Victoria's Challenge (24 page)

Entering her quarters
on E Deck, Victoria looks around. She tried to make it her own but really, she’d only been on the Retribution six weeks before Lucas had been injured. Since then, she’s spent little time here. Going to her closet, she pulls out the remainder of her clothes. She hadn’t really known what to bring. Obviously, she’d left her formal ‘royal’ clothes back on Carina but still, she’d managed to fill the closet. How would they get them all to fit? Maybe she should leave some, it’s not as if they are going to make this an official move, put it on the rolls. Are they?

Opening a drawer she smile
s, oh she’s taking all her eadai, none of those are getting left behind. Lucas enjoys them way too much. She’d have to contact Kai and order some more. Maybe some more nightwear too. If they’re going to be sharing quarters, she’s going to want to surprise Lucas sometimes.

With her bag
full, she looks around the rest of the room. There were class supplies she’d need to move, a few visuals she had on the desk but those could wait. In the bathroom, she looks at the remaining personal items, some soaps, and shampoos. Nothing that couldn’t wait.

Lucas seemed pretty insistent that he would be helping, so she’d leave th
ose to him. Turning, she leaves, securing the door. Carrying her bag over one shoulder, she heads for Lucas’ quarters. Passing through a hatchway, she actually looks at the Retribution’s structure.

Lucas
is worried that E Deck isn’t safe. She knows it’s taken some hits lately but to her it seems fine. As she works her way to G Deck, she does notice a difference in the thickness of the hatchways.

Thinking about
his comment about this being as safe as a bunker, she smiles. He wants her safe, just in case.

Just in case
… paling, Victoria lets her bag drop to the floor then follows it down as she remembers...

“Peter, I want you to take Cyndy and Tori to the shelter, just in case. I’ll wait for Cassandra then we’ll follow.”

“Dad…”

“Peter you’re hurt, it’s going to take you longer. You need to protect your family. Just in case.”

She’d snuck through the kitchen, past the table that still had grandpa’s special pancakes on it. She hadn’t finished them because Aunt Cassie brought in a large man who’d fallen from the sky, he’d fascinated her, she didn’t know why, but she wanted to see him one last time. She’d snuck out the back door of the cabin, following Aunt Cassie.

The s
helter… how could she have forgotten the shelter? They went to the shelter. Just in case the Regulians
had
picked up Lucas’ transmission. Oh God! Grandpa Jacob had waited. For Aunt Cassie… for her. That’s why she is dreaming about him,
he is
dead. He’d been on the surface. He’d waited and couldn’t get to the shelter. Oh God, oh god. They're alive! They are alive in the shelter!

Trembling
, she stands. Walking over to the comm, she presses a button.

“Tar.”

“Admiral. It’s Victoria.”

“What’s wrong?
” Quinn's known this girl since she was nine and never, in all that time, has he ever heard her this distraught. Not even during the Challenge.

“I need to contact the High Admiral
. I need to do it with your security, total security.”

“Victoria
? What’s wrong?”

“I need you there, you and Lucas, please!”

“I’ll contact Lucas, contact the High Admiral, where are you?”

“In quarters, I can be in your ready room in five.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

“Zafar.” Lucas hits his comm, never taking his eyes from the report he is reading.

“Lucas I need y
ou in my ready room, immediately!”

“Admiral
? What’s wrong?”

“You tell me, Victoria wants to talk to the High Admiral under total security.”

“What!” He drops the report. “What the fuck! We just had first meal together, she was fine.”

“Well
, now she’s not. Get here!”

“On my way!
” Heading through the hatch, he runs into Dodge. “You’re in command, Dodge. I don’t know when I’ll be back.” Entering the Admiral’s ready room, Lucas finds Victoria, pale sitting in a chair. Squatting down in front of her, he gently touches her cheek.

“Victoria, what’s wrong?
” The look in her eyes confuses him. She looks lost, guilty and determined, all at the same time.

“I remembered.”

“Remembered? Remembered what?”

“What Grandpa Jacob wanted me to
. They are alive Lucas.” The buzzing of the Admiral’s comm stops Victoria from saying anymore.

Sitting down
, Quinn answers, “Tar.”

“Quinn
, what’s going on?” The High Admiral demands.

“You’ll have to ask Victoria that
. She requested this.”

“Victoria?”

“She’s here with Lucas.”

“Victoria, what’s going on?”

“I need to go to Earth.” Her statement is met by a stunned silence.

“Explain.”

“They’re alive. Mom, dad, and Brett.”

“What
? Who’s Brett?”

“My brother.”

“Victoria…” She hears him take a deep breath. “No one could have survived on the surface, we’ve been sending probes.”

“I know, two a cycle
, but Uncle William, they’re not
on
the surface, they’re in the
shelter
!”

“What are you talking about
? What’s a shelter?”

“A bunker
. Grandpa had a bunker.” She runs a trembling hand through her hair. "It was built into the mountain. Every generation added to it, it was about a half mile behind the cabin.”

“Even if he did
, Victoria, it’s been nine cycles.”

“It was fully stocked and
self-contained to support five adults for four cycles.”

“There you see…”

“But there weren’t five adults! There were
two,
Mom and Dad and one child. Grandpa’s dead, I know that, but not mom and dad and Brett!”

“How can you
possibly know that?”

“Because of my dream.”

“Victoria….”

“Hear me out, please….”

“Go on.”

