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  “Good,” said Eddie. “With any luck, that’ll mean another target.”

  “We haven’t even taken this one down and you’re already thinking about the next one?” asked Julianna.

  “Maybe I’m in a hurry to kick some alien ass,” said Eddie, giving her a half-smile.

  “I heard that, you little punk,” said Hatch.

  Julianna laughed. “You better watch out, Teach. Hatch doesn’t mess around.”

  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” said Eddie, raising his hands, but still grinning.

  Hatch puffed his cheeks. “You get this one, kid, but I’ve got my eye on you.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Captain Teach’s Personal Quarters, Deck 06. QBS ArchAngel, Paladin System.

  Eddie stared around his new room with a slight bit of awe. It was larger than he expected, with a queen size bed, a pullout sofa, and a personal kitchen area with a dining nook. He’d never been in a position that warranted so much space, especially during his time in the service, but he quickly decided that it was definitely something he could get used to.

  He wasn’t sure he deserved the luxury, but since they offered, who was he to complain?

  He opened the refrigerator, and to his surprise, found a dozen Blue Ales sitting on the bottom shelf. Beside them, a stack of Coca Colas, his favorite soda. “General Reynolds, you sneaky bastard,” he said with a grin.

  Eddie open one of the sodas and took a deliciously long drink from the can.

  Ah. Perfection.

  Eddie shut the fridge, leaving the beers for later. He certainly loved his Blue Ales, but nothing in the galaxy matched a good Coke. Empress Bethany Anne had known that. Eddie used to listen to stories about her conquests, about how she saved humanity and protected Earth, about all her many travels from this side of the galaxy to the next, and he idolized her. When he found out she was obsessed with Coke, he took it upon himself, at the tender age of ten, to give it a try.

  He was instantly hooked, and to this day it remained his all-time favorite beverage, even more than beer…and that was saying something.

  Eddie sat on the sofa, sinking into the cushion. There was a screen mounted on the opposite wall from him, which had to be a television. He didn’t see a remote control, though, so it had to be voice-activated. “TV,” he said, and the screen lit up instantly.

  After directing the screen to show him the latest Federation news, he turned it off, slightly bored, and just sat there, quietly drinking the rest of his Coke.

  It was hard to believe where he was right now, here in this mythic ship, this relic of a time before he was born, like sitting inside of a museum.

  Three knocks at his door.

  The screen lit back up, showing Julianna in the corridor outside his room. “Teach, you in there?”

  “Come in,” he said, standing to his feet.

  The door reacted to his command, opening automatically. He should have been surprised, but he wasn’t. The ArchAngel was a marvel and General Reynolds seemed to have a personal window into Eddie’s future.

  “Thanks,” said Julianna, stepping inside. She had her pad in her hand. “I was thinking we’d check out the ship, if you’re ready. Maybe meet some of—” She stopped, glancing around the room. “Nice quarters.”

  “Right?” asked Eddie. He raised his hand, showing her the Coke. “And it comes with all of my favorite things!”

  “Your favorite thing is soda?” she asked, then paused. “Actually, I remember you had some cans of that in your bag when we met. Didn’t that alien bust them open?”

  Eddie furrowed his brow. “Don’t remind me. Stupid bastard has no idea how hard Coke is to find way out in the fringe systems. All they have is Pepsi.”

  “I had no idea it meant so much to you,” she said, sincerely.

  Eddie took a final sip from the can, emptying it completely, and tossed it in the nearby trash recycler. “Speaking of awesome rooms, how’s yours?”

  “I wouldn’t know. I haven’t been there yet,” she admitted.

  “What? Seriously? Why the hell not?” asked Eddie. “Maybe the General got you something cool, like—” He stopped. “Wait a second, what kind of shit do you even like?”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know,” said Julianna.

  “I would, yeah,” he agreed. “Let’s go check it out!”

  “No, I don’t think so. We’re too busy for that right now.”

  He frowned. “Aw, come on, Jules. Let’s have some fun!”

