Page 12 of Rebels Rising

The implications of a new generation born with the nanites already in their systems was something I wasn’t ready to consider just yet. It was looking more and more likely that The Program had succeeded in creating a brand-new race, but my mind couldn’t handle the added stress of what that could mean. For us, for the Intergalactic Union…

It was all too much.

‘I just need to get everything sorted so I can get some rest. I’m running on low after all of that,’ I confessed, answering her question from before.

‘Me too,’ she said wearily. ‘That’s actually why we’re here. We should have a meeting with everyone to form a plan of action and then we can rest for a bit.’

My eyebrows finally broke free from my control and dipped down low over my eyes. ‘Are you sure you’re okay? I know how hard it is to acclimate to the nanites…’

‘Nanites?’ the captain asked, panic in his tone. ‘Babe, what is she talking about? What nanites?’

Addy sent me an accusing look, and a realised she hadn’t had that conversation with him yet. He was still unaware of everything she had gone through as one of The Program’s subjects.

I widened my eyes innocently as I met her gaze with my own. ‘Oops?’

She deflated, turning to address her lover. ‘I don’t want to have to go over it more than once, so I was going to explain during the meeting.’

The captain’s breathing became choppy and shallow as he attempted to regulate his emotions and control his reaction, but he forced it back down.‘Okay,’ he agreed through clenched teeth. ‘But don’t leave anything out for my sake. I need to know what they did. I can’t help you if you keep it from me.’

‘I promise, baby cakes,’ she gave him an exaggerated wink. ‘I’m not keeping it from you, I just didn’t want to repeat myself.’

I snorted a laugh in surprise. ‘Baby cakes?’

The captain shook his head while a smile attempted to pull at the corners of his lips that he actively fought. ‘Don’t ask.’

‘All right,’ I said with a groan, repositioning Bal so he could rest more comfortably on my shoulder as we moved. ‘I have a few calls to make as well, so we should get this meeting started and over with as soon as possible.’

I nudged Dave Junior with my foot to wake him, and a single red eye peeped open to glare at me, but I couldn’t leave him here alone. He’d tear the whole ship apart to find me when he woke and realised I was missing. Again.

‘Come on, bud. We’ve got places to be. You can nap during the meeting.’ I exited the room, knowing he would follow without any added prompting.

‘Uh… Do we have to bring him?’ the captain asked, eyeing Dave Junior uncertainly.

I shrugged. ‘Yup. You already saw what happens when I leave him alone.’

That was all that was needed to shut him up, and the five of us made our way towards the cockpit. I couldn’t think of anywhere else with enough room and privacy for the meeting.

‘Why don’t the two of you grab the others?’ I told them, then hesitated. ‘But maybe not Foryk. We can fill him in later, but we should let them grieve uninterrupted.’

I purposefully didn’t include T or their mother, and the look Addy and the captain shared proved they caught the slight. Neither of them commented, however, and I was thankful for that. I didn’t know how much either of them knew about what went down between me and T, but I didn’t want to get into it now. Or ever, to be honest. The past should stay in the past, but the bastard just kept coming back.

Like a persistent rash. Itchy and uncomfortable every time he popped back up.

Or a wart.

Not that I ever got either of those, but they made my point.

Addy gave me a two-fingered salute and jogged off with a ‘You got it, boss,’ the captain trailing behind her.

Any stragglers in the hallway gave us a wide berth, eyeing both me and Dave Junior with a mixture of wariness, fear, and awe. It was an odd experience, and I wasn’t sure I liked it. I didn’t want people to fear me, but I also wasn’t used to having so many in my care. My twosome with Libby had become a trio when Bal was born, and even undercover as a cadet there were only four members of my team. Now there were hundreds of lives looking to me for guidance and protection and I had no clue what to do with that.

Freak out about it later, I steeled myself.

GC Stanson and the marksman – both of which had the same pale and delicate features denoting them as purebred Yu’Roms – were the only ones in the cockpit when we arrived, and they both turned to eye is with the same level of wariness as the others. The Group Captain at least hid it better, rearranging her expression into something not exactly welcoming but certainly less warding. The marksman, however, pushed himself as far into the console as possible to get away from us.

I tried not to take it personally, but his eyes darted between me and Dave Junior with equal caution. The only thing that seemed to keep him in his chair was Bal’s adorable little face taking in the new surroundings with big, green, innocent eyes.

‘Captain,’ GC Stanson greeted, her voice gravelly with held back emotions I didn’t even try to decipher.

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