[LEGACY VERSION] The Emperor of Time (Book 1 - The Kaireyeh Chronicles)

Chapter 20 - Talina

The last two orium tanks came up to full power, bringing the roar of the reactors back to their full and healthy hum.

Beside Talina, Lovich grinned. "Good work, Commander."

She turned away without a word. Rage colored her vision, but she breathed through it, striding toward the hatch that led to her office. She'd come back to work because she'd had to--for the ship, and for her own sanity. She'd buried herself in the thousands of tasks needed to bring the Teven Spar back to full running capability. She'd tried not to notice that the crew walked gingerly around her. Everyone knew the captain was still in sickbay, with speculations he might have been attacked by a Resistance infiltrator, or even Landon Kynaston himself. Everyone knew the drop from translight might have been sabotage, and no one wanted to call any attention to themselves.

"Commander, may I have your signature?"

Talina stopped as someone shoved a holopad in front of her. She looked up to a lieutenant she didn't recognize--one of her mother's, then, though not one she'd seen before. The man's eyes were the startling blue of someone with Kynaston heritage. She would have remembered that.

Talina looked at the holopad display--a sign off on completed repairs for an aft section corridor. She didn't know why her mother wanted her to sign off on that now--it could have waited until she went through her daily reports--but Talina scrawled her signature. She hadn't seen her mother since Jonas had gone to sickbay. She didn't want to do anything to disturb that fragile peace.

"Thank you, Commander."

Talina nodded and waved the lieutenant away. Those with their Kynaston heritage on full display weren't common--many had made subtle encryptions to cover it, changing eye-color or the shape of their face. But some wore their Kynaston heritage like a badge of defiance. They worked harder to prove themselves--they had to. Anyone with known Kynaston heritage, no matter how remote, would always have to fight to prove their loyalty to the Justice.

Was her mother sending her a message with this lieutenant? That maybe her life wasn't over, she'd just have to work harder? Talina wasn't Kynaston by blood, but association was bad enough. Maybe her mother was telling her to prove her loyalty and she'd pull through.

Or maybe the lieutenant was a threat. Her mother telling her she knew who Jonas was.

Talina's comm implant clicked. "Commander Zivali, please come to my office."

Roche. Talina's heart sped up. Roche hadn't spoken to her since the day Jonas had gone to sickbay. Talina had hoped Roche would do as Dr. Giran had said and quietly close the investigation. Or was this call something unrelated? Talina's weekly sit-down with the captain wasn't until tomorrow, but that would have been with Jonas--Roche was acting captain now. With the engines now at full capacity, did Roche want a full report?

She touched her jaw. "On my way."

She tried to keep her breathing even on the walk to the bridge. She kneaded her hands--they tingled and felt numb. She'd been keeping busy, trying not to think of anything. She hadn't seen Jonas since that first day, and he hadn't called for her. The crew would have noted that, too. The crew was watching. Everyone was watching, and their ship was approaching Andavar system. They'd be out of translight in three hours--and then she didn't know what would happen. Maybe nothing.

Maybe Jonas had done what he'd done to get himself out of the way of the admiral's mission at Andavar.

A Marine let her into the captain's office. Talina stiffened, looking around. The holo pictures and Jonas' personal trinkets were gone. Instead, Roche's various badges of merit and a few unimaginative pieces of art adorned the shelves and bulkheads. It was standard practice for any officer in command to assert their influence on their space, even if the posting was temporary, but the last time Talina had stood in this room, it had been Jonas'. It was here she'd learned that her marriage was a lie.

Roche waved her to a chair and Talina sat on the edge.

"Commander, I thought you would like to know that Giran's psych evaluation of Captain Krayle found him severely depressed. She has been treating the captain accordingly, and hopes he will make a full recovery."

Talina gripped the edge of the chair. That diagnosis alone was enough to beach Jonas for a year or more. That, and what he had tried to do, would be a black mark on him the rest of his life.

Roche folded her hands. "Zivali. I need to know, for the record, if you noticed any signs of depression leading up to this incident."

Talina breathed out. "I didn't know he was going to try and--take his life." The words clogged in her throat.

Roche nodded, and waited for more.

"What do you want me to say, Roche? No, I didn't know." He'd been depressed. Was that because of what had happened with the message, and the drop from translight, and Hale? Or was this something deeper? Had it been going on longer?

Maybe this wasn't a part of whatever game he was playing. Maybe she'd almost lost her husband. Her eyes stung. She hadn't visited him, because Goddess, she was so angry. She didn't want to see him. And he shouldn't make her have to. He shouldn't have made her deal with any of this.

"Commander," Roche said calmly, "I need to ask you another question, off the record."

"Fine." Talina sniffed, swiping her hand across her traitor eyes.

"What is the captain's birth name?"

Talina froze. 

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