The Phoenix Reckoning (The Phoenix Conspiracy Series Book 6) (26 page)

“Here we are,” said Calvin, maneuvering the Nighthawk into a close flyby of what had once been the icy, but livable, planet Ceti Omega V. In case the view out the window didn’t properly show all the details, Calvin ordered Cassidy to display the surface of the planet on the 3D display.

“Rather cold looking for being one of the charred worlds,” said Miles.

The planet remained icy and cold, but as the
Nighthawk
moved and the 3D display adjusted, the beginning of ruins could be seen. Metal and cement debris, much of it scorched black or exploded into countless pieces. Almost nothing was recognizable. There were foundations left behind of crumpled and burned buildings, most of the formerly glorious buildings now sat in heaps of debris like ancient burial mounds. The winds and snows had shifted and buried much of it, but the evidence of butchery remained.

“Holy shit,” said Miles.

“Holy shit is right,” said Calvin, maneuvering them away from Ceti Omega V and toward Ceti Omega IV, which had been a jungle planet with billions of people once living on its surface.

When they arrived, Calvin positioned the ship so they could see the planet out the window, what once had been vibrantly white, green, and blue, was now charcoal black. The result of every tree and plant, along with every building and person, being set ablaze almost simultaneously. The fire had burned out of control. The terror had been unlike anything anyone could imagine, Calvin was sure.

“It’s just like Gemini,” said Summers incredulously, as she gazed at the 3D display, observing the destruction—much of which had been covered in dirt from windstorms. However, the evidence of civilization, and its violent and sudden ruination, had not been completely erased by the natural processes of these worlds. And, Calvin suspected, they wouldn’t be for many centuries in the future.

“It’s worse than Gemini,” said Calvin, and he swung the ship around to showcase the southern hemisphere of Ceti Omega IV from close orbit. “What you see there is the ruins of the Mathaki People, a tribe of Polarians that tried to split off from the main religion. They lived for decades in peace and built a great civilization, complete with state of the art infrastructure for their time. Then, when the Dread Fleet came, it is said that the ships answered no hails, offered no quarter, made no demands, they simply opened fire. Not stopping until all the Mathaki People had been slaughtered, man, woman, and child, and their great works and mighty infrastructure reduced to the ashes and rubble you see before you now. All told, on just this planet, four billion Polarians died.”

He took them on a brief tour, from planet to planet, showcasing the desolation and ruins left behind. One would think, by the looks of them, these planets had long gone extinct of all life millennia ago. But it had been merely one hundred years.

Calvin felt it important that his senior staff see this carnage, so that they understood just how unforgiving and brutal an enemy they were dealing with. Although he had deliberately refrained from inviting Rez’nac up to view the destruction, Calvin wasn’t sure if the Polarian warrior would praise the righteous extinguishment of religious deviants or condemn the slaughter of billions of innocents. Unsure which side he would take, Calvin opted to leave him out of it.

To the humans, though, the message was clear.
If we fail. If the Dread Fleet cannot be stopped, then this will be us. This is humanity’s future. This is the Empire’s fate. Unless we find a way to change that.

Calvin would have said those words, but by the expressions of pallor on the others’ faces, he knew to do so would have been redundant. And so, after showcasing Ceti Omega I and doing a flyby of the nearer star, he set course for alteredspace and jumped the ship, knowing that his officers understood the stakes.

***

Red Shift. Finally. Calvin had been so eager to relinquish the pilot’s position, and the bridge, that he’d caught himself counting down the minutes for the last hour. Eventually, once the relief crew arrived, Calvin surrendered his station with a smile and announced that he was going to get some rest.

Although quite exhausted, it wasn’t rest that he wanted. It was Rain. She had been in his every other thought since they’d put the Charred Worlds to their stern, and he couldn’t help how excited he felt to see her again.

Was I like this with Christine?
He asked himself, as he punched the elevator button for the infirmary’s deck. As sad as it was, he did not actually remember. Ever since Rain had forced Calvin to confront his feelings about Christine, and admit out loud that her death was not his fault—something he was slowly accepting, but had a long way to go—the memories of her had faded a bit. Not in a bad way, though. More like in the way that a bruise fades over time, taking some of the pain with it as it shrinks away.

When he arrived, Calvin eagerly entered the infirmary. Currently there were no patients being treated and Rain was the only physician on staff. Charitable as she was, she must have sent Dr. Andrews and everyone else away to rest, keeping them on call in case she needed them. Which, unless something went catastrophically wrong with the stealth system in the next few hours, she wouldn’t.

Perfect,
thought Calvin, happy for the privacy. Rain did not seem to notice his entrance.

He walked over to her, only to find her unconscious. Calvin felt his heart leap in his chest and he grabbed her with both arms, gently shaking her. “Rain.
Rain!
”

She awoke after a few seconds. At first she was obviously unaware of her surroundings and confused, but then everything seemed to click together.

“Why, hello, Calvin,” she said with a smile.

“Rain,” he said, still feeling his heart beating like a snare drum. “Are you all right?”

“Of course I am. Why do you ask?” She stood up and looked up into his eyes. The blueness of her irises never ceased to amaze him.

“You weren’t conscious,” said Calvin. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I was asleep,” she said, dismissively. “That was all. I think we’ve all been a little overworked and under-slept since…well, pretty much the beginning.” She laughed. Calvin could only manage a slight chuckle; he remained worried about her. He was no medical expert, but it didn’t seem normal for her to have drifted off like that, and then been so difficult to awaken, even though now she seemed completely fine. Perhaps she was right, and she was merely a deep sleeper.
I suppose I’m being paranoid
, thought Calvin.

“I think you should have Dr. Andrews take a look at you, just in case,” said Calvin.

