Command Decision (Project Gliese 581g #1) (28 page)

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Authors: S.E. Smith

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BOOK: Command Decision (Project Gliese 581g #1)

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“You know, I could almost do it,” Ash muttered, twisting around to sit down next to Josh.

Josh slowly lifted his head and stared at Ash’s dark face. There was a new scar above his left eye, probably from when the Gliese 581 went through the gate and Ash’s face connected with the control console. He was dressed in a tan colored shirt and dark brown trousers. They were almost the same color as his skin. A pair of matching dark brown boots and vest finished off his outfit.

“The only thing you’re missing is the hat and you could be Harrison Ford… with one hell-of a tan, that is,” Josh muttered with a slight smile. “What could you almost do?”

Ash leaned back and drew his knees up. “Kiss you,” he admitted. “I thought I was the only one alive.”

Josh saw the smile fade from Ash’s eyes as he looked around the damaged shuttle. His gaze rose to the front window and he frowned. Instead of being in space, he saw that his and Cassa’s ruined shuttle was inside of another ship.

“Where are we?” Josh asked, returning his gaze to Ash.

Ash glanced up over his shoulder, the good-natured grin back on his face. He looked back at Josh and shrugged. He was about to answer when he paused and looked over Josh’s shoulder. Curious, Josh twisted and looked up at the figure leaning against the frame of the doorway leading to the cockpit. A harsh curse tore from his throat when he saw the smiling face looking down at him.

“Greetings, Joshua Manson,” the woman said, folding her arms across her chest.

Josh struggled to his feet, swaying. His hand groped along his hip for the Staff. The figure shifted warily and took a step back.

“Hey, Josh, whoa. Kella’s alright,” Ash exclaimed in an urgent voice, stepping between him and the woman. “She’s cool, man.”

“Cool?! She tried to kill us!” Josh said, glaring over Ash’s shoulder at the tall, lean woman. “She’s a Turbinta assassin.”

“Kella? An assassin? Naw, she’s a freighter pilot,” Ash said in confusion, glancing at the woman standing behind him. “She saved my life.”

“No,” Josh growled, pushing Ash to the side. “She tried to kill me in the warehouse. We fought and I knocked her out. Hutu was going to kill her, but I stopped him. I shouldn’t have.”

“Listen, you must be mistaken!” Ash argued, looking back and forth between the two. “Tell him, Kella. Tell him that you didn’t try to kill him.”

“Yes, I did,” Kella responded with a shrug. “That was what I was paid to do.”

“See, she… What? Are you nuts? You can’t kill my friend!” Ash bit out, turning to glare at the woman.

“It was what I was paid to do,” Kella retorted with a shrug. “Or at least, I would have been paid to do if I had been successful. I came to tell you that the woman wants to see him.”

Josh watched as Kella turned sharply on her heel and walked away. Her tanned complexion was lighter than Ash and her thick brown hair was cut short. On each hip, she had a weapon strapped snug against her leg.

“Would you mind telling me what is going on?” Josh asked, leaning back against the chair as a wave of fatigue washed through him.

Ash raised an eyebrow and leaned back beside him. Josh saw the disgruntled expression on his friend’s face. He mimicked Ash when the other man folded his arms across his chest.

“Dude, if you don’t know, how the hell am I supposed to? Remember? You are the one who always knows the answer to things, Sherlock. I’m just your wingman,” Ash muttered. “This is one crazy, messed up world.”

Josh dropped his arms and pushed up to stand again. He wanted, needed, to make sure that Cassa was alright. Then, he needed to find out what was happening with the rebel forces. He didn’t even know how much time had passed. For the first time in a very long time, Josh just didn’t know, but he was going to find out – starting with Cassa.

“Let’s go find Cassa and I’ll tell you what I know,” Josh finally said, stepping forward.

“Sounds good to me,” Ash replied under his breath.

*.*.*

Several hours later, Josh leaned back against the seat in the galley of the freighter. His arm was wrapped protectively around Cassa. She tilted her head and tiredly rested it against his shoulder. Ash stared moodily at the drink in front of him. Hutu watched Kella with an intense, edgy stare while Kella, who sat next to Ash, returned the old Knight’s gaze with a steely one of her own.

“If you two keep staring at each other like that, I’m going to send both of you to a corner,” Ash finally snapped out.

Josh choked back a chuckle at the exasperated look Kella shot his friend. There was something else in her gaze as well that he almost missed. For once, Josh felt like Ash just might have met his match in the assassin turned savior.

“The Legion forces were quickly defeated after the destruction of the two Battle Cruisers,” Hutu continued, ignoring Kella for now.

“Pack…?” Cassa asked in a husky voice, sitting up.

Hutu’s expression softened and he gave Cassa a soft, warm smile. “He and Bantu faired much better than you and Josh. They were able to put a significant amount of distance between them and the ships before they self-destructed,” he assured her.

“Thank you,” Cassa replied in a thick voice.

“What now?” Josh asked. “How will the Legion respond, do you think?”

Hutu’s expression hardened. “The repercussion of the battle is already being felt across the galaxy. Word that you, and now another lost Guardian of the Gallant Order has appeared, is spreading. The Director is desperate to find the others. General Landais has vanished. He met with the Director yesterday before the battle. He returned to his ship, but left again in a lone fighter shortly after handing temporary control over to his second-in-command. No one has seen or heard from him since. It is believed he is searching for another signal that may have been intercepted,” Hutu explained.

