Chapter 36, my boss doesn't tell me anything!

(Callie)

Callie boarded a military class battle cruiser, feeling extremely anxious. Her boss, or partner Dustin, apparently thought it would be funny to surprise her with their mission to Etria. This wouldn't be a problem if Villuses' deadline wasn't the next day.

It was Friday, and her deadline, Saturday, was quick approaching. So far she had procrastinated delivering the information to Villus, hoping she could find another way. Sadly, after just two days of training and hanging out with both Dustin and Taniya, she was almost out of time.

Now she was heading to Etria, then Valia, of all places on a diplomatic mission. Not to mention the fact they were riding in a damned empire battle cruiser on a mission for the Devali. For obvious reasons, there were some glaring dangers in this mission. On the bright side, she would get to ride on an empire cruiser.

According to her borrowed schematic, the battle cruiser was a sleek arrow shaped ship spanning six hundred feet long. The ship was equipped with six heavy guns, fifteen light guns and a single pulse cannon, as well as dozens of missile aboard. The Battle cruiser could do orbital bombardment with either missiles or its six heavy guns. Her favorite was the ship's most powerful gun, the vaunted pulse cannon.

Callie gave Dustin a glare, and he smiled at her innocently. Dustin clearly only meant it as a fun joke, but to Callie, this was deadly serious. She smiled in an effort to hide how nervous she was.

"When we go to the restaurant in Valia, I'm ordering the most expensive things on the menu."Callie said, glowering at his stupid handsome face. "You just don't like surprises."Dustin said calmly, his lips turning up slightly. Dustin smoothed imaginary wrinkles from his immaculate light blue uniform, running his hands over his chest.

Callie's eyes couldn't help but glance over him from top to bottom, lingering on his wide shoulders and the curve of his hips. Despite her protests, Callie was back in the slightly baggy Devali uniform she used for the arrest of senator Orlean.

She might be more excited about this mission if Warren's life wasn't on the line. She was boiling with nervous excitement, her mind whirling. Dustin led her through the sealed airlock bay into the military battle cruiser.

"So, can my quarters be near the pulse cannon? No reason I just like the thrumming of the fusion reactors."Callie said innocently.

"The fusion reactors are at the stern of the ship, while the pulse cannon is at the fore of the ship. I suppose we could cut you in half? That way, you get to sleep in both areas." Dustin drawled, unfazed by Callie's nonsense requests at this point. Callie pouted, giving Dustin a wide eyed pleading look.

"Do you think they will let me take a look at the pulse cannon?" Callie asked, giving Dustin her best puppy dog eyes. Their feet droned along the hard plastic walkway, echoing off the walls as they walked down a narrow hallway of the ship.

"I am going to say this in the most diplomatically way I can. If you somehow get lost and find your way to the pulse cannon by accident, the navy will have you arrested. And I will let you sulk in the brig until we reach Valia."Dustin said calmly, giving Callie a serious look.

Callie gave him a nod, bobbing her eyebrows at him playfully. "Allright, I will avoid sneaking into the classified areas of the ship....What a spoilsport."Callie mumbled, ignoring the navy soldiers they passed in the narrow hall. Her lips turned up into a smile.

Snooping aboard the ship during their short escort mission was going to be fun. Maybe she could sneak a look at the workings of the pulse cannon while aboard? It was unlikely, as that was top secret information. The pulse Cannon was tech that even the Slax had been trying to steal for at least a decade.

Dustin caught her wistful look and shook his head, letting out a sigh. "You are going to snoop anyway, aren't you?" Dustin said accusingly.

Callie held up her hands in surrender. "What, me? I would never. I just like weapons. Can you blame a girl for wanting to shoot the cannon? I hear at full power it can vaporise a city?" Callie stated, bending down to avoid a low hanging bulkhead.

"Yes, I can blame you if you cause me trouble. And the pulse cannon could vaporize a city from orbit. But so can a nuke, and we don't go around nuking cities!" Dustin said calmly.

"How about asteroids? Nobody likes those. I could shoot one out of space."Callie asked. She watched his lips turn up slightly into a smile. Dustin feigned a sigh. "The controls of the pulse cannon are on the bridge. You won't even see the cannon itself. All you will see is a line of energy lancing from the ship, and a cloud of dust after the rock is vaporised."Dustin said, giving Callie a raised eyebrow.

"That sounds awesome! When can I try it out?" Callie asked, grinning at that mental image. Dustin shook his head, raising his hand to halt her excitement. "This is a diplomatic mission, and we don't want to startle the Etrian prime minister by firing a cannon while she is aboard."Dustin said, haltingly.

