out to touch it again. Rather than the rough texture she was expecting, it was slightly spongey and flexed as she applied pressure.

  The rest of the crew joined her, oohing and ahing over the texture.

  “Glowshard,” Cruz signed.

  “That’s right,” Howard proclaimed like a proud father. “The first ship with a glowshard exterior.”

  Dani’s eyes widened. “So does this mean...?” She trailed off as she stared at the ship in amazement, continuing to depress the exterior and watch its slow rebound.

  “It’s capable of self-healing, to a certain extent and under specific circumstances.”

  “It’s lighter too,” Patrick chimed in. “Saves fuel, offers better mobility and maneuverability. Shouldn’t take such a hit if you collide with the wormhole walls, or whatever else you might find in there.”

  “This is amazing.” Dani stood back to take in Osirion. “Beautiful.”

  “You should see the i
nside. It’s not quite as plain as this monstrosity.” Howard beckoned her toward the loading doors.

  Patrick cleared his throat.

  “No offense, but this place is just so... white. It’s hard on the eyes after a while.”

  Dani was already making her way up the loading ramp. She stepped into Osirion’s cargo bay and grinned. The walls did lack the stark white plainness found everywhere on the Houston. Instead, the walls, ceiling, and floor were powder-coated black, much like Alaska’s Vengeance. She grabbed onto a support beam built into the wall and climbed up on a crate. There seemed to be enough supplies to last them a month or more.

  “You gonna give us the grand tour, Howie?” Jag followed them into the cargo bay along with Cruz and Cassia, the black cat purring contentedly in her arms.

  “Sure, come on this way.”

  Dani was first in line as Howard led them through a doorway into the main corridor. The ship itself wasn’t as big as Alaska’s Vengeance, but it didn’t need to be.

  “Here’s the galley. Nothing too fancy here.”

  “It’s small.” Jag poked his head in the door next to Dani.

  “It’s big enough for us to eat together.” Dani palmed his face and pushed it back, laughing.

  “Across the hall here is the locker room with toilets, sinks, showers, and access to the gym. There’s also gym access through here.” Howard opened another door.

  “Gym’s tiny too.” Jag squinted.

  “Would you stop complaining? I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen you spend a day of your life in the gym.” It was Cassia's turn to laugh.

  “Fair enough. But when you’re constantly at your peak, the gym is simply a waste of time.” Jag winked.

  Cruz took the opportunity to use one finger to push and nearly topple Jag. “It’s a long fall from that high perch of yours, buddy,” he signed, laughing.

  “And down this hall, we have quarters.” Howard directed them down another angled hall. “Captain’s quarters are here; the rest are up for grabs.”

  Dani grinned and stepped into her new home while the rest of the crew scattered to lay claim to their rooms. Just inside the door was a small sitting area with three chairs and a small table. A half wall divided the sitting area from the rest of the room.