Date: Sat, 24 May 2008 23:09:20 -0700 (PDT) From: Warren Subject: The Coldest Place, Chapter 7 *----------------------------* The following story, novel, or chapter contains homosexual themes and is not intended for anyone under the legal viewing age. If depictions of homosexual activities disturb you, DON'T CONTINUE TO READ! You've been warned. Do not e-mail me and complain or harass me with hate mail over this story. I will ignore you, or, if I find your message humorous enough, I'll probably thank you for the best laugh of my life. Copyright 2008 - Warren (singerboi22@yahoo.com) This is my second story...take it easy. Thanks :) Mine Shadow: /nifty/gay/sf-fantasy/mine-shadow/index.html *----------------------------* The Coldest Place Chapter Seven James paced nervously in front of his chair in the CC, awaiting the arrival of Admiral Terri Nedzvekas. He assumed the Admiral felt that the investigation needed a "shakedown". James knew that Command was disappointed; he hadn't found any signs of a spy or traitor, and now an Admiral was joining them. Eli had been of a more pessimistic mindset when James had informed him of the Admiral's impending visit. He had been sure that the Admiral wasn't just coming to stir things up a bit, but rather to remove them from the mission altogether. Although James dismissed Eli's warnings, he couldn't help but feel a little like a mouse caught in a trap. Even now he could feel Eli's eyes on him as he paced, but he pointedly ignored the look his friend was giving him. Any moment now, the Admiral's vessel would be arriving. Every second felt a little longer than the last one, stretching and stretching like rubber bands. He was acutely aware that his palms were sweaty, but his mind was focused elsewhere: Reviewing everything that had been happening. They had been attacked twice by Ascendancy ships. He had one officer in a coma, and an entire ship-full of Ascendant troops in the same condition. An alien vessel had been spotted shortly before one of the battles, and even he had fallen victim to memory loss. There were also two dead soldiers, with no explanation, on the depot. It was a long list of questions with almost no answers; or at least no answers he was comfortable with. His patience was rewarded when he heard the Communications Officer sound out, "Captain. The Admiral's ship is entering the system." James smiled inwardly when he heard the tremble in Ensign Lowe's voice. It wasn't every day they talked to someone like Nedzvekas, and he could sympathize. No doubt Lowe still had fresh memories of the grim-faced, stern instructors at Whitehall. Stopping in front of the viewscreen, he straightened his uniform and dried his palms, ready to give a good explanation. "The Admiral is hailing, sir." He felt a flutter of nervousness and his throat tightened a bit. Here it comes. "On screen." The unforgiving image of Admiral Nedzvekas filled the screen. She was a tall, imposing woman with a mane of wild grey hair and a severe, drawn face. She was never someone to cross and, although James had worked with her on many occasions, she was hardly someone he'd call a friend. And right now, she looked like she could breathe fire at any moment. "Captain Pederson. Join me in my conference room in half an hour. That is all." Before James could reply, the viewscreen went black. He heard Eli snicker behind him. "Charmin' woman." James felt his mouth quirk into a fleeting smile, but he paid his CO no heed. Nedzvekas was the last person he would call 'charming'. * * * Nearly a half hour later, James was aboard Admiral Nedzvekas' ship, the Silver Hand. It was an odd name for a ship, he decided, but it fit well. As he walked through the corridors to the conference room, flanked by two grim-faced security guards, he wondered at the personal changes the Admiral had requested. The ship had the same general layout and look of his own, but was softer and colored differently, with a lot of silver and chrome accents everywhere. It seemed to be less busy than his ship, but more formal. Everyone walked with such stiff backs he could swear they were fresh from boot. Either that or they were afraid the Admiral had eyes everywhere. Which, he mused, was a fear he shared. His two guards were just as typical as everyone else: handsome, black haired, and tall as all hell. Privately, James wondered if either of them were as well-endowed down below as they were in height...but promptly ended that line of reasoning when he felt his own cock swell in his pants. It wouldn't be appropriate to enter the meeting room looking as if he was in heat. Even so, he thought he saw one of the men glance at his crotch a few times. He started when the guard to his left grunted, "If you would enter the room, Captain." The man pointed at the door. James hadn't realized they'd arrived so quickly, but as the two handsome men fell behind him he thumbed the door panel and waited while the plain grey doors slid slowly open. At least the delay gave his erection time to subside. The room was dark. Far darker than the corridor, and considerably quieter; the Admiral must have had the room sound-proofed. For a moment it felt like stepping into a church, and he half expected a choir to burst into song. In the center of the room was a long conference table surrounded by many chairs, each with its own small lamp. On the other side of the table was the Admiral, already sitting with large shadows filling the space around her like huge, black spider-webs. He entered