‘…repel even the lightest incursions from Sirius Squadron. The Federation is probing us, and instead of answering with discipline and deterrence, you offer delay and excuses. These are the tactics of scavengers, not soldiers. If the enemy moves unchallenged through our flanks, if they steal our cargo, destroy our platforms, and vanish into the dark, it is not because they are superior, Captain. It is because you are predictable. Sluggish. Weak.

‘Rectify this. Or I will send what remains of your command to mine deuterium beneath the crust of Panellopon III.’

Drehm’s voice echoed through the Rookery, and the team was silent as Ranicus observed them from beside the central projector.

‘Lieutenant Falaris decrypted that this morning. It appears to be from Commander Drehm, supervising Toliman border defence forces, addressing the forward commander of the patrol we intercepted forty-eight hours ago,’ she explained.

Nallera clapped her hands on her knees. ‘We got them on the rocks.’

‘Scaring them,’ said Jakorr, tense from by the bulkhead, ‘doesn’t give us an opening on Alpha Centauri proper.’

Cassidy turned to Ranicus, eyebrows raised. ‘We got a source on that transmission?’

Ranicus opened her mouth to divert him, but Falaris looked to her, startled, and said, ‘We didn’t – I didn’t know we needed to trace it…’

‘We didn’t,’ said Ranicus coolly, lifting a hand to silence and calm the young lieutenant, but her eyes didn’t leave Cassidy’s. ‘We know it’s from within the main AC system. While it appears Drehm remains in command of the Vaadwaur’s border defence force, by every indication he’s not leading in the field.’

‘Coward,’ Nallera scoffed.

Q’ira made a face. ‘Where’s Panellopon III?’

Ranicus shrugged. ‘We have no idea.’

‘Presumably somewhere close to wherever their home system now is,’ Aryn mused, eyes going to the ceiling as he rocked back on his chair and thought. ‘That’s potentially useful information -’

‘Yeah,’ butted in Rosewood, ‘when we ever get to taking the fight to the Vaadwaur, we’ll look for a Delta Quadrant system with deuterium on the third planet. That narrows things down.’ He turned to Falaris. ‘Start trying to trace these transmissions.’

She looked from him to Ranicus. ‘I’ve been, uh. I can do that, but I’ve been asked to continue to study subspace harmonic vibrations at the periphery of the system.’

‘Why?’ said Q’ira, sounding like Falaris had been studying dirt to check if it was brown.

‘What possible value is there,’ scoffed Rosewood, ‘to knowing where the Underspace aperture is? It’s like we can do anything with it.’

Ranicus rounded on him. ‘Anticipate possible incoming Vaadwaur reinforcements?’

‘If they can keep dropping reinforcements on us, we’re screwed no matter if we see it coming or not.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘Can’t we drop this with the egg-heads on Memphis?’

Aryn shifted his weight. ‘I asked for these studies. And have been working with the lieutenant to try to narrow down our search area.’

‘Why –’

‘I’m not just looking for the aperture,’ said Aryn, a little more terse. ‘I’m looking for the Blackout Outpost.’

‘A facility buried somewhere in Underspace, likely to be supremely heavily defended by its own armaments and the Vaadwaur fleet, which we have no idea how to switch off other than brute force?’ Rosewood squinted.

Aryn’s expression didn’t change. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I anticipate that a unit such as this might be considered for a mission such as that. And if the subspace array scans from Fourth Fleet Command remain accurate, the First Fleet is assembled and trapped at Sol. It could end the Vaadwaur occupation inside a day.’

‘That’s an adorable daydream,’ Rosewood sneered, ‘but there’s a lot of points of failure there, including the assumption Earth hasn’t been hit in the last three weeks. Meanwhile, we have to focus on the actual mission here.’

‘Clearing a path to Alpha Centauri?’ Aryn asked softly. ‘Or finding Drehm?’

Ranicus turned sharply to Cassidy, eyes narrowing. ‘Commander, I will redirect Lieutenant Falaris’s efforts at your instruction; otherwise -’

‘Redirect them,’ Cassidy growled. ‘We focus on pinning the Vaadwaur bastards back into Toliman. If we can get a bead on the commander of their border defences, the mastermind of the atrocities of Proxima, that gives us options. Was there anything else to debrief?’

She paused, then shook her head. ‘Strat Ops is still assessing intel from the last mission.’