Rain laughed. Then, when Calvin didn’t, she said, “Oh, you’re serious?”

“Yes,” said Calvin, nodding.

“Oh well, all right then, I suppose. I’ll ask him to do it tomorrow,” said Rain. “If those really are the captain’s orders.”

“I’m afraid so,” said Calvin. He had lost Christine due to negligence on his part; he wasn’t about to endanger Rain in the same way. And, although she had confided in him that she was terminally ill, Calvin intended to keep her around for as long as he possibly could. For all he knew they would live out the rest of their lives together on this mission; perhaps none of the
Nighthawk’s
many souls was fated to return.

“Now those aren’t the only captain’s orders,” said Calvin, as coyly as he could manage. He pulled Rain close to him and bent her over for a kiss. She was stiff at first, obviously taken off guard, but then she relented and kissed him back, deeply.

“Well, that too was unexpected,” she said, as soon as she had the chance. “You really are a man of surprises, Mr. Cross,” she teased.

“I like to think so,” he said. He kissed her again then led her by the hand toward her apartment. Before he could open the door, he found himself kissing her some more. He pressed her warm body up against the bulkhead and kissed her neck, her cheek, and finally her lips again. Her body responded to him and she kissed him back, pulling him in even closer, her hands somehow found their way under his uniform shirt and explored his back muscles while he lost himself in her mouth, supporting her head with his right hand and holding her tightly against himself with his left. It was a moment of pure, animalistic passion.

“Can we please take this inside?” said Calvin, catching a breath.

“Oh, yes,” said Rain, looking eager to surrender herself to her every impulse. She opened the door and yanked on his arm, practically throwing him inside her quarters. He grabbed her and pulled her close to him, the momentum carried them forward and they collapsed on her bed, embracing tightly.

“You know something, Doctor,” said Calvin with a teasing smile. “I think I rather like you.” He kissed her again, stifling her reply. She giggled.

He shifted himself on the bed, practically picking her up as he did—much to her delight—and then laid her down. She spread her legs, allowing him to crawl on top of her, and he kissed her repeatedly, all over, slowly working his way back up to her lips. All the while she seemed blissful and reciprocated his every affection.

He then reached under her scrubs and glided his hands slowly up her chest, stopping as he felt her tender breasts. They felt warm, and soft—even through her bra—and had just the right firmness. They were neither small nor large and seemed to fit into his hands perfectly, as if made for them. He gave them each a gentle squeeze, then reached around her to undo the clasp.

“I love you,” he said, thoughtlessly, as he found the clasp behind her back and began to fight its insufferable resistance. The damn thing seemed to be welded together.

“Wait,
what
did you say?” she asked, sitting up all of a sudden, extracting his hands from under her shirt.

Oh shit
, thought Calvin.
I said something wrong, didn’t I? Or maybe I was going too fast?

“Nothing, just that I really, really like you,” he said, trying to slip his hands back under her shirt and continue where they had left off—she did not let him.

And in that moment, as if a pang of clarity had struck her like a lightning bolt, she changed. Her eyes sharpened, her expression became concerned, and she pulled away, physically and metaphorically.

“We have to stop,” she said.

“What?” he asked, now thinking his chances were quickly dropping. “Why?”

“Just trust me; it’s for the best,” she seemed awfully insistent. But Calvin wasn’t about to let the matter go so easily.

“You have me really confused,” he said.

“We just shouldn’t,” her eyes looked at him firmly, yet pleadingly.

“Why not?” asked Calvin. “Was it what I said?” he came to the only conclusion that seemed logical to him. “Because I didn’t really know what I was saying…I take it back.”

She looked shocked, hurt, and confused. “You
what?
”

“I don’t…love you?” offered Calvin.

She gave him a glare that meant this was clearly not the right answer.
So telling her I love her is wrong, telling her I don’t love her is wrong; why do women have to be so complicated?

“I think you should go,” she said.

Calvin felt wounded. Wounded and confused. “Wait, Rain, please,” he tried to take her hand, she let him. He gazed into her beautiful blue eyes as he spoke. “I really do love you. I didn’t mean that stuff about taking it back.”

“I know,” she said. “And that’s the problem.”

“Why is that the problem?” he asked. “Why would that ever be the problem?”

“You can’t love me. I can’t let you. I’m sorry.”

“Well it’s too late for that,” said Calvin.

“I know,” she said gently. “And I’m sorry for that too.” She gave his hand a squeeze and then pulled away.

Calvin just sat there on the bed, dumbfounded.

“I’m not angry with you or anything,” said Rain, “or frustrated. It’s just…you can’t love me. We can’t be in love.”

Calvin looked up at her. “But why the hell not? Is it that you don’t see me in
that
way?”

She shook her head. “No, that isn’t the problem. I think you’re one of the sweetest, most beautiful men I’ve ever met.”

Calvin wasn’t sure how he felt about being described as
beautiful
, but decided to let it slide. “Then what?”

Rain looked tightlipped.

“Okay, I’ll go,” said Calvin, standing up. “But don’t you think you at least owe me an explanation?”

“It should be obvious, Calvin,” said Rain. “I’m dying.”

“So what?” Calvin tried to take her in his arms, but she didn’t let him. “So dying people aren’t allowed to be in love?”

“No, it isn’t that,” she said. “But dying people shouldn’t be in love with…you.”

“With me? What the hell does that mean?”

Rain let out a sigh and then, very gingerly, took one of his hands and looked up at him, clearly rehearsing in her mind what she was about to say before saying it.

“Just tell me,” said Calvin.

“It’s because of Christine,” said Rain.

“Christine is long gone,” said Calvin.

“You haven’t really had time to mourn her and achieve closure yet,” said Rain.