Piece Simul ✔

Chapter 22-Russ-No Control

It had started with the unexpected anomaly.

Even though they had saved time and resources by slipping through the gateway early, the jump had cut their comms system. The Captain had kept the disabled communication to himself, until he'd recently been hailed.

"No Control?" Russ asked for the third time.

"Not since we jumped, ten years ago. Ten years for them, only days for us," Forster said.

She shook her head. "If we go back through, will we gain back those years, go back in time?"

He didn't answer, and she didn't really expect he would. There was no way he could knokw. His usually easy demeanor seemed tense, defeated. She remembered his wife, kids. Ten years. He had missed all of that.

She had no one to miss.

"Can we talk to our families?"

The question was more for his benefit than hers. She groped along the side of the bed for her ansible.

"When we passed through, something happened." Forster nodded at the ansibles at her side. "They only work amongst the crew. If we wanna talk to anyone, it'll have to be through the comms station."

At that, she stopped searching for the device. A bot swept through the room, offering Russ soup, but she declined. Her stare drilled into Forster, though not unkindly.

"But?"

"No Control, no easy access to anything. A damn private corporation owns everything. They commanded we continue on mission, after Guin's return, only I don't know when she'll be back."

Though her head throbbed, she sat up fully. "Where did she go? What the hell happened, Captain?"

Forster smiled, the gesture failing to reach his eyes. "Save that for Guin. She's the Captain now."

Everything was unraveling, her brain included. She swore she was once again passing through the anomaly.

"How?"

"No, no." Forster shot up, stalking back and forth across the room. "I'm not answering to any agenda but Control's," he muttered.

"You're kidding about Guin, right?"

He shook his head. "I wish. She has complete domain over the ship and the mission. Seeing as who her father is, I'd rather not relinquish command."

Russ had studied the crew guides, but none had mentioned Guin's father.

"Who is he?"

Forster tapped furiously onto an ansible screen, registering the question when finished.

"Riley Caldwell," he tossed out, typing some more.

As in Caldwell Ministries, and Caldwell Industry. Odd, as Russ recalled the ministry opposing the mission from inception.

"None of this makes sense," Russ said, the pain pounding through her, forcing her to lay back.

"We'll make it make sense." Forster shook an ansible near her face. "These things aren't as great as everyone promised. Can't even get through to Tiptree."

"The design elements are flawless. Earth's technicians are to blame," Genly offered from a spot near the door.

"Whatever," Forster said. "I need you to retrieve the damn intellectuals before Guin comes back."

Russ rubbed a hand across her face in an effort to wake up. "Are you saying we're leaving Guin?"

"I'm saying the only ship Guin is meant to be Captain of is the emergency pod she commandeered," Forster said. "Are you good to go down?"

Russ wondered at how he could be so cavalier about Guin after being intimate with her. Hopefully the rest of the crew wasn't as expendable.

She made every effort to smile, and pulled it off. "I'm more than ready to commit treason, sir."

This time, Forster's grin was genuine. "Good. Just, no killing."

~*~

A/N: Dedicated to a lovely new follower, pixenglish, who's work you need to check out, like now!