the room, looking much as a child would facing their parents after being naughty, and fought to keep from smiling at the notion. Quickly stepping over to the table, he saluted, and then took his seat, waiting with baited breath as the Admiral looked him over with her eyebrow raised, as if surveying a piece of gum on her shoe. "Captain." Her voice was sharp, but noticeably less so than earlier. "I have gone over all of your reports since you took this assignment." She pulled out a handful of LCD papers from the pile on her desk, and handed them to him. "The images of the alien ship you found." She explained. He looked down at the papers, feeling a bit confused and tried not to let it show. Nedzvekas was not someone you wanted to appear weak around. "What about them, Sir?" She sat back in her seat, folded her arms, and appraised him. "Captain, I have worked with you for many, many years. I would say that we operate well together, would you not?" He swallowed. "Yes Sir. I would say that." This wasn't quite going how he had expected. "Good. I have always considered you to be an exceptional officer. In every engagement you have been in, you have always come out of it leaving the Ascendants in far worse shape." She leaned forward, placing her hands, folded, in front of her on the table, and a thoughtful expression on her face. James waited patiently for her to continue, but a feeling of unease began to creep through him as the seconds lengthened. His mind started to wander as he wondered what she was trying to say to him. Was she taking him off of his assignment? Had he botched things up that badly? He felt his hands start to tingle. It nearly made him jump when the Admiral suddenly breathed in deeply and then sat back again, placing her hands in her lap and giving him a piercing look that he had trouble returning. "I am going to tell you something that does not, under any circumstances, leave this room. Is that understood?" "Yes, Sir." At least she wasn't going to dress him down. He felt a little more relieved. He never got this nervous and jumpy around his officers, but he felt more and more like a young boy than an adult, in this room. All of the times he had met with the Admiral he had felt this way, but this time was curiously different. He relaxed in his chair and listened to what Nedzvekas had to say. "The alien vessel that you observed is not unknown to us. It is something that we have not shared with the rest of the fleet yet." She paused for a moment, then continued, her voice even softer and her eyes taking on a gleam he couldn't identify. "This war, this entire war," she spread her hands wide, "is nothing but a small part of something even greater." Even greater? James wasn't sure what she meant. What could be greater than the war they were fighting, for their very survival, right now? His confusion must have shown on his face because the Admiral smiled a rather unfriendly smile that told him she was enjoying the sense of drama. "I know you do not understand what I am speaking of. Do not worry, Captain. I will explain." She stood up, placing her hands behind her back and started to pace, back and forth, in front of the chair. It was like watching someone swing a timepiece hypnotically. "I am sure you know how this war started, Captain. The Ascendants attacked us, laying waste to nearly a dozen worlds before we struck back. Since then, we have been winning this war, with nearly half of the Ascendant fleet destroyed and their own people asking for peace. Although, their command continues to fight on, single-mindedly." Her lower lip curled in distaste. "I'm aware of the war and its progress, Sir." Who wasn't? He only too well remembered that fateful day, sitting there on the couch with Nick, as the reports rolled in of the devastation on Eccelon. She faced him, now, her face eerie in the half-light. She had an odd expression on her face, as if she was relishing what she was about to tell him as someone would savor a fine wine. "That is not true." He stared at her, dumbfounded. He barely noticed her thinly veiled pleasure at seeing his reaction. 'Not true'? What did she mean, 'not true'? The war was real -- the threat was real; he had fought in it! Dozens of times! He had toured worlds torn apart, devastated. Worlds so radioactive that it would be millennia before they could ever be used again. It was all true! He stood up, feeling indignant. Nedzvekas had never misled him before, but this was feeling very unreal. What if she was one of the aliens? Could they take human form? "I'm not in the mood for games, Sir. I want to know what is going on." He knew he was walking a fine line with the Admiral, whose legendary temper was not the stuff of legends. Although she didn't show any outward sign, she must have realized she had gone a little too far this time. She began pacing again, while James sat back down and watched, unsure of what, if anything, to do next. "My apologies, Captain. You are right. No games." She paused, again, and faced him, this time looking considerably more sombre. "Captain, any schoolchild knows the names of all of our planets. They know that we control almost the entire galaxy. What they do not know is that we control nothing! All of this," she gestured, encompassing the room. "All of this is just a game to a power greater than either the Confederacy, or the Ascendants." "Who?" He breathed, barely louder than a whisper. She gave him a pointed look at he picked up the papers in his lap. "The