Page 34 of Destinies of Diamond
“I don’t think that will be necessary. Since the ladies have received the aid they needed, they’ll soon be returned to Tartarus City. We’ve found more appropriate accommodation for them in Aphrodite’s Boudoir.”
It was probably for the best. These women didn’t belong here. Technically speaking, neither did I, but I at least had the support of my chimera and of my lovers.
Then again, considering everything I’d found out as of late, perhaps that wasn’t so true. I pushed back the thought, knowing it wouldn’t do me any good. “It’s nice to hear that, Sir. They deserve the very best we can provide.”
It was an empty response, since those women inside the med bay would never have the very best. Commander Trevor didn’t call me out on it. “Indeed. But since that’s been handled, I believe we should move on to other things—and to our assignment.”
Our assignment? Was this really the best time for schoolwork? I didn’t want to question my superior’s orders, but still, there had to be something more I could do to help.
Commander Trevor clearly noticed my surprise. “You’re probably wondering why I’m asking this of you now of all times. Well, I believe it is a good idea to shoot two apsids with one phaser blast.”
The simile alarmed me, even if I knew it was only a figure of speech. Hiding my restlessness, I asked, “What did you have in mind, Sir?”
“I’ll tell you everything in a minute. Walk with me.”
I followed him in silence through the corridors of the academy. It stood to reason that he wouldn’t want to explain his train of thought while we were in the med bay, but the delay increased my anxiety. I bit the inside of my cheek and didn’t ask any questions. Commander Trevor would reveal everything in due time.
He led me to the main shuttle hangars, where the non-chimera airships were all stored. I didn’t come here on a regular basis, but I was familiar with the place because of my trips to Terra. Brendan’sVenomwas sealed off in a special enclosure accessible only to him, authorized personnel, and the rest of us Grand Chimera tamers. The other shuttles were out in the open, left with very few guards now that so many people had been deployed in the city.
Commander Trevor made a beeline for one particular shuttle, which I presumed was his. As soon as we were inside, he proceeded to explain, “To be honest, Acting Pilot Renard, I’m not one hundred percent convinced this was a natural anomaly. Everyone I’ve asked has told me there’s no sign of foul play, but I have a bad feeling, and I can’t just stop investigating. That’s where you come in.”
I frowned, still unable to figure out what he wanted me to do. “I understand where you’re coming from, Sir, but I’m not sure how I can help you with this.”
“It’s quite easy. I always wanted your assignment to involve a blend of your use of the two gifts you possess. While most would see the dual blessing from Gaia and Tartarus as something paradoxical, I don’t think it’s that simple. Gods are never straightforward and their choices always have a deeper meaning.”
I thought about my strange vision and silently agreed with him. My teacher continued to speak. “I had something like this in mind for your assignment ever since news came of it. You have to learn how to wield both your skills to be an efficient soldier. But now, I have a secondary concern. Your baby.”
I blinked at him in shock. I hadn’t expected him to mention that, not now of all times. But maybe that had been foolish, because from the very beginning, he’d displayed concern toward me. “You’re worried that me using my power would harm my child.”
“Yes. We can’t just skip the assignment. People would ask why I’m giving you special treatment and start looking into it. The Grand Judiciary would find out about your child, which could be disastrous. But if I assign you an investigative operation now, you should be in the clear. This kind of task doesn’t put as much strain on each individual cell of the human body as phaser blasts or other violent tachyon manipulation techniques. It does require a fine degree of control, but I think you’ve mastered that by now. And if something does happen and it turns out unsuited to you, I’ll be there to keep an eye on you.”
I couldn’t help a sigh of relief. Through this, Commander Trevor had just bought me a priceless amount of time. All I had to do was pass this test and I’d be out of the limelight. I might have the chance to look deeper into the meaning of my visions. Besides, trying to find out who had attacked Tartarus Base would be useful to me in its own right.
“I understand, Sir. Thank you for this opportunity. I will not let you down.”
“The only way you could ever let me down is by not doing your very best, and I know that’s never going to happen. You’re much harsher on yourself than I’d ever be on you.”
I wasn’t sure that was accurate but I decided to not disagree with him. I’d fucked up a lot recently, but I wasn’t a total idiot and I didn’t intend to point that out. Would he be so eager to help me if he knew the truth about my baby? Probably not, but I wasn’t beneath taking advantage of his goodwill, for as long as it lasted.
As promised, Commander Trevor flew us to the power plant that held all our generators. As he landed the shuttle, a feeling of wrongness assaulted me almost instantly. I’d never been here before, but I suspected the sensation had nothing to do with the natural flow of tachyons in the area.
Commander Trevor lowered the shuttle ramp and together, we headed out. The power plant was still surrounded by staff trying to fix the broken generators. I could see several Harpy units and a memory of Vincent Glass flashed through my mind’s eye. I’d left him wounded on Terra the day before. Was he still there? Commander Trevor hadn’t mentioned any Harpy tamer missing, but he might not have deemed it important.
“Are all the Harpies here, Commander Trevor?” I asked, surreptitiously trying to find out as much information as possible.
He nodded, not seeming to find my inquiry odd. “I assigned them duties of overseeing the generator repairs yesterday.”
Had he? If that was true, why had Vincent been on Terra the day before? Did Commander Trevor simply not know about it? Vincent might have left without letting anyone know while Commander Trevor had been distracted with other things. Maybe I was better off not mentioning it, since if I did, I’d have to explain our argument.
“Were the rest of my unit given other jobs?” I decided to inquire instead.
I hadn’t seen them since the day before and I found that odd, since I’d expected them to come see me this morning. Their absence should have relieved me, as it gave me a respite and some time to make sense of my scattered emotions. It didn’t help at all.
“Right now, the Grand Chimera Unit is watching over the city and the orbit of Tartarus. With communications still shot, we’re open to attack. And since there has been potential activity from the apsids, we have to be on guard all the time.”
Ah, yes. The famous debacle of The Grand Judiciary’s newest decision. On our way back from Terra, Brendan had mentioned he and Knox had arrived at the Hades Moon Base just in time for an emergency meeting that could have triggered a second attack on the Apsid Quasar. He’d managed to dissuade them, but that could easily change. The Grand Judiciary fiasco aside, it would be for the best to stay vigilant. The generator explosion might not be the work of the Heliads, but it had come from somewhere and we needed to be prepared, just in case it happened again.
That brought us to the reason of my presence at the power plant. I wasn’t sure I could do what Commander Trevor wanted of me, but I’d detected Heliad flame when on Terra, so maybe I just had to keep an open mind and try.