  “No fun for you,” she said, turning towards the door. “It’s time to work.”

  “Dammit, I’ll find out what your deal is eventually,” he said.

  “You can try,” she told him. “But you’ll only come up short.”

  Bridge, QBS ArchAngel, Paladin System.

  Lance Reynolds stood on the bridge, overlooking the barebones crew. At some point, he’d have to find a way to fill out the rest of this ship, but not yet. For now, Edward and Julianna would have to handle themselves with the resources they had.

  And handle themselves they would, he knew. Lance wasn’t the type to take a chance on just anyone, not when it came to the mission at hand. He believed in people, certainly, but he always made sure to pick the right ones. In this case, he believed he’d chosen well. If that turned out to not be the case, time would certainly tell.

  “General, as you requested, I have a complete status update on the ArchAngel’s system,” said a woman by the name of Susan Deckard. She was standing at her station, waiting for his response.

  “Let’s hear them,” said Lance.

  “The ship is in optimal condition, operating at an astonishing 97%.”

  “That’s great news, Deckard. Thank you.”

  “Yes, sir,” said the woman.

  “As you were,” he told her, and she returned to her chair.

  The crew of this vessel, few as they were, had been chosen by hand, specifically by General Reynolds himself. He knew each of their records, each of their histories. It was a mountain of paperwork, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

  The truth was, neither Edward nor Julianna fully understood the significance of what they were doing. The outer rim of the galaxy was rife with chaos, death, and terror, and if they didn’t stop it here, the future of the Federation would be in jeopardy.

  Lance knew this because the intel told him it was true. Names and dates of terrorist activities had been secured at various stages over the last five years, each indicating a rising movement outside of Federation space. Someone was making waves, attempting to undermine what Lance, Bethany Anne, and so many others had tried to do. While they had wanted peace and security, this unseen hand seemed to only want destruction and chaos.

  The General was having none of that. He would be damned if he’d let all the hard work they had done turn to shit, just because of a bunch of terrorist thugs.

  The treaties might prohibit certain things, but there were always loopholes—loopholes that Lance had exploited to get the resources he needed. If anyone came asking questions, he could always fall back on the fine print, but he hoped it wouldn’t come to that. With any luck, his faith in Edward Teach and Julianna Fregin would pay off a thousand-fold, and the future would finally be secured.

  A pay off that no one would know about. The Federation could not be formally tied to these operations. The member systems would balk at what many would call military adventurism. It wasn’t. It was a proactive approach to securing the borders. The general wasn’t about to let termites eat away at the foundation.

  For now, however, all he could do was give his team room to move, to act, and to grow. He couldn’t micromanage everything they did, not if he wanted them to stretch themselves and find their footing. No, he’d have to keep his faith. He’d have to believe in them.

  And Lance did believe. More than anyone, he had faith in his people.

  That was how this hidden war would be won. Not with giant guns, Q-Ships, or armadas, but with loyalty and trust, with the
same sort of people who built the Federation. People like Bethany Anne and her friends. People like Edward and Julianna. Hell, maybe even people like Lance.

  He smiled, standing there on the bridge of this ancient ship, and he pulled out a fresh cigar, running it along the base of his nose, and took a whiff. “Ah,” he sighed, lighting the old stogie.

  Looking around the bridge, he took a few puffs of the cigar, sending tiny clouds of smoke into the air.

  “Smoking on the bridge isn’t advised,” ArchAngel said overhead.

  “Telling me what to do isn’t advised.” Lance tapped his cigar, making ashes fall to the floor.

  “Actually, smoking in general is a nasty habit,” retorted Archangel.

  Lance blew out a plume of smoke, doing his best to ignore the intrusive A.I.

  Dining Hall 03, Deck 12. QBS ArchAngel, Paladin System.

  “This is one hellavah ship,” remarked Eddie as he and Julianna walked through the dining area. It was lined with long tables, but only a few people were currently eating.

