Fiearius’ fist hit the table. “Bullshit.”

Leta snorted a quiet laugh at how many of the Carthians gathered in the cramped meeting chambers of the dreadnought flinched.

“We took out the ground turrets on our descent, there was one left, but it didn’t have the range to hit any of your ships in orbit,” Fiearius snapped, his teeth bared as he glared across the table at the stoic figure of Gates who had yet to say a single word in this meeting. “So I call bullshit on your ‘we were being attacked’.” Continue reading →

It was difficult for Cyrus not to think about Satieri. As busy as he made himself, as deep as he delved into his own work, ever since the Dionysian departed the Beacon a few hours ago, it just kept floating back. He found himself bent over, staring at the monitoring console, trying to read the numbers he needed for the operation, but all his brain wanted to focus on were thoughts of Fiearius and Leta traversing the streets of his hometown.

He imagined what those streets might look like now. Maybe changed by the war or simply the passage of time. Maybe entirely the same. All at once he was relieved to be away from there, safe from whatever dangers they were facing, and horribly envious. What he wouldn’t give to go home again. Continue reading →

It was still early when Leta drifted down the Beacon’s empty hallways towards the docking bay where the Dionysian was parked. Early in the morning, but late to the party, it seemed, as most of the crews of both ships were bustling about in preparation. Of course they were. There was a lot to do. The Dionysian set sail for Satieri today.

She brushed past Maya who was unloading the ship’s unnecessary cargo into the care of Cai, past Eve who was arguing with Rhys over which guns to bring, past Richelle in deep discussion with Addy and straight towards the Dionysian’s captain, solitary and focused on the side of his ship, a panel open and a monitoring tablet in his hand.

Continue reading →

“We’re gonna stick to the plan.”

Fiearius sounded more confident in the decision than he looked, seated on the massive chair with his head propped on his fist, frowning at the floor as if it had offended him.

Leta, from her own couch across the room, didn’t question him though. He’d been torn apart by uncertainty ever since Dez had departed the Beacon yesterday afternoon. If he’d finally committed to something, even something he wasn’t totally sure about, she wasn’t going to be the one to put more doubt in his mind.

He had Quin for that, apparently. Continue reading →

The moment felt — a little bit — like going back in time.

Inside Corra’s quarters on the Beacon, Leta slumped into the tremendously comfortable couch with her feet propped up. Her head leaned on Corra’s shoulder warmly, although it was Corra who was requesting advice and comfort at the moment. Leta did not mind: she’d nearly talked herself hoarse in the last week, catching Corra up on Fiearius, his injuries. Liam …

“I’m just not sure, y’know?” Corra was saying in regards to the daunting topic of future plans. “I know Riley and Alyx want an answer if I’m gonna stick around or not, but I don’t know. I can’t make up my mind.” Continue reading →

Corra was so engrossed in reading that she didn’t even notice when she was no longer alone in the Beacon’s bridge. Even when Finn said a word of greeting and sat down in the seat beside her, she didn’t tear her eyes from the screen enough to pay attention. It was only when she felt a tap on her shoulder that she recognized his existence at all, primarily by jumping in her seat in surprise.

“Woah there, only me,” he insisted, holding up his hands in surrender as Corra scrambled to right herself in her chair. “Sorry, didn’t mean to sneak up on ya.”

“No, I’m sorry, I just–” She ran her hand through her hair and shook off the moment. Just aren’t used to having other people around again, she almost said. “Just didn’t hear you come in,” she said instead.

Continue reading →

Leta grit her teeth and ripped off another strip of bandage, then quickly rolled it around the man’s injured arm. The dark green color of his uniform, torn and smoke-stained as it was, told her this one was Carthian. She’d lost track some twenty patients ago who it was she was treating: Carthian, Society, civilian, she’d even located one of Dez’s people who’d been caught in a blast. With the way the streets of Ellegy looked, it was hard to imagine anyone who hadn’t been.

The smoke had grown so thick now that the scenery had actually darkened, and it was difficult to see how much of the city skyline was even left. Leta and her team had navigated through it mainly by following the sounds of distress. From the time they’d left the rebels’ hideout, it hadn’t taken long to find a slew of people in need of assistance and from there, a trail of decimation to follow. There was no shortage of work to be done. Continue reading →

“B squadron repor--bzzt--injuries and–enemy sightings on--bzzt–”

“–multiple explosions at–east and northeast positions of–”

“–the hell is happening out there? Someone get me a–bzzt–”

As he sprinted down the hallway, Fiearius growled and hit the COMM in his ear, which had erupted with panicked voices and broken questions since the moment the explosions began. The COMM was still refusing to fully function, but he heard enough to know what was going on: chaos.

The explosions in the city, Dez’s plan, whatever it was, was no longer his concern. Carthis could handle it. And if they couldn’t — well, he’d handle it later. Leta was safe, Quin and his fleet were still in the air, taking down Society warbirds and Harper had reported that the Dionysian was far from any of the attack points. Of course. She was parked next to Dez’s ship. Even he wouldn’t risk his only way out of here. Continue reading →

Fiearius ducked his head below the rim of the Dionysian’s hull and squinted through the smoke that filled the landscape of Ellegy. The skyline was hazy, with dulled orange glows of fire atop its towers and spires where the Carthian bombs had landed. The sounds of the firefight above were drowned out where they were on the ground, but Fiearius had seen enough of it firsthand on the turbulent flight to the planet’s surface to know it was still going strong.

The boom of another direct hit met his ears and a wave of air and smoke blasted across his face. The ground shuddered. A black Society fighter ship appeared from the fog and zoomed over the Dionysian, followed shortly by a Carthian warbird, firing shot after shot at its prey.

One-man fighters, Fiearius thought with amusement. Most all of what the Society had left. As Arsen had predicted, the Society had taken their knowledge of the CORS’ whereabouts and set about striking it as hard as they could. Ellegy hadn’t been left truly undefended, the Carthian dreadnaughts had had a rough go of it taking out the surface defense systems, but without Society destroyers swarming the skies, the task had been at least possible. Quin, who was commanding Fiearius’ air forces above the planet, had been thrilled to find that instead of elaborate defensive maneuvers, she was free to just shoot down anything with a Society librera that moved. Continue reading →