"That sounds like a no? Oh well, it was worth a shot."Callie said, smirking at the unintended pun. Dustin paused at a door in one wall and tapped his comm on the keypad. The Keypad beeped, and the door hissed open. It was a crappy four digit lock that any two-year-old could crack.

"This is your room on the ship. The mess is just down the hall on the left, as well as the restroom."Dustin said. Room was an overstatement. It was a closet at best, with a too short bed that Callie's feet would hang off the end. She grimaced, for once wishing she wasn't so tall. There were several straps hanging over the bed that indicated this ship might travel in zero gravity.

She plopped down on the bed, patting the thin silky mat. The walls were a mat grey, unpainted and unadorned. It looked like some sort of composite material that was cold to the touch, like metal or hard plastic.

"Sorry about the small size of the room, but everyone has to sacrifice comfort aboard the ship. The wall at the end of the bed can open, you can store your possessions there if you like."Dustin said, gesturing with his chin. Callie reached over and pressed on the wall. It clicked and opened, revealing a small cubby that could fit a person if the person was tucked into a ball.

Dustin shifted in the door, watching as Callie sat in her closet sized room. Callie, feeling somewhat of a playful mood, gave him a smile. "What? Are you supposed to share my room with me? Don't they have some sort of fancy officers' quarters for you? This cubby is a little small even for you to sleep in?" Callie said mischievously.

"Is that an invitation?" Dustin asked, shifting nervously, his usual calm cracking. Callie's train of thought slammed to a halt, jumping in all the wrong places. She swallowed, doing her best to hide her nerves.

"This bed wouldn't fit the both of us unless you are willing to snuggle?" Callie said jokingly. Her stomach did a flip, and she smiled nervously.

Dustin chuckled nervously, feigning nonchalance."I am tempted. But knowing you, I'm afraid of being cut or stabbed by your arsenal of weapons while you sleep."Dustin said cheekily.

Callie laughed and stood. "What are you, scared? It's not like I fight in my sleep."Callie said, enjoying his bright red flush.

"I'm afraid I might accidentally get stabbed if I touch you."Dustin said, chuckling.

An overhead speaker blinked actively. "This is your captain speaking. We are embarking in five minutes. Please prepare for zero g while we make our way from the docking bay." Dustin's dirty blond hair drifted up slightly and his arms rose next to him.

Callie's body drifted. She felt the ship rock slightly as the docking clamps released. She grasped one of the bed straps, holding it so she didn't drift away from the bed. Callie's silky black hair floated up around her face, framing her head like halo.

"Well, I mean, if you had some handcuffs on, I might remove all my weapons?" Callie said mischievously.

Dustin laughed, bracing himself with his hands in the door frame."Don't you know you need to ask a guy out before handcuffing him to a bed?" Dustin said, amused.

Callie smiled. "Well, if I knew that was the only requirement, I would have asked you out sooner. How about we go on a date in Valia, just you and me?" Callie asked, her tone only half serious. She couldn't help the lump in her chest as he paused, cocking his head to one side, his deep brown eyes boring into her.

"Can I think about it?" Dustin asked, smiling from the door. Callie nodded, smiling nervously. "I'll leave you to unpack."Dustin stammered, clearly flustered.

"Alright, I will see you in the mess for lunch."Callie said, unable to meet his deep brown eyes. Dustin nodded and pushed himself out of the doorway into the hall. Her bedroom door hissed shut, clicking as the lock engaged. Callie flopped back on the bed, her mind a whirl of self doubt.

Why was she such a freaking imbecile? Even to herself, Callie couldn't explain why she asked him out. Well, she liked him, but she was also going to betray his empire and his country. She had to save Warren, and by doing so, she would betray Dustin. Callie hit her head against the wall several times, chastising herself.

Things were already way too complicated. Why did she have to make it worse? Dustin didn't deserve this. Callie didn't know what to do? On one hand, she needed to save Warren. On the other, saving Warren would mean Villus would go after the Slax ambassador.

Callie pulled up her comm interface. She had a file already open on the mostly transparent screen. The file was filled with all the information Villus would need. With it, he could find and either capture or kill the Slax ambassador. The file was in the send window ready. All she needed to do was hit send, and Villus would tell her where she could find Warren.

Callie let out a deep, frustrated sigh, her embarrassment and uncertainty like a heavy weight on her chest. She felt like a fraud, a liar, and worse, it would look like she was playing with Dustin's emotions. Her mind raced as she tried to look at every possibility.