  Eddie could smell warm food coming from somewhere, but there didn’t seem to be any tray lines or lunch ladies like your typical mess hall. Instead, there were only cabinets, fully automated to deliver warm lunches from an assembly line behind the wall. He’d seen this type of system before, but only in smaller ships with fewer crewmembers.

  “Is there a mess hall with a kitchen on this ship?” he asked.

  “They all have them,” said Julianna, motioning to the far side of the room. “There are just no chefs.”

  “I guess we don’t have the manpower,” he reasoned.

  “Yet,” added Julianna. “But give it time. One day this ship will be bustling with activity, the same way it used to.”

  He examined her expression, and for a moment she almost looked happy. “You act like you know that firsthand.”

  “I do,” she answered.

  “What do you mean, you do?”

  She stopped at the door, turning to look at the room again, and crossed her arms. “I used to eat my dinner right there, near that corner,” she said, motioning.

  “Huh? Wasn’t this ship decommissioned until recently?”

  “It was,” she said, nodding. “I’m talking about before that.”

  “You mean you were onboard the ArchAngel before it was…”

  “Blown up,” she said, turning to him.

  His eyes widened. “But that was centuries ago!”

  “So?”

  “That means you’re as old as this ship, doesn’t it?” He dropped his mouth, looking her over, almost like it was the first time. He’d guessed that there was something incredible about her, but not to this extent. “Holy shit.”

  “Don’t act so surprised. You’d know all this if you paid more attention.”

  “Hey,” said Eddie. “I pay attention when it matters.”

  She gave him a look that said she didn’t believe him. “If you say so.”

  “Anyway, if you were on this ship before it blew up, then that means you were also in the war, right?”

  “That’s correct.”

  “So, did you ever get to meet the Empress?”

  “Bethany Anne?” she asked, smiling. “Who do you think authorized my enhancement?”

  Eddie had watched countless archived speeches, interviews, and footage of the Empress when he was a child, growing up, but he’d never had the opportunity to meet Bethany Anne in person. She’d left this region of space long before he’d had the chance. Even now, he could hear the Empress’s words in his head.

  “I left Earth to save it,” Bethany Anne had said in a televised speech, many years before Eddie was born. “I took to the stars to save us all, and in doing so, I discovered a galaxy of life, a universe of people not unlike my own. I saw with my own eyes that ours was but one of many in this universe…a voice in a chorus, bringing unity to the song of existence. And it must be protected, my friends. It must be shielded from all who would disrupt the music.”

  Eddie believed in her immediately and without hesitation. Something about her words, about her eyes, told him she was telling the truth, that she wanted to save people.

  “Do you think she’s alive?” asked Eddie, looking at Julianna.

  “Bethany Anne?” she asked.

  He nodded. “No one has seen her in years.”

  She gave him a sly grin. “Oh, I expect she’s doing just fine.”

  “What makes you so sure?”

  “Because I know her,” she Julianna, continuing down the hall. “And trust me, nothing can stop the Empress.”

  “You really believe that, don’t you?” asked Eddie, smiling. “Good. I’m happy to hear you say that.”

  “Are you?”

  He nodded. “I’d like to meet that woman someday.”

  Julianna laughed. “Maybe you will, Teach, if you can stay alive long enough.”

  “I plan on it,” he said, clasping his hands.

  “Good,” said Julianna. “Because the Queen Bitch is worth the wait.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Loading Dock 02, QBS Archangel, Paladin System.

  Hatch fiddled with the MX screwdriver in his tentacle, opening the CLK-01 box. It was a tricky procedure, given the contents, but not in a dangerous sort of way.

  The casing was created using an experimental magnesium-based alloy known as MX-99. It made the box nearly indestructible, which was especially useful given the ship’s active combat status.

  The actual genius lay within, however, as the CLK-01 box housed the central core of the technology, a powerful energy crystal from Berosia known as Aether. These crystals were some of the rarest in the known universe, consisting of condensed Etheric energy that could not be reproduced. Rather, they had to be mined from a single location, deep within the mountains of the upper Berosian continent. They were so rare that only a handful were found every decade, which made each of the Q-Ships all the more valuable. The same was true of the ArchAngel, since it used not one, but six Aetherian crystals in order to cloak the ship in its entirety.