Cassidy nodded. ‘Then rest up, everyone. We don’t know when we’ll get another mole to whack. But we’re bleeding them dry. Dismissed.’

Ranicus turned sharply back to the display, taking her time to gather her PADDs and briefing material; to close and resecure the various files and images on the holo-projector. It also gave her time to focus on something simple and fight the fizzing in her veins.

She’d thought they were all gone, then Rosewood said, ‘Hang on.’ Her back tensed as he stepped up beside her, gesturing to the display as she took down file images.

‘Put that one back – the voice analysis on Drehm,’ he said.

She’d been polite. Professional. Calm. Now it was only them in the room, and Ranicus turned with a flat expression. ‘Don’t,’ she said simply.

Rosewood squinted. She could all but see the calculations in his expression, the deliberate furrow of his brow. Concerned. Measured. ‘Commander…’

‘Your manipulations may work on the press or even the unit,’ Ranicus said coolly. ‘But don’t try to play me. Your schemes aren’t especially complicated, nor are they especially sophisticated. All you’re doing is playing on the emotions of others, particularly Cassidy, to indulge your own.’

‘I’m not sure what you’re talking about.’

‘Yes, you do. And yes, I do. Cassidy wants to believe you, and the others are used to sticking by the unit. Even Aryn might speak up now, but he’ll fall in line. Q’ira doesn’t have the context to see through it all.’

‘Context,’ Rosewood repeated flatly.

‘That, right there,’ she sneered. ‘A deflection, waiting for me to show my hand more, without you having to add anything meaningful. You’ve decided you’re on a one-man crusade to save Alpha Centauri, except you think it also comes down to one man: Drehm.’

Rosewood’s brow furrowed. ‘That would be poor strategic analysis, and incredibly egotistical.’

‘It would. Which would make it particularly strange if a ranking officer involved in the push on Toliman was diverting resources and focus to intelligence on just one Vaadwaur leader.’ Ranicus gestured to the half-empty projection. ‘I could give you more of a breakdown on the actual commander of Alpha Centauri operations, Admiral Gaalem. If you want to target him?’

For a moment, Rosewood looked like he might defend himself. Then his lips pursed. ‘I’m sorry, Ranicus, if this is setting back your ambitions.’

‘My ambitions?’

‘It’s simple: you want to control every aspect of the unit’s operations and contribution to the liberation of Alpha Centauri – gather and assess intel and design our missions, everything. So when the dust settles and this is over, you can leverage us to move back to a real job, a real starship assignment. Right?’

There was a coldness in his eyes, but even so, Ranicus knew he was deliberately trying to get under her skin. The problem was that knowing this only helped so much. Her jaw tightened. ‘This isn’t about that -’

‘But the fact I have an idea of how we should execute this strategy that doesn’t match your idea is, what. A threat? I might undermine your plans? Take credit? And then you’re stuck with us?’

‘Even if that were true,’ said Ranicus, trying to stay calm, ‘it wouldn’t negate the tunnel vision you and Cassidy have about Drehm. It’s compromising your judgement, your priorities -’

‘Your prospects of getting back onto a starship? As if one good campaign’s going to make everyone forget you’re probably a walking violation of Federation law on genetic engineering?’ Rosewood’s eyebrows popped up, his voice dropping as he leaned in for the last part. ‘See, they won’t forget. Which means you can’t even run crying to anyone about it. Because one of us has pull with squadron command. One of us saved their bacon at Izar, while you helped prop up the man who nearly got everyone killed.’

Ranicus closed her eyes for a moment, drawing on cool, calm discipline. When she opened them, her voice was flat, level. ‘Nothing you say is going to make my point invalid.’

‘Everyone’s got a point to make.’ Rosewood rocked back and shrugged. ‘Everyone in the galaxy. Having a point isn’t special. What’s special is how you use it. And you, Ranicus… are just too damned toothless.’

He turned on his heel, sauntering towards the door. ‘Find us a lock on Drehm. Or we’ll get an analyst who can.’

She glared at his back, then turned back to her files and kept her voice airy as she said, ‘How’s Lieutenant Pierce?’ She heard him stop. ‘I heard she was injured in the battle. Ended up in Sirius’s sickbay.’ Silence met her words. She glanced over at last to find him unmoving, his back to her. ‘Or didn’t you go see her?’

He left without another word.