“There were two more,” Kella suddenly said, glancing around the table.

“Two more?” Josh asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kella glanced at Ash’s frozen expression and sighed. “I picked up information about two more signals,” she repeated with a shrug.

“Are they the same signals that Landais is hunting for?” Josh asked, leaning forward.

Kella glanced at Ash again and shook her head. “No,” she replied in a soft voice. “The last sighting of Landais had him heading in the opposite direction. These… They were headed for Turbinta.”

Hutu’s fists clenched. “We have to find them,” he said, starting to rise out of his seat.

“If you went there, every assassin on the planet would be after you,” Kella stated in a blunt tone. “It is the same for you. The Director has placed a very high reward on your heads.”

“We can’t just leave them,” Ash snapped impatiently.

Kella turned her dark brown eyes to Ash. “I never said that you should,” she pointed out in a soft voice.

“Then, what do you suggest? That you go and look for them?” Hutu snorted angrily.

Kella turned her eyes to Hutu and tilted her head. Josh saw the appraising look that she gave the old Knight before she broke the contact. She reached for the drink on the table in front of her and finished it before she answered Hutu’s questions.

“Yes, but not alone,” she said, glancing again at Ash. “Ash will go with me. If they are on the planet, I’ll find them. Your people won’t know me, but they will know Ash, though, if he were to go with me.” She turned her dark gaze toward Josh. “The old Knight is right. The Director will be hunting for the others. He is also correct when he said the Director is scared. That fear will make him more dangerous. We will find your friends while the Gallant Order keeps the Director and the Legion forces busy.”

“Do you think I’d just let you take off with Ash…,” Josh started to say when Ash broke in.

“She’s right, Josh. This is a strange world. It scared the hell out of me. Sergi might be able to handle it, but Mei and Julia? They aren’t military,” Ash pointed out.

Josh’s lips tightened before he relaxed. Deep down, he knew that Ash was more than capable of taking care of himself. His gaze flickered to Kella. She was staring at Ash with a slightly confused expression in her eyes. This wasn’t the look of an assassin who wanted to kill his friend.

“Keep us posted,” Josh suddenly said. “Stay out of the Legion’s sight and for God’s sake, stay out of trouble!”

Ash released a chuckle. “Since when have I ever done that, Sherlock?” He asked with a wry grin.

Josh rose stiffly to his feet and gently helped Cassa to hers. He wrapped his arm around her waist when she started to slide back down. Pressing a kiss to her temple, he nodded to Hutu, who had risen at the same time.

“Let’s get back to the base,” Josh said. “Cassa and I need to get cleaned up and get some rest before we start planning the next phase of our attack.”

Hutu nodded in approval. “You are a natural born leader, Josh. The Gallant Order is lucky to have you,” he said in a quiet voice filled with respect.

Josh grimaced when he felt his stiff muscles protest. Right now, he didn’t feel like a leader. He felt old and tired.

“You can butter me up after I get some sleep,” he retorted with a good-natured grin before he turned to look at Ash. “ Be safe.”

“Always,” Ash said, reaching out and laying his hand on Josh’s shoulder. “Watch his back while I’m gone,” he added, looking at Hutu.

“And who’s going to watch yours?” Josh muttered.

“I will,” Kella said in a quiet voice. “Now, if you can all get off my ship, we can leave.”

Josh shook his head. “Good luck with this one,” he whispered under his breath.

“Hey, I’m the one with all the charm, remember? The ladies can’t resist me. She’ll be eating out of the palm of my hand before you know it!” Ash teased in a slightly strained tone. “If she doesn’t bite it off first.”

A soft chuckle escaped Josh and Hutu at Ash’s reflective grimace. Ash’s gaze followed Kella’s taut figure as she walked away. He didn’t envy the journey ahead of Ash. He just hoped it was a successful one, and was curious as to who they would find next. In the meantime, they needed to locate General Landais and hope he was on a wild goose chase.

“Let’s go back to the base,” Cassa murmured softly.

Josh nodded. He tightly held Cassa’s hand, unable to let her go. Together they followed Hutu back to his ship. Climbing down the ladder to where the shuttle was docked, he waited and helped Cassa down. They moved to one of the seats and sat down while Hutu made his way to the cockpit.

Soon, they were heading through space to the ice-covered moon base. Looking out of one of the port windows, Josh could see the planet far below. He vaguely wondered how much damage was done and how many lives were lost. For a moment, his thoughts returned to the beautiful vineyard and Jemar and Jesup’s smiling faces.

His arms tightened around Cassa. She was half-asleep as she leaned against him. He bent his head and pressed a kiss to her temple.

The Legion has a lot to answer for,
he thought, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. His hand moved down to his side and he stroked the Staff that Jemar had given him.
I will need to teach Ash how to use one,
he thought as a smile curved his lips.

Josh never expected his command decision to take the Gliese 581 through the gate would have such a profound effect on not only his life, but so many others. The new Knights of the Gallant Order were about to rise up and show the Director and his forces that they were back with a vengeance. The first awakening of the new Gallant Order had begun.

To be continued….
First Awakenings.

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