aliens?" "Precisely." Her voice held a trace of triumph. The moment hung in silence as he stared at the image in his hands. Nedzvekas had stopped pacing and simply watched him as if he was a child struggling to understand a lesson. "They manipulate us, Captain. They caused the war." "But how?" He could hear the disbelief in his own voice, strong and obvious. "How can they be controlling us?" Now Nedzvekas looked apprehensive, and even wary, as she sat down in front of him. "Captain...James. I am coming to you not as an Admiral, but as a colleague. I need your help." Her voice got even softer and she looked him in the eyes. "The fate of our civilization, perhaps even our galaxy, rests in our hands." He could see the genuine emotion in her eyes; this was not a joke. James knew there was only one thing he could say. "What do I need to do?" * * * Hours later, near the end of the evening, James was sitting in his quarters, thinking. The Ascendant ship had already been turned over to the Admiral, and she had left with it in tow. But not before slipping him a disc that contained a very special, very highly-classified frequency he could use to contact her outside of normal channels. His official orders were simple: Continue to investigate the possibility of a traitor on the depot. But his true orders were far more complex, and they gave him a headache to just think about them. Everything Nedzvekas had told him was circulating around his brain like a marathon runner on a track. She, and a few other officers scattered throughout the fleet, were part of an secret group called "The Nine"; they were dedicated solely to undermining the aliens, who they had nicknamed 'Grunts' due to the way they talked -- like animals. He had laughed when she explained their language, imagining the aliens running around in circles, smelling each other's asses and grunting about it. Not a great deal was known about the Grunts. But the most startling fact that was, was that humans and Ascendants were confined to this one galaxy. An invisible, but quite deadly, barrier encompassed the galaxy, controlled by the Grunts. It was obvious what the purpose was, even to James: experimentation. Luckily, no vessels or probes had yet been sent outside that border, but that was only because of sheer happenstance. The thought of what the aliens were doing filled him with rage. How dare they experiment on another sentient race? Humanity had grappled with that question centuries before and determined with General Law 53 that the affairs of other races were their own. No exceptions. Yet, here was a technologically advanced race using other beings as guinea pigs in some sort of twisted, sadistic little game. Try as he might, he couldn't stop his other doubts from surfacing; doubts about everything in his life. What had been under his control, and what had been placed in front of him like cheese at the end of the maze? He knew it was arrogant to presume the Grunts controlled humanity down to that level, but part of him wondered. Who could he trust? James shook his head. He would get no-where quickly, he decided, thinking like that. It would only serve to push him away from his colleagues when he needed them the most. And that was now. Though he had to keep everyone else in the dark, he would still need to rely on them while he performed his duty. The door to his quarters beeped, startling James from his dark thoughts. He wondered for a brief moment whom it could be, then he remembered he had invited Eli and his wife, Ellen, to dinner that night. He supposed he really had no choice but to go through with it, though he was looking forward to it as much as he looked forward to physicals. "Come in!" he called, hoarsely, and winced. His throat was dry from hours of pouring over his thoughts without respite. Still, he put on smile as Ellen stepped through the door in a long blue gown, with Eli hanging off her other arm. As he watched them come through the door, he felt a profound sense of sadness. It had been years since anyone had cared about him the way that Ellen and Eli cared about each other, and he was suddenly feeling the loss. He carefully masked his true feelings behind the same complacent smile he had been wearing since they entered, and led them to the dining room while Ellen chatted away, though he didn't pay any attention to what she was saying. Even as they sat down, he continued to respond with 'ah hum' and 'hmmmm' every time she paused to take a breath (which wasn't very often). Finally, all of them were seated, with James on one side of the table, and Ellen and Eli on the other. The table itself was a dark red mahogany table that gave all three diners plenty of room to stretch out. He had bought the table on Ezeri II nearly a year ago when he came across a furniture store, during a raid on suspected Ascendant spies. "It simply has been too long since I have seen you, dear James. Eli was telling me that you're just busy, but I had started to wonder if you had just vanished into thin air!" She chuckled and gave her husband a simpering look that made James curdle up inside. Instantly, his previous feelings vanished and he suddenly remembered why he couldn't stand this spiteful woman. He knew all of it was simply an act, and that she was truly a black-hearted demon, though he had never said that to his best friend. Eli, for his part, was soaking up his wife's attention. James took a sip of his wine and cleared his throat before replying, trying not to let the exasperation