  Hatch was far more concerned with what he could do with them, however, than where they came from. Specifically, creating a personal cloaking device that could be used to hide a couple of his teammates as they planted explosives around the walls of an enemy outpost.

  He set the casing on the floor beside him and examined the Aether—a glowing blue crystal, cold to the touch. It illuminated the space around it, creating a soft glow inside the box and along Hatch’s tentacles.

  He took another device from his other side—something he’d crafted himself over the past several hours—and brought it closer, preparing to transfer the crystal. The device was hooked onto the side of a brown belt, which Hatch had borrowed from one of the supply lockers. He popped the Aether out of the CLK-01 box and inserted it into the new device, strapping the crystal in tightly and closing the latch.

  The device powered on immediately, but gave no indication other than a small green light.

  Hatch looked around the cargo bay, but saw no changes. “AI,” he said.

  ArchAngel’s face appeared on the display. “I believe I told you my name is—” She paused. “Hatcherik?”

  “No,” said Hatch, staring at the A.I. “That’s my name.”

  ArchAngel blinked. “Scanning area…”

  “You won’t find anything,” said Hatch. He turned off the device. “See me now?”

  “Fascinating,” she said. “I ran over one hundred scans and found no results. What happened?”

  Hatch grasped the belt in his tentacle and brought it up to eye-level, and he grinned. “Just another day at the office, my wall-sized friend. Now, do me a favor and call the others. They’re going to want to see this.”

  Loading Dock 02, QBS ArchAngel, Paladin System.

  Eddie, Julianna, and General Reynolds stood side-by-side as they waited for Hatch to show them what they’d all be waiting for.

  “You sure this is going to work?” asked Edd
ie, watching the alien fiddle with a small box.

  “Have your doubts, do you?” asked Hatch.

  “In his defense, you did suggest you could alter highly advanced technology that only a few people in the Federation have experience handling,” said Julianna. “In a matter of hours, I might add.”

  Hatch motioned with one of his tentacles. “So? Did Q’Thur Ock Mo’Shall stop to consider whether or not anyone else was capable of creating the first matter displacement chamber? Did Otto Seraph K’Kurn ever stop to ask if he was worthy of developing the second warp theorem? I don’t think so.”

  “Whoever they are,” said Eddie.

  Hatch paused, blinking at him. “I swear, I’m surrounded by children. What do they teach you people in school these days?”

  Eddie pretended to gasp. “You people?” He looked at Julianna. “Are you hearing this?”

  “Let’s see what you’ve got here, Hatcherik,” said Lance, who had remained composed throughout the exchange.

  “At least someone appreciates what I’m doing,” said Hatch as he lifted the box with one of his eight tentacles, simultaneously using three others to hold various tools and make adjustments. “Prepare yourselves, everyone.”

  He turned a small dial on the side of the box and a green light appeared. Eddie waited for something else to happen, but there was nothing. No sign of a cloak or anything else.

  “Is that it?” asked Julianna.

  “Were we supposed to see a change?” asked Eddie, looking around. “I don’t get it.”

  Hatch puffed his cheeks, amused. “Of course, you don’t. You’re still in the safe zone.”

  “The what?” asked Eddie.

  Hatch waved his tentacle. “Take a few steps back, would you?”

  “Uh, sure,” said Eddie, doing as the mechanic suggested. “There. Two steps back.”

  “A few more,” said Hatch. “Keep your eye on me as you do.”

  Eddie took another two, watching the alien as he did. On the second step, he noticed a change. Hatch, along with both Lance and Julianna, faded. It was like they’d suddenly ceased to exist, like they had teleported or phased out of existence. “Holy shit! Would you look at that?” he asked, dropping his mouth. “You guys just disappeared!”