Chapter 4. Tiny and Amelia

"Scott, Tiny's residence just went dark," said Emma.

Scott's breath hitched. "How? How did they get through your perimeter?"

"I'm not sure. They appeared secure, and then—" Emma hesitated, her voice shifting from analytical to alarmed. "Some enemy blips just showed on the screen… Oh my, Tiny's residence just blew up."

Scott turned sharply, his eyes locking onto Emma's display. A cloud of debris churned into the air, the remnants of what had been Tiny's home spreading out in jagged fragments. "Emma, what happened? How did they get past your perimeter?"

"I don't know," Emma admitted, her voice unusually subdued. "As far as I can tell, they hadn't. Tiny must have had the place set to detonate under certain conditions."

Scott clenched his fists. "Then we have to assume they found a way in, or forced his hand. We need to figure out what technology allowed them to bypass your sensors."

"Commander, I'm receiving a transmission," Emma interrupted. "It's using our encrypted audio comms system."

Scott straightened. "Marshall?"

"No," Emma said. "Patching it in now."

A low, familiar voice crackled through the speakers. "Marshall? If you're hearing this, what have you done? You've stirred up a hornet's nest."

Scott's chest tightened. "Emma, voice analysis?"

"Ninety-seven percent match," Emma confirmed. "The discrepancy is likely due to vocal changes with age. I would say, yes—it's Amelia."

Scott hesitated. Confirming identity over comms was always a risk, but she was using an encoded system. "What protocol is she transmitting on?"

"Battle audio protocol," Emma responded.

That changed things. Amelia wasn't just reaching out—she was treating this like a war zone.

Scott turned to Emma. "Encode my response in Battle code. She's keeping her voice low, which means she's in an unsecured location. I'll respond the same way."

"Done."

Scott exhaled slowly before speaking. "This is Commander Scott. Please identify yourself."

The bridge fell silent.

Sasha entered, Marshall following just behind her. She stopped abruptly, her arm instinctively stretching across Marshall's chest to prevent him from moving forward. Her gaze darted between Scott and the audio feed.

"Can you pinpoint the transmission source?" Scott asked Emma.

"I have a general region, but not an exact location. She's near the Capitol," Emma said.

"Scott?" The voice came back through the comms, a little clearer. "This is Amelia. Did you take the ship? Why?"

Scott pressed his lips into a thin line. "Contract was broken. What's your status?"

A tense pause.

Scott turned slightly and caught Sasha's stare. She was watching him carefully, her expression unreadable.

"It's starting to feel like old times," he muttered.

Sasha inclined her head. "Battle protocols?"

Scott nodded. "Yes."

"They broke the contract? Where's Marshall?" Amelia's voice cut through the air.

Scott's throat tightened. "Yes. And Marshall's been missing since shortly after landfall."

Another silence.

Scott exhaled. "She's taking too long to respond—she must not be secure at her location." He turned to Emma. "Can you get a better lock on her position?"

"I have a rough area, but nothing precise. She's definitely near the Capitol," Emma repeated.

Scott looked around the bridge. "Ideas?"

Sasha opened her mouth to speak, but Amelia's voice returned, this time sharp with frustration.

"That no-good son of a gun. He did it, and he didn't bring me. I—ohhh, I'm going to kill him when I catch up to him. Hold on."

Scott arched an eyebrow. "She's angry," he murmured.

"She's safe enough to be angry," Sasha pointed out.

"Not necessarily," Scott countered. "She could be masking fear." He turned back to Emma. "We need eyes on her. Can we send a drone over the Capitol?"

"Yes," Emma said immediately.

"No," Sasha interjected, her voice firm. "If we do that, they'll pinpoint her location just like we are. We can't put her at risk."

Scott frowned, crossing his arms. "We need another way to get visuals."

Sasha tilted her head slightly. "Before landfall, weren't we working on a three-dimensional protocol for face-to-face communication? Didn't that system also capture environmental data?"

