Pearl of the Stars
Back at Hixia

Grace had hardly slept a wink during the three day jump to the Hixia star system. What little sleep she had managed to get, five minutes here and ten minutes there, had been riddled with nightmares. Had she the time she would have visited the Pearl’s resident psychiatrist but what with everything going on, she opted to dose herself on ′Uppers’, and get on with the mammoth task of readying the Fleet and those individuals serving within for battle.

The meeting room was full, not with people but with screens. Captain Grace Ifhans was the only person actually physically present, yet it seemed every other senior officer throughout the Fleet wanted to be a part of this particular meeting. Most were furious that Grace had even agreed to meet with the Others representatives, let alone ally with their sworn enemies.

“Shut the fick up!” Captain Hubbard yelled over the din of the bickering officer. His shout had the desired effect and eventually, it was only silence that was emitted from the screens.

“Thank you, Captain Hubbard,” said Grace quietly, making a show of bowing her head in his direction. She then directed her full attention towards the mass of monitors that faced her. “Ladies and gentlemen. I am fully aware of your concerns with regard to our alliance with the Others. Believe me, I have my own doubts. However, I think it unlikely we will be double-crossed until the mutual threat is neutralised.” She paused for a moment, allowing the silence to tell as much as her words. “We have to be realistic. Until this point in time we, humanity, believed we were alone in a Godless Universe. We were wrong, and this new race of beings are a very real and dangerous threat to our own existence, to the continuation of the human species.”

“Can we beat them?” A voice asked, but Grace could not tell whom it was.

“Yes,” she replied firmly. “I truly believe we can and will beat them. We have to.” That said Grace dismissed the majority of those present until only her unit commanders remained.

“You do realise the odds are nigh insurmountable.” It was a definite statement, rather than a question.

“I know Danielle, but what the fick was I supposed to say? No?” Grace paused as she lit a cigarette. “That would do wonders for morale.”

“Normally the truth is the better option, however in this case I think you did the right thing,” said Captain Dihou.

“Besides, there are things for us to deal with before we get to the fighting,” said Captain Hubbard, a wry smile upon his face. “I’ve spoken to my techs, and they seem to think our friendly neighbourhood AI is of our own design.”

“My own technicians came to the same conclusion,” said Captain Casper, her screen tilting slightly so it faced Hubbard’s.

“Jane?” Grace asked, turning her head to face Captain Erstwhile.

“My techs agree that yes, it is most likely of Council design, although they are not one hundred percent certain.” Grace nodded slowly, the cigarette protruding from the corner of her lips. In the past she would have turned to Hynes when a situation like this arose and she was fighting the urge to do so, even though technically he was the problem.

“I know with certainty I can trust each and every one of you,” said Grace, her eyes moving slowly from screen to screen. “You have all proven yourselves to me in the way you act, and the way you handle your own affairs. Outside of this room however, I have no idea whom I can trust. We all know there are spies within this Fleet. Agents of our own and of the Others. I think it likely our new enemy have their own spies within our midst too.” Again she paused, looking at each member of her trusted inner circle directly. “There is nothing we can do about any of that, we simply have to deal with it, get on with our jobs, and kick some fickling arse!”

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