What was the best chance of her success in both avoiding a war with the Slax, and saving Warren? Callie let out a frustrated breath. In the end, she would let the empire crumble if it meant saving her friends, but she wanted to at least try to avoid war. A stupid and risky idea, one she didn't want to consider, came to her mind.

What if she told Villus what he wanted to know, then saved Warren? Seemed easy enough. The part she didn't like was to tell Dustin about Villuse's plan. Callie took in a deep, cleansing breath of filtered air. Dustin wasn't an idiot. She was uncertain how he would react to the information, but she was certain he would ask questions.

And Callie couldn't just say trust me, I have my sources. Dustin would ask questions until he was certain she was telling the truth. The foolish part of her plan, which she hated, was the last part.

She would need to tell Dustin who she really was to convince him she was telling the truth. Callie hated that idea, but in two days, it was the best she had come up with. She reached inside her jacket, her fingers caressing a pair of art draining handcuffs. They were compliments of Nakita just in case. Now for the real question, how did she tell Dustin about Villus without him arresting her or trying to kill her?

Frustrated, Callie scanned the hologram one more time, searching the file, looking at the young ambassador's picture. Callie hardened her resolve, deciding she had waited long enough to free Warren. She hit send, and the file vanished, her comm displaying success.

Callie immediately regretted her choice, but she couldn't take it back now. Hopefully Villus would stick to his word and tell her where he was keeping Warren prisoner. Her heart sank. All of her plans would be for naught if Villus just cut Warren's throat.

The ship's speakers blared again, the male voice coming through deep and calm. "All crew, this is your captain speaking, engaging artificial gravity now. Brace yourselves!"

Callie pulled herself to the bed, and in several seconds, she felt a slow increase as the ship's artificial gravity asserted itself. Now, Callie needed to wait for Villus to reply. In the meantime she rose, happy to have gravity once more..

She stepped out into the hallway and locked her new room behind her, heading for the mess. She wasn't excited about the food aboard the naval cruiser, but today was definitely one for disappointment. Navy soldiers gave her curious looks, their eyes drawn to her light blue Devali uniform as she passed.

Callie smiled to each but didn't meet their eyes, not in the mood to chat. She enters the mess, and scanning over the crowd of navy soldiers currently filling the mess. On a ship this big, you could almost never find the mess empty.

Callie spotted a mop of messy blond hair and a bright blue uniform in a corner of the mess. She looked over the meager selection of food and picked a sealed packet of something claiming to be chicken flavoured. The eyes of the off-duty soldiers tracked her, but she pretended to ignore them as she sat across from Dustin.

He was happily eating a nutrition bar, but gave her a nervous look as she sat down. Callie avoided his deep brown eyes and squeezed her tube of chicken flavoured mush into her mouth. She almost gagged on the texture and set down the meal packet after one slurp.

It had the consistency of raw egg, or tomatoes, and she thought she might throw up. Callie decided she would rather eat the damned nutrition bars that Dustin loved so much. She reached across the table, snatching his second one.

Dustin smiled, noting her packet of yuck. "You don't like the liquid nutrition packets?" he asked, taking large bites of his own nutrition bar.

Callie shuddered, glaring at the packet in question. "It tastes like raw egg, mixed with slightly burnt chicken and has the consistency of sludge!" Callie said, hoping to forget that awful flavour.

Dustin laughed softly, covering his mouth to avoid spitting. "Oh, come on, it's good, the chicken is my favorite."Dustin said amusedly. Callie gave him a concerned look. "Really? It's terrible, I wouldn't even inflict that stuff on a prisoner as torcher!" Callie said, taking a bite of her strawberry nutrition bar.

Dustin's eyes sparked with amusement. "Well, now I know what to give you when the navy tosses you in the brig."Dustin said, flashing a smile. His shoulders were tense, and he looked nervous.

"Well, they won't toss me in the brig, if they don't catch me snooping around."Callie said, smiling brightly.

They ate their nutrition bars and talked while the Battle cruiser crossed the relatively short distance to the Jump gate. It was a completely boring several hours, as there were no windows, much less anything to see outside in vacuum..

The conversation was somewhat tense, as both parties were unsure how to approach Callie's awkward date request. She didn't want to make him feel pressured, and to be honest, she was more concerned about Villuses' silence.

Callie checked her comm nervously, but she knew a message couldn't reach the battle cruiser while they orbited Etria. Callie slid into the pilot seat of the dropship, strapping herself in. Her visor lit up and her face tingled as her suits of life support pushed cool air through the sealed suit.