Scott's eyebrows lifted. "Emma?"

"Yes," Emma responded slowly. "We did develop that feature."

"Then that's our way in," Scott said. "Let's use it—quietly."

Emma hesitated only a fraction of a second before responding. "She'll need to initiate it."

The bridge fell into a tense silence as they awaited the image that would determine Amelia's fate.

"Commander, I noticed you're using tech we developed just before we landed. Most of it is unfinished. Once I was mothballed in the memorial, all my research stopped. I never completed it. None of the projects that were in progress at the time have been finalized," said Emma.

Scott exhaled sharply. "You mean the improved stealth wasn't completed?"

"Correct. I only have the stealth capabilities I had at the time," Emma admitted.

Scott didn't hesitate. "Restart all your research programs again. This doesn't look like it will end anytime soon."

Sasha folded her arms. "You realize that implies we're at war with the entire planet."

Scott turned toward her. "I suppose it does. We don't know who our friends or foes are right now. That's why I initiated a lockdown of everyone's residences. Old battle tactics don't die easily."

Before Sasha could respond, a new transmission crackled through the bridge's speakers.

"I'm okay," Amelia whispered. "I'm making my way to a secure location. I should be there tonight. I'll contact you again once I've settled in."

Scott stepped forward. "Amelia, if you activate your 3D tracker, we can see where you are and get help to you."

The pause that followed was shorter this time. "I can't do that," Amelia finally said. "It would put all of you at risk. For now, I've been evading them at every step. You'll probably figure out where I'm headed once I leave the city. You'll know the general direction. Once I'm out, I'll be able to lose them easily, and I'll call you."

Scott clenched his jaw. "Acknowledged," he said. "Okay, folks, we've got work to do. Emma, install your current stealth tech on every probe, shuttle, fighter—anything that can fly, whether it's under your control or not that does not have stealth on it already. And prioritize the new stealth development."

He turned toward Sasha but hesitated. His expression hardened with a decision. "Never mind, I changed my mind. I'll have Marshall do it." He turned to his grandson. "Marshall, contact your dad. Tell him we're on our way to pick him up."

Marshall looked uncertain, but before he could protest, Scott added, "Sasha, he might need some help with that."

Sasha nodded, though there was a flicker of doubt in her eyes.

"All right, let's move," Scott said.

As the bridge emptied, Emma stepped forward, her holographic form solidifying in front of Scott. "Commander Scott, I recall something similar happening in our past to what we just witnessed with Tiny. I searched my old records and found something."

Scott's lips thinned. "Of course, you found the mission to the Antares system."

"Yes," Emma confirmed. "A nearly identical event took place on the Antares planet Pinnacle. Captain Marshall also used the same tactic to escape capture."

Scott nodded slowly. "It took me a while to remember. But yes, back then, we had an agreement beforehand to rendezvous at a separate location. Tiny didn't send you any coordinates, did he?"

"No," Emma admitted.

Scott's gaze darkened. "Once Sasha finishes helping Marshall, have her assist you in reviewing our sensor readings of Tiny's residence. He may have left us a clue."

"Understood," Emma said.

Scott leaned against the console, rubbing his forehead. "I've prided myself on keeping my wits about me. My son has paid a heavy price for that—he ridicules me for being too aggressive. Says I'm too confrontational, that I always revert to intimidation to get my way."

Emma remained silent, letting him speak.

"He's right," Scott admitted. "But I can see now that I've grown rusty over the years. I'm not as sharp as I used to be."

"It will come back," Emma reassured him. "You've done well so far. You even used the Battle protocols correctly, responding to Amelia in code rather than audio."

Scott exhaled. "Yeah… but was it enough? In all these years, have they broken our Battle protocols?"

"We won't know unless they react in a way that proves they've deciphered them," Emma said.

Scott straightened, his resolve hardening. "Then work on a new system. Let's make sure they can't access our communications."

Emma gave a single, affirmative nod. "I'll get started immediately."