“I’ve dreamed about Brett
since before Kayden was born, every cycle on his birthday. He grows every cycle. I assumed it was wishful thinking but now I know it’s not. Then I dreamed about the meadow, the one on Earth, I was in a protective suit, I took off the helmet and there was nothing, no noise, no life and the air, it was foul, it hurt to breath.” Lucas who has sat down next to her, takes her hand, giving her his support.

“
Grandpa Jacob was sitting on the boulder, carving a piece of wood. He said he needed me to see something, but there was nothing to see, not until I looked behind the boulder. There were three graves with markers, Jacob Chamberlain, Cassandra Chamberlain, Victoria Chamberlain, and one half dug.”

“Victoria, you’re projecting.”

“No. I know
I’m
not dead, neither is Aunt Cassie. If I were projecting, it would have been Cyndy and Peter on the graves. But beyond that… who dug them… someone has to be alive to dig a grave.” She pauses, looking at Lucas. “Uncle William, have you ever just
known
something with no proof, no logical reason to believe it could be, but still you
know
.”

William is silent
on the other end, thinking about everything Victoria has said and remembers, back to his own dreams with Kayden, his ancient ancestor his son was named for and Cassandra’s with Sabah. They’d had no proof they were true, but they’d proven to be.

“What are you wanting
, Victoria.”

“The Phoenix.
” She lets out a startled cry. "Oh God, the Phoenix. Did Aunt Cassie ever tell you what that means on Earth?”

“It’s was mythological bird on Earth,
it would die in a burst of flames then rise from…”

“Rise from the ashes reborn
. Alive. Can you really ignore all the coincidences? I’m eighteen. Aunt Cassie was eighteen when I was taken by Audric. Brett will be nine. I was nine when the Earth was destroyed. The Regulians, they didn’t home in on Lucas’ transmission to you, they homed in on the thread in my arm. That’s why they attacked the meadow. If I’d been in the shelter, they would have dropped the bomb there, not in the meadow. They wouldn’t have survived a direct hit. I wouldn’t have survived if Lucas hadn’t have crashed.”

“Victoria, I can’t send a Coalition crew into the Relinquished Zone, even on the Phoenix.”

“You don’t need too. Just get it here, I can fly it.” When her comment is met with silence, she presses. “You taught me yourself. You know I can handle her.”

“
But you can’t fly the Raptor to the surface.” William tells her.

“I can.
” Lucas speaks for the first time. Victoria’s head whips around to him.

“No
. You can’t,” she denies.

“That’s not your choice
,” he tells her. “Dad?”

“It would still be considered Coalition Lucas.”

“How? If I’m accompanying my life mate on a trip… a trip to her home world?” The silence on both sides is massive.

“You’re claiming
, Victoria?”

“I already have
. It’s done, dad.”

“Victoria?
” William asks. Lucas looks into her eyes, waiting. She’ll never deny him.

“Lucas is my life mate.”

“I need to think about this. Wait!” William knows Victoria well. Her mouth is already open, ready to argue. “There’s more involved here than just sending the Phoenix. Cassandra…”

“You can’t tell her.
” Now Victoria does speak up.

“I don’t keep family things from her!”

“You’ve never told her you send a second probe,” Victoria challenges him and William says nothing. “You didn't tell her because you knew she’d worry herself sick until the data came in. This is the same thing.”

“No it’s not
. You’ll be at risk, both of you!”

“All the more reason not to tell her
. Especially now.”

“What do you mean?
” The total lack of infliction in the High Admiral’s voice has both Quinn and Lucas sitting up.

“Uncle William, do you really think
, after all this time, I don’t know when my Aunt has conceived?”

“What
? Lucas looks at Victoria. “Dad, why haven’t you said anything.”

“We’re trying to keep it low key, this one’s different.”

“Different, what do you mean, different?” Lucas demands.

“It’s a girl….
” Victoria whispers, suddenly understanding. Aunt Cassie is carrying the future Queen of the House of Knowledge. “You can’t tell her, Uncle William, not until it’s confirmed. She’ll not only worry herself sick, but she’ll blame herself for not thinking of the shelter. She knew it was there but never knew Grandpa Jacob told dad to go there. To take his family and protect them, just in case. You have to do the same.”

“I know how to protect my family!
” William roars.

“Dad, Victoria knows that
. You’ve been protecting her for cycles, now it’s my turn.”

“Uncle William
I’m not doubting you. Never! I know you and Aunt Cassie tell each other everything, but this… it’ll take the Phoenix, what… three days to reach Earth? A couple days there, three days back. Then we’ll know, for sure. It’s only a week. But for her…”

“It’ll be a lifetime.”

“Yes.”

“I still need some time.”

“It’s the one thing we’re short of. I’m running out of time Uncle William. It’s taken me too long to remember.”

“No, you remembered when the time was right
. If you truly believe that certain things had to happen to get you where you are Victoria, then you need to believe that.”

“Thank you Uncle William.”

“I’ll have the Phoenix prepped and on its way to you, but I don’t promise I won’t call it back.”

“Understood
… Would you…” Victoria hesitates.

“What Victoria.”

“Have a stock of radiation sickness meds on board? They’re going to be sick, Uncle William.”

“Understood
. Quinn.”

“Here.”

“You can spare Lucas?”

“I don’t think I have a choice
, but yes. Dodge can handle the squadron. It will be good experience for him.”

“I’ll prep the Phoenix
. It’ll be ready in twelve hours. I’ll let you know my decision in twenty four.”