Celene stared at Admiral Gamlyn. That couldnt be right. She had to have misheard. Her gaze drifted to Calder, hoping to see the same expression of disbelief on his face.
He looked calm. Determined. Not surprised at all.
Maam? She turned to the admiral.
As I said, Lieutenant Calder is one of Engineerings finest. The technological requirements of the mission demand his presence.
The power sources wavelength fluctuates, Calder explained. Ill have to continually adjust the ships sensors to trace it accurately.
That doesnt have to be done manually. Celene stepped closer to Calder.
He didnt back down. Actually, he said, voice and eyes cool, it does. And when we finally reach Marek hes going to have very complex security systems in place. You dont have the skill to disable them.
The admiral narrowed her eyes. It sounds like youre questioning my decision, Lieutenant Jur.
Damn, she did not want to piss off her commanding officer. This mission is extremely important to me, maam.
Its important to all of 8 thWing, came Admiral Gamlyns level response. Not just you.
Heat crept into her face. Im aware of that, maam. But couldnt Commander Frayne be my partner? Hes very adept at engineering.
Ive seen him build some convoluted stuff, Mara volunteered, then added, maam.
Skilled as Commander Frayne is, the admiral said, he doesnt have the abilities the mission demand. Lieutenant Calders expertise, as well as his personal knowledge of Marek, make him the ideal candidate.
Im sensing some reluctance to partner with me, he said drily.
This was not a conversation Celene wanted to have in front of the admiral, nor her friends. She glanced at Admiral Gamlyn. Permission to speak with Lieutenant Calder in private, maam?
Briefly, Lieutenant Jur. This mission needs to commence as quickly as possible.
Celene nodded, then grabbed Calders forearm to lead him out of the chamber. He was solid and muscled beneath his uniform, and tension spread through him at the contact of her hand on his arm. Pushing these details aside, she guided him to the door and then out into the corridor. She glanced around. No one was nearby.
Looking up at Calder, she
hoped to see some of the easy humor he had displayed in the briefing chamber. Instead his expression was remote, and he crossed his arms over his chest. He wasnt going to make this easy. Fine by her. Shed faced tougher obstacles than Lieutenant Calderlike flying through the Qing Meteor Shower with no navigational systems and almost no oxygen in the cockpit.
Mareks struck at the heart of the 8 thWing. He could cripple the entire resistance movement, letting PRAXIS take whatever they want. Enslave everyone for profit.
Something flared in his eyes before retreating behind cool distance. That outcomes already occurred to me.
I want Marek. I want to make him pay for betraying the 8 thWing.
We want the same things.
Then let me take someone else. Someone trained for combat. She could name half a dozen Black Wraith pilots she trusted implicitly, and all of them knew their way around a circuit board.
You think I wont be able to hold up my end of the fight. His voice deepened, took on an edge.
Face it, Calder. Youre NerdWorks. The closest you tech geeks come to combat is all-night Nifalian chess tournaments.
I won the last three tournaments.
She tossed her hands up. Exactly. I know youre ranked in Engineering, but no matter what Admiral Gamlyn thinks, eventually this mission is going to boil down to a fight that Marek cant survive.
Agreed.
She released a breath, relieved. Good. Well just tell the admiral that you will provide all the necessary tech info needed for the mission, and then I can pick a more suitable partner. Celene started toward the door of the briefing chamber, but she stopped when she realized Calder wasnt getting out of her way.
He stared down at her, his jaw tight. The most suitable partner for this mission is me.
But we just agreed
I agreed that this mission will ultimately culminate in a battle, and that Marek wont return to base for a court-martial. I didnt agree to slink away so you could pick one of your Black Wraith hotshot buddies to take my place.
They glared at one another, neither budging. Apparently shed underestimated him. She had never backed down from a challenge, and she certainly wouldnt start with Lieutenant Calder. At least he didnt try and lick her boots, the way some other crew members might.
So you believe yourself perfectly capable of handling yourself in a fight?
He lifted his chin. Yes.
She planted her hands on her hips. All right, Calder. Lets put all that Nifalian chess knowledge to the test. Its based on ancient war games, after all.
He raised a brow. A tournament?
Better than a tournament. She took a step toward him and saw the faintest trace of alarm in his eyes. Perfect. You and me. One round in the combat simulator.
Ive trained in SimCom, he said, confident.
Fine. No problem, then. We go in together, fight a round against the generated opponents. If you leave on your own two feet at the end, then you can partner with me on this mission.