Dustin sat in the copilot seat, watching intently as Callie went over the checklists with the battlecruiser's captain before departing. She engaged the maneuvering thrusters of the bulky drop ship, maneuvering out of the docking bay on the massive battle cruiser.

She watched on her proximity sensors, her heart racing as several other nearby ships pinged nearby. She turned the ship away from the battle cruiser and engaged a gentle maneuver, increasing thrust of the main drive.

Ahead of her, in all of its glory, was the planet of Etria, a massive blue orb, with one small land mass surrounded by water. Callie's chest tightened as she took in the sight. Anger and uncertainty filled her. Her sensors pinged again, highlighting two ships ahead of her.

The ships were in a high orbit over Etria, their sleek frames lit by the light of Etrias star. It was one of the empires feared Dreadnaughts, and a destroyer. They were both massive, each with an arsenal of guns, cannons, and missiles.

Callie looked away in disgust from the two ships, happy Dustin couldn't see her expression through her tinted helmet. She guided the ship into the atmosphere at a shallow angle, and the ship hardly even rocked.

She couldn't help the smile that split her face as the green and brown earth drew closer. The main landmass was currently on the darkside of the planned, and she could see the lights of Ascalon far below. The nose of the ship sparked with fire on the initial descent, and the ship hardly even rattled. She smiled, noting Dustin sitting tensely in his seat next to her.

She pulled up and turned the ship, hitting the thrusters to a three g burn. She flew low over the northern mountains of Etria, marveling at the ship's smooth maneuverability. Through her helmets speaker she could hear Dustins heavy breathing. She smiled, performed a barrel roll, the ship's engines roaring as she pushed the ship into a hard burn.

She strained, but the immense force slamming her back into her chair felt good, a reminder of her thousands of hours of training. The ground below them blurred as the military grade ship tore through the air at blinding speed.

She pulled back on the joystick, stabling her dive, and angled the ship towards the city in the distance. The ship obeyed her, its thrusters propelling them forward, parallel to the ground. Callie did one loop around the massive city of Ascalon before setting down in pre-planned coordinates.

It was dark, yet the city was bright, lit up by millions of lights across the city. Unlike the night of the attack, the city looked peaceful, a far cry from burning buildings and explosions.. She guided the ship in, settling it down gently in a ring of blinking lights. Dustin let out an audible sigh of relief as the engines powered down, and Callie lifted her hands from the controls..

Callie stayed put, and they waited, watching as several figures lit by the blinking lights crossed the landing pad to the ship. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Dustin use the manual release for the walkway to allow the four diplomats aboard the ship.

Dustin's handsome face was pale, and he looked shell-shocked from the too exciting entry and landing on Etria. Callie smiled, wondering if he would ever get in a spaceship with her again? Dustin closed and resealed the door, giving Callie a shaky thumbs up.

Callie's eyes roved over the four diplomats as they took their seats and began strapping in. Two women and two men, each dressed in thee piece suits and carrying briefcases. Her eyes rested on one older woman. She was familiar, looking like a kindly grandma, or a kindly aunt. It was the Etrian prime minister, and Callie had the sneaking suspicious she met the older woman before..

The woman was talking to Dustin, who appeared tense and on guard. All the politicians buckled in and Dustin returned to his seat next to her in the cockpit. Callie gave a glance at the other three, but none of them looked familiar.

"Take us up."Dustin said, his face a mask of tense calm.

Feeling like showing off, Callie activated her mic. "Attention passengers, please prepare for takeoff. The winds today are rough so we will be taking a more direct route to the battle cruiser."Callie said, giving Dustin a wide smile. Dustin hurriedly strapped into the copilot's seat.

The ship's engines roared as she lifted them up above the city a couple hundred feet in a stable hover. She glanced over at Dustin, giving the man a wide, mischievous grin. Under his clear visor, Dustin's eyes widen and Callie adjusted their angle, pointing the hovering ship straight upwards.

She hit a full burn, and they were all slammed back into their chairs as the spaceship took a more direct route to space.

Callie's heart was still racing as her passengers stumbled from the confines of their ship through the airlock into the battle cruiser, each looking sick. Dustin was glaring at her, his face pale, looking a little sick as well.

"Why do you have to do this to me?" He grumbled, panting for breath.

"Well, you just make it so easy. And this is revenge. It's what you get for surprising me this morning."Callie said, unable to stop a wide grin.