Blood Impulse

Part 33.1 - MEETING DEMANDS

Paleon Sector, Battleship Singularity

Concern dominated Colonel Zarrey's expression, but below his attentive eyes, there was a strong jaw clenched in frustration. The away team had been found out, but he hadn't been privy to the demands of their release. He had to wait until the Admiral hung the handset back on its rack. "What did that bastard want?"

Running the tactical possibilities in his head, the Admiral didn't answer immediately. "Me," he finally said, leaning tiredly on the backlit radar console. "Alone."

"That's absurd!" Zarrey retorted. "You can't go."

"Yes, I can." Tired or not, he was perfectly capable of making that exchange. "And, I fully intend to." Despite his criminal profession, the Jayhawker usually stood by his word. With him, a deal was a deal. Jazmine, Gaffigan, and those coordinates would likely be allowed to leave if the Admiral turned himself over. The mission hadn't failed yet.

"Admiral, that's absurd." They couldn't be trading lives like that. The first rule in dealing with hostage situations was compromise, not complete submission. "You're needed here." Despite any reservations Zarrey held about his methods, the ship's survival was reliant upon the Admiral's leadership. "I'll go as you. Owens can dress me up." Yeoman Owens had gone to school for makeup and hair applications. She could make him look enough like the picture given out with the Admiral's bounty to get by, at least temporarily.

"That will not work," not that the Admiral doubted in Owens' ability. Those skills of hers had proven to be an asset on other missions. "The Jayhawker will know you are not me." The unfortunate reality was that Admiral Gives and the Jayhawker were not strangers. He and the stationmaster had met before, and Admiral Gives had approved this mission knowing that this outcome was a possibility. "You have command until I return, Colonel. Stay in the Paleon Sector."

"You're sidelining us?" Zarrey thundered. "Fuck that!"

"That is an order, Colonel. No matter what you hear in the next three hours, these are my orders, and you will follow them. You, every member of this crew, and Singularity will stay in the Paleon Sector." Here, they would be safe, relatively speaking. "The only exception to this, I repeat the only exception to this is an attack by Command, at which point you are to retreat to the fallback position that Ensign Walters calculated, due west of here."

Zarrey could feel the heat rising in his face. Sidelined. Again. There was absolutely nothing more frustrating to a Marine, let alone a battleship full of sailors. "That's shit, Admiral." It was absolute garbage.

"These are my orders." He had not asked anyone to like them. "For three hours after I disembark, you will remain here with only that exception." That was critical, absolutely critical. "Whatever happens, whatever you hear after I leave, your orders are to stay. Is that understood?"

To disobey would be mutiny, and as much as Zarrey hated this, he still wasn't ready to commit to that. "Aye, sir," he acknowledged vehemently, "I understand." He glared at the rest of the crew, some of whom were watching his reaction for a cue. "We understand." There would be no disobedience, no mutiny. Not now.

The Admiral pushed himself off the radar console, looking briefly to where Robinson sat on the upper tier of the bridge, handling communications. "Lieutenant, tell the flight deck to prepare a Warhawk for immediate launch."

"Yes, sir," Keifer replied quietly.

With that, the Admiral turned and left. Zarrey watched him go, and the minute he was out of sight, let go a stream of innovative curses. It figured this mission would go sideways on them, but Zarrey hadn't predicted this. He swept his eyes across the room, noting the tension of the officers manning the controls. They kept their hands on the keys, ready for action, even out here in this empty sector. Eventually Zarrey found Robinson's deeply concerned eyes. "Notify Lieutenant Colonel Pflum," he told her. "If anyone can talk the Admiral out of being an idiot, it's him." The leader of the ship's Marine contingent should at least be involved in something like this. "Seriously," Zarrey grumbled, "Why are we even here if we're going to get sidelined every fucking time? We have a battleship, let's go kick some ass!"