Chapter Text
The loud whoop of the shift klaxon roused Tesan from an uneasy sleep. She hauled herself into a sitting position in her bed and listened to the distant sounds of the Carrier as its crew came out of the sleep cycle. It would the last time she heard these noises for some time, so she tried to commit them to memory as much as she could.
After a few moments, she realised that Scorpius would be expecting her, and he was not someone to keep waiting, so she slipped out of the bed to put on trousers and a sleeveless top, before pulling her flightsuit on over the top. She turned and looked at her reflection in the mirror.
The flightsuit made her look the part, but her dark hair fell about her face and extenuated the paleness of the skin. She pursed her lips and brushed the tresses back and wound them into a neat plait. It helped somewhat, but not overly much as the strain she felt was still apparent in her features. No amount of trying to relax and be calm about what she was about to do actually worked, and she gave up with a sigh.
Tesan picked up her helmet and, with one last glance around the room, activated the door control and stepped out. She closed the door and walked away from everything she knew, heading for the hanger bay and a very uncertain future.
Lieutenant Braca was already in the hanger bay when she arrived, and she went over to him.
"Sir."
"Ah there you are," he replied. "Scorpius shall remain here, to monitor your progress through the trial. The hybrid has already been brought from the rear of the armada and awaits our arrival."
"Yes sir," she murmured.
Braca spun on his heel and boarded the waiting Marauder. Tesan hesitated briefly, and then took a deep breath and followed him. They sat in the rear section as the pilot, to whom she was not introduced, flew them across space to the hybrid. Braca did not offer any more information and Tesan found herself too busy with her own thoughts to break the silence.
There was a muted thump as the Marauder set down. Braca stood up, a bright expression on his face. She managed a wan smile and then turned to exit the vessel.
And then stopped just beyond the hatch.
Her eyes widened as she looked around the hanger of the hybrid. It was like nothing else she had ever seen, with no sign of the harsh lines she was used to. The walls were a dark grey, with arching supports in a deep red. The entire ship seemed to pulse.
"It's… it's incredible," she breathed.
"This is nothing," Braca told her. "Come, you ought to see Command."
Tesan followed him quickly, eager to view more of the hybrid. He lead her through twisting passages and then into a huge, oval room dominated by a round structure that descended from the ceiling. She walked forward slowly, trying to take in everything as once, vaguely aware of Braca's amusement at her awe.
She didn't really care ��" the ship was incredible. Consoles stood at various points, their displays ostensibly Peacekeeper in design. Viewports ran around the front section, giving a wide panorama of the space outside. She touched one console and watched it light up.
"What do you think?" Braca asked her.
Tesan's first response was that she thought maybe Crais wasn't so insane as he had been made out to be, but she didn't think such a statement was appropriate. She smiled broadly.
"He's incredible," she said again.
"She," the lieutenant corrected her. "This ship is a female."
For some reason, Tesan found that fact fitting. "I see. Does she have a name?"
"Only a designation number. Scorpius believes that you should have the honour of naming her, as a sign of good faith."
"Does he now?" she said quietly and looked around again. "A sign of whose good faith? Sir."
"Good faith on both sides of the bargain," Braca replied easily.
"I see." Tesan considered the ship for several microts, but then shook her head. "No," she mused. "I think I need to… know her better before I name her."
Braca chuckled. "As you wish," he said. "The name is not important to Scorpius. Your maintaining contact with him is."
"Do not worry, sir," she replied evenly. "I am fully aware of what my mission is and what Scorpius expects of me."
"Good." The lieutenant looked around at the ship. "We have little idea how well Peacekeeper technology sits with Leviathan, but I am sure you shall be fine. There are some interesting reports that witness the firepower of the one Crais took."
"Talyn," Tesan said softly as she ran a hand over the structure above her.
"Yes," he replied and looked at her oddly. "Well, if everything meets your satisfaction, I shall return to the Carrier. You have the comm badge?"
"Yes sir," she said and unzipped her flightsuit enough so that he could see it pinned to her chest. She looked round again and smiled. "This more than meets my expectations. I think we shall be fine."
"Remember your mission," Braca ordered coldly. She swallowed her smile and nodded soberly.
"Of course, sir," she murmured.
He stood there for a microt longer, just staring at her with a faint frown on his face, before making a disparaging noise and walking out of Command. Tesan went over to the consoles, familiarising herself with them as she waited for her next order.
The distant roar of an engine told her that Lieutenant Braca had left the ship. A nervous excitement filled her. The possibilities presented by the hybrid were endless and she just wanted to get on with finding out what it could do. She rocked back on her heels and then paced across the red and white panelled deck.
"Come on, come on," she muttered under her breath.
"Officer Solis." Scorpius' voice came over the comm, cool and crisp. Tesan jumped slightly and then quickly hit the pin.
"Sir."
"Whenever you are ready."
She rolled her eyes; she'd been ready even since she'd gotten up. "Yes sir," she said, her meek tone at complete odds with the contempt she felt. She went to the navigation console and powered up the engines. A deep, low hum filled Command.
Tesan walked to the centre of Command. "Ship?" she said softly. A musical beep came as the vessel responded, causing her to smile broadly. "All right, let's see what you can do, hm?" She reached up and stroked the structure. "Let's give them a show they won't forget."
The little ship accelerated rapidly, far faster than her Prowler could manage and she felt a thrill at the sensation. The hybrid banked round sharply, the artificial gravity holding Tesan in place and the dampeners reducing the sickening pull she should have experienced to a negligible amount. She laughed aloud as it spun on itself axis in a display of manoeuvrability.
"How is she flying?" Scorpius asked suddenly.
"Very well sir," Tesan said, barely able to keep her tone professional. "Very well indeed."
"You should return now," he said.
For a microt all she felt was the bitter burn of disappointment, but then she realised this was the point to play out what had been planned. She took her hand from the comm and did not respond to Scorpius' order.
The ship bleeped urgently and she turned to see one of the consoles flashing. She went over and saw a tactical display. Several white dots were shown departing the Carrier and heading in her direction. Prowlers. Scorpius was clearly putting on a full performance.
"Now for ours," Tesan murmured softly and entered the co-ordinates of Crais' last known position into the navigational control. "Plot a vector," she ordered the hybrid. It beeped in response and she took a deep breath. "Starburst."
Static crackled through the ship and the hum of the engine increased, building to a crescendo of noise and energy as a bright white light filled Command. Tesan saw the darkness of space directly in front of the ship tore asunder and then there was a rapid jolt of acceleration that made her stumble backwards. The speed was indefinable and the ship rocked violently as it traversed hyperspace.
Then as suddenly as it had started, the hybrid dropped out of Starburst.
Tesan got slowly to her feet and walked to the viewport. The stars were different, the patterns unrecognisable. Shakily she went to navigation, and looked at the readout. There was no sign of the Carrier or the Prowlers.
She let out a small, slightly hysterical laugh ��" she'd done it. She was metras and metras from any Peacekeeper vessel. All on her own in a section of space she knew next to nothing about. With no back up and no way to return until she had what she had been sent for. The full import of her situation made her feel rather ill.
Going over the navigation display again, Tesan found the co-ordinates she'd been given corresponded to a nearby planet. She grimaced slightly as she contemplated mingling with unclassified species. But if she wanted to return to the Peacekeepers, she needed to find Talyn and secure his return, and had to start somewhere.
It might as well be here.