CIRCE

xvi

Wicherek's officers are beginning to wear on Jaedah's patience. They are well-trained officers, she'll give them that, but well-trained in obedience to Wicherek. She doubts they hold any connection to him more intimate than commander and officer, but their favor of his authority over hers is clear. They obey her requests, sure, but if there's an opposing request from Wicherek, they choose to ignore her completely.

Jaedah finds solace, though, in the ability to keep her department heads. Most seem just as wary of the situation as she. Jaedah has caught Rowan's unsure glances and side-eyes she spares to the additional communications officers Wicherek has given her. Noreen has been digging into the personnel files of the additional staff. Abbaas has been avoiding them like the plague and doubling down on his check-ins with Jaedah, always sure that they're alone when he reports to her.

Sakke Karpinen, their head of engineering, is the only department leader who doesn't seem so disturbed. They continue on as usual, no hitch in their step. Jaedah had tried at one point to make a side-comment about her unease only to be met with a disturbed look. She had left them alone after that.

The emergency beacon lights abruptly from the communications console in the Command Center, a signal from Granger and Marlowe that sends Kit running to the shuttles. He's in the air in a second, his shuttle tracked as a little red dot on the map of Circe that lies spread out on the table in the center of the room. The beacon blinks at Jaedah from the northwestern region of the desert, and as Kit descends upon it, his voice crackles out from comms;

"Quinn and Evans are being chased by dragons. What do you want me to do, Commander?"

Shit. Jaedah opens her mouth to speak, but just as the first syllable passes her lips, the doors to the control center swish open behind her.

"Send a jet. Pilot has permission to open fire if necessary," Wicherek commands.

Jaedah whips around to face Wicherek, who regards her with utter indifference, merely staring back at her. His communications officer sends out the order before Jaedah can contest it, murmuring between radio channels. Not even Rowan is swift enough to argue, and even if she had been, Jaedah doubts that the communications officer would've listened. That drags on Jaedah's patience.

"What are you doing?" She bites out.

Wicherek stares her down, the barest quirk to his head, the faintest reveal of his surprise at her questioning.

"I'm getting our officers back home," He says.

"By sending a warcraft?" Jaedah asks incredulously.

Wicherek falls silent. He brushes past her to the console on the center of the room, slate-brown eyes scanning the map as their three little dots maneuver through the desert. Jaedah glances over at Rowan, who's own gaze is widened in disbelief, the minute gleam of fear beneath it. Jaedah shakes her head. This is infuriating.

Granger and Marlowe return in a haste. Kit reports back that both officers are uninjured. As they return to the Outpost, Jaedah departs from the Control Center and hustles to the hangar to greet them. She arrives right as the shuttle touches ground, and a moment later, as it begins to power down, its doors open to reveal two stoney-faced officers. Marlowe seems irked, evident as she cuts past Jaedah without even a glance her way. There is a moment where Jaedah thinks to call her back, but Granger cuts in.

"Don't bother. She's just going to run back to Wicherek."

He appears no better, lips curled down in a frown, a shadow in his eye. Dread sinks to the bottom of Jaedah's stomach.

"What happened?" She asks.

Granger shakes his head with a heavy sigh, but before he can speak, Wicherek's voice rumbles out from their Asibands.