show on his face. "Fleet business, that's all. Just a little busy." Ellen looked as if she was going to say more, but at the moment the chef came out, carrying their dinners on three precariously perched plates, and she gasped. "Oh! That looks positively delicious! Doesn't it, dear?" Indeed it did -- all three plates were filled with the best that Chef had to offer, including freshly broiled salmon filet, vibrantly green broccoli, and, to James' delight, a tray of steaming biscuits was also brought out. He noticed Eli was eyeing the biscuits with the same desire, and, catching the older man's eye, winked. At least Ellen was quiet now, he thought to himself as he watched her load her plate with food. No sooner had they started to dig into the meal, when Ellen began talking. Again. "James, I was telling Eli about a complete scandal I heard going on throughout the ship." She had a smirk on her face that seemed completely out of place, and James' heart sank. He knew all too well what the look usually meant. "Uh hmmmm," he replied, noncommittally. "Oh yes!" Eli put a hand on her arm with a look of warning, but she continued. "I heard that poor Kaer has been locked up inside of the sickbay against his will!" James choked on the piece of salmon he was chewing. The nerve of that woman! She didn't even seem to notice his distress, but instead sat there, looking satisfied with herself. "What?!" Eli cut in before either of them could speak. "Ellen, I toldja that wasn't true! What are ya trying to do?" "Relax, honey. Just you let me handle this." She pushed his hand off of her arm and continued. "If James is keeping that poor young man locked away to be his personal...sex slave," she said the word sex with a very deep expression of disgust, "then everyone needs to know." As she finished, she looked directly at James, barely concealing her delight at his reaction. This wasn't the first time that she had aired her anti-homosexual views, but this was the first time it had been so blatant, especially in front of James. Really he had only invited Ellen along to dinner because he had to, from time to time, as Eli's friend. But tonight he wasn't going to take her abuse. He felt the anger rise inside of him and instead of holding it in as he usually did with her, he gave the bitch the full force of his wrath. "You pedantic, vile, old bitch!" James' face was red with anger as he focused his fury on the diminutive woman seated across from him, who was wearing a 'try me' look. He heard Eli say his name but paid him no heed. "How dare you insult me in my own quarters?! Who the fuck do you think you are?!" Eli started panicking as he glanced between his smirking wife, and red-faced Captain who looked about ready to launch a few torpedoes. In moments the two of them were standing and yelling at each other, leaving Eli struggling to calm them both down. First he tried to get in between them, but they simply moved around his bulk, both continuing to hurl insults at one another. He was afraid that they might pick up the food and start throwing it, so he wildly looked around for ideas on how to stop them. Finally, in desperation, he grabbed the two glasses of ice water on the table in front of him and splashed the combatants in the face. James gasped, rubbing his face furiously at the blindingly sudden blast of cold, while Ellen screamed in fury and swatted at her husband with one sharply manicured hand, who fell down in his chair heavily; her nails had scratched his cheek. He winced and looked back up at his wife, who was standing over him, chest heaving and a lock of grey hair hanging over her face. She puffed it away with her mouth before slapping him again. For his part, James numbly sat back down and started eating again. The whole situation had gotten so ridiculous, he thought, watching Ellen and Eli now grappling each other over the table, that it was nearly laughable. The more he watched, the stronger the urge to laugh got until he couldn't hold it in any more and just burst out with a great big 'HA!', startling the other two, who looked at him with amazement. Eli stared at the laughing man from across the table, completely confounded. Since when was any of this funny? His wife had the same fish-like look on her face as she, too, stared at the captain, who was now laughing hysterically. "That was dammed funny, old man!" James struggled to breathe through his laughter, and finally Eli joined in. He left his wife standing all alone at the other side of the table as he slapped James on the back and ignored her outrage. "Yer completely right, James! Ya shoulda seen yer face when I hit ya with the water!" Eli guffawed and slapped James' back again. "I hate faggots! I hate you! You bring everyone here closer to Hell with your diseased ways!" Ellen's face filled with rage as she glared at both her husband and the sinful captain. Without another word, she turned smartly on her heel and strode out of the room, no doubt rushing back to the quarters she shared with Eli. "You'll be sleeping on the couch tonight, old man." James shook his head, still chuckling. "That was priceless." Eli sat back down, picking up pieces of salmon that had been knocked off his plate. "Yup, I sure will. That's all right, though, James. Ya didn't do anythin wrong." "I know, but-" Eli held up his hand. "James, I'm sorry for tonight. Ellen is set in 'er ways. And even though she's a bitch, I love 'er." James looked down at his hands. "I know." "Ya aren't still missing