“So you think it could make the hundred or so jumps back home without any problems?”
“I have no reason to suspect otherwise. But admittedly, I have no evidence to suggest that it could, either.”
“Which is exactly why we’re not going to head home just yet,” he announced.
“What?” Cameron wasn’t surprised by his announcement, as she had suspected this would be his plan all along. “Nathan, it’s not safe to stay in this region of space. You said so yourself. The sooner we start jumping home-”
“Cam, we don’t know what lies between here and Earth,” Nathan told her. There could be other inhabited worlds-maybe friendly, maybe not. They could be even worse than the Ta’Akar. Or there could be nothing but empty space. That’s more than a hundred jumps-any one of which could be our last. We could easily end up stranded in a far worse situation than this. And I’m just not prepared to commit to such a risky plan, at least not without more information.”
“And if the Ta’Akar manage to hunt us down?” Cameron wasn’t backing down this time, not without a fight.
“Well, we can always start jumping away then, can’t we?”
“It may not be that easy, Nathan. They underestimated us once, maybe twice. They probably won’t make that mistake again.”
“According to Jalea, they’re not that bright when it comes to tactics,” Jessica recalled.
“You want to bet your life on that?” Cameron asked.
Jessica said nothing, but her expression told Cameron that she did not.
Nathan was getting tired of arguing with Cameron. It was beginning to feel like their days back in the training simulator. And he was exhausted. He’d been shot at all afternoon, and had been bounced around in a tiny spaceship that crash-landed on the Aurora’s hangar deck. He had too little energy left to waste it arguing with his XO. “Cam, I’m just saying I want to find out more before we make a decision one way or the other. That’s all.”
“That’s all?” She was sure there was more to it that he wasn’t revealing just yet.
“And maybe spend some time fixing a few things along the way, if you don’t mind.” Nathan knew that he didn’t have to get her approval. He was in command, after all. But the nature in which he had ended up her superior officer had never sat well with her, and he knew it. Furthermore, he needed her on his side. Her unique organizational skills and attention to details, as well as her uncanny knowledge of procedure, made up for his weaknesses in those areas.
“Of course not,” she assured him.
“And while we’re doing all that,” Jessica interrupted, “maybe we can find out a little more about this power source?”
Nathan was quick to jump onto the new topic, wanting to leave the debate with Cameron using any excuse possible. “Exactly. At the very least, we need to verify its existence. I mean, if it really is as great as Tug implied, couldn’t we use it to increase our jump range?”
Abby realized that his last question was aimed at her. “I suppose it’s possible. But I’d have to know a bit more about it before I could give you a definite answer.”
“Deliza seemed to know quite a lot about this research,” Vladimir added.
“Really?” Nathan was a bit surprised to hear that Tug’s teenage daughter was so well versed in the subject.
“Yes. She is actually a very smart young lady. I do not think she gets out much.”
“What did she tell you about it?”
“Only that it is based on the principles of zero-point energy.”
“Captain,” Abby interrupted. “There are references in the Data Ark to such research. In fact, we were very close to developing something similar on Earth just before the plague struck. It was one of the research and development proposals being considered in the defense of Earth after the Jung threat had been recognized. Had it not been for our accidental discovery of the spatial transition effect, it might even have been pursued.”
“Would it be something that we could use?”
“Indeed. A zero-point energy reactor would provide more than enough power to significantly increase our jump range. It might also reduce the recharge time between jumps.”
“Both of which would be significant tactical advantages,” Jessica pointed out.
Nathan looked at Cameron. “What do you think, Commander? Does it warrant further investigation?” He knew she could not deny the logic.
“Of course,” she agreed, frustration still evident in her tone.
“All right, then. But let’s not forget that our first priority is to make repairs. To that end, Cameron, I’d like you to put together a damage report and a repair plan. You can coordinate with Vlad on that. I think it’s high time we got our repair priorities in order.”
“Yes sir,” Cameron answered. Despite the fact that she preferred to jump out of the area as soon as possible, she was relieved that Nathan had listened. For once he had considered all the facts before making a decision, even if in the end his decision had remained pretty much the same.
“Doctor,” Nathan continued, turning his attention toward Abby, “I need you to get your jump drive in as good a state as possible. And when you get the chance, see if you can’t come up with some energy requirements for a super-jump home, just in case that power source happens to fall into our laps.” Nathan looked at Cameron and winked.
“Vlad, see to it that Abby gets all the help she needs. That jump drive is our only means of FTL travel at the moment, so we have to take care of it.”
“No problem,” Vladimir assured him.
“What about me?” Jessica asked, feeling a little left out.
“You and I have a meeting with Tug and Jalea. It’s about time we got some straight answers about what’s really going on in the Pentaurus cluster.”
“Remember, don’t tell them anything you don’t have to,” Jessica said as they approached the command briefing room.
“How am I supposed to get them to share intel with us if we don’t share it with them?” It seemed an obvious flaw in her logic to Nathan. But he was beginning to realize that Jessica’s special operations instructors must have programmed her to be suspicious and deceitful by nature.
“It’s easy. Just let them do all the talking. And only answer direct questions.”
“Why do I feel like I’m about to go on trial here?”
“Maybe you should feel that way.” Jessica added. “It might make you think twice before you speak.”
Nathan recognized the jab. Jessica and Cameron had already become friends over the last week. And Cameron had been admonishing him for acting without thinking the situation through since their first day in the simulator together. But deep down inside, Nathan knew he was the type who preferred to operate on instinct. Information was always helpful, but in the end, he had to follow his gut.
“Look,” he said, coming to a stop just outside the briefing room, “I appreciate what you’re trying to tell me. But in the end, it’s my responsibility, and I have to do what I think is best.” Nathan looked in Jessica’s eyes, his tone becoming less official. “I understand where you’re coming from. But this is not a covert spec-ops mission. This is more of a negotiation. It’s politics-and politics, unfortunately, is in my blood. I’m a people person,” he added with a smile. “You said so yourself,” he added as he turned and entered the briefing room.
“I did say that,” she admitted sheepishly as she followed him through the hatch. She was afraid of what Nathan might commit them to during this meeting with Tug and Jalea. And as much as she wanted to prevent him from doing so-as much as she felt it was her duty to prevent him from doing so-it was just as much her duty to follow the orders of her captain, regardless of how under qualified he might be. But there was still a part of her-a small part to be sure-that somehow trusted Nathan to do the right thing.
“I apologize for being late,” Nathan began as he sat down at the head of the briefing table. Tug and Jalea were already seated along the outboard side of the table, and Jessica took a seat across from them next to Nathan. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”