Nick, are ya?" He chuckled wryly and looked up at Eli. "Sometimes, old man. Sometimes." "Well lemme give ya this advice, friend. You've gotta lot goin on right now, what with this war. Focus on that and when yer ready, you'll find someone that'll make ya feel like he did. Then ya can rub it in Ellen's face." He laughed, reached over, and put his hand on James' shoulder, who grasped it tightly. "Thanks for being my friend, Eli. How about you go calm Ellen down while I clean all of this up?" Eli knew his friend well and realized he needed some time alone. He looked upset despite laughing like a hyena earlier. He nodded once, and quietly slipped out of the room, leaving James sitting alone at the large table. It didn't take long to clean everything up and meander back to the living room, where he sat down and contemplated his next move. It came quickly to him: He needed to lure a Grunt ship back to the area. He had two reasons. One, Kaer needed treatment and he was sure the answer was on their ship. And two, it was time to go on the offensive. The more he was able to learn, the more he could prepare for what lay ahead. * * * Kaer was still lying motionless on his bed, his vital signs stable, when James came by to check on him. He simply sat next to the bed, tracing the younger man's features with his eyes. He really was a very handsome man, James thought. A slight sound from behind him made him turn around to find Doctor Cavetti discreetly watching. When he realized that James had noticed him, he cleared his throat and said "No change, Captain.", and then vanished around the doorway back to his office. James shrugged. He had gotten used to 'no change' for a while now, when it came to Kaer. Sometimes he wondered if the man would ever be able to take his place in the CC again. That same resentment and anger at losing any member of his crew welled up inside of him, warring with all of the other emotions and thoughts he was dealing with. He thought back to what Eli had told him earlier, about focusing on the war ahead of his personal life. Even though the advice was sound, it made him feel just a little more empty. He wasn't supposed to feel this way; he was a starship Captain, and he needed to be strong and decisive. He needed to be ready to do what had to be done, at a moment's notice. But at times like this, alone (or relatively alone), he could let his guard down just a bit and think. He didn't linger long on his thoughts, or by Kaer's bedside, and soon he was back in the CC, watching the stars -- although this time they weren't really moving. Being stationed in one place had its drawbacks, he decided, and the chief problem was seeing the same stars over and over again. "Status?" he asked, wearily, looking at the operations officer, a second Lieutenant he didn't recognize. The red-headed young woman wordlessly printed out a sheet of paper that she attached to a clipboard and handed it to him. He skimmed through the sheet, noting that everything was "acceptable", as usual. Now was the moment to put his plan into action. He stood up from his chair and cleared his throat, causing most of the officers to swivel in their seats to face him. They all waited patiently for his orders. "Engineering, start venting ionized gas from the two port engine pods. Weapons, I would like you to take most of the guns offline, and then follow these orders." He motioned the weapons officer closer and handed him a blank LCD sheet. "This is keyed to your thumbprint. Please follow the orders exactly to the letter." The officer nodded, although his brow creased in puzzlement. James paid him no heed; what he needed done was far more important than explaining himself to junior officers. For the first time, he was grateful Eli wasn't in the CC or he would be finding this far more difficult to do. "Commander Rone, you have the CC." Commander Rone was the night-shift XO, a considerably more relaxed and younger version of Eli; direct from Earth, not long after the war broke out. Although James usually spoke to Rone only during the night shift, they sometimes chatted in the hall, or even in the lounge. James had found the man to be quick witted and intelligent. The Commander was nursing a fond hope of leaving the service eventually, to settle down as a computer operations specialist back on Earth. For his sake, James hoped once the war was over, it would let him follow his dream. The Commander nodded, stood up, and took the chair James had recently vacated. He looked content, and pleased at being back in command, even if only during the night. Satisfied that everything on this end was in order, James stepped out of the CC. It didn't take long at all to get his shuttle prepared, and to make the unannounced trip back to the depot. True to his word, Commander Hillerson was waiting for him, as he disembarked from the little ship. "Well, well, James. What a pleasant surprise!" Hillerson grabbed James' hand and held it for a moment longer than necessary. The hair on the back of his neck prickled when the Commander let his fingers slide over James' palm as he let him go. "It is good to see you again, Commander." James said, as formally as he could, pushing away his fleeting guilt when Hillerson's eyes flashed with disappointment. "We need to speak privately." Hillerson gestured to the bay doors. "Of course. If you would follow me." He turned sharply on his heel and started walking quickly to the other side of the room, forcing James to keep up. To Be Continued...