The Dead Fleet (Juggernaut #3)

Seventy Four

When Tila opened her eyes some hours later, and worked out the kinks from her back and shoulders caused by the bunk, yawned and stretched. Her hands hit the wall above her head. Her feet bumped into the wall at foot of the bunk. Muscles extended, contracted, and complained as new bruises were discovered. Tila had begun counting before she went to sleep. Instead of adding to her total she decided that really she only had one bruise to worry about. It reached from head to toe, but it meant she didn't have to count anymore.

Tila blinked the sleep from her eyes and forced herself to wake up properly. What had changed since she slept? What was new?

The first thing she noticed was how hungry she was. Unfortunately for Tila, she didn't know where the food was on this ship. It wasn't a big ship so it couldn't be far. Assuming, of course, that there was some.

The second, more urgent need demanded attention with an important question of its own. Unfortunately for Tila, she didn't know where the bathroom was either.

Tila rolled off the bunk so she could stand . There was no space to sit up first and pivot off the bed.

She stood and stretched again, wincing as joints clicked and popped that should ordinarily be silent. She rubbed her right shoulder with her left hand, opened the door, opened the door with her right, and stepped through to the cockpit.

The stars filled the sky. Two Valkyries flew within a hundred metres of the Jubilee. Other space traffic was visible as moving points of light. They could have been a hundred or a thousand kilometres away for all Tila knew. But no one was shooting at them, so they must be home.

Her mother was already awake and in her pilot's chair. She wore a headset and was mid conversation with someone. One of her friends, she assumed. They were much too far from the Juggernaut for real-time conversation.

Tila dropped heavily into the second chair and began poking at storage bins and compartments, looking for something to eat. Without breaking from her conversation, her mother tapped Tila on the arm with a meal bar of some kind. Tila took it, mouthed a silent 'thank you', unwrapped it and took a bite.

The bar was grainy, and chewy, and tasted a little bit like dirty cherries, but it was still food. Tila took a second bite and settled into the chair to watch the stars.

Every inhabited system has it's own star field. In fact, every planet in every system has it's own unique view. Tila had spent years on the Juggernaut, watching the slow ballet of the night through frosted windows tinged by the great red sun they orbited. Tila knew the stars of home.

That was when she noticed the third thing. Unfortunately for Tila, they were not the stars of home.

Her mother ended her conversation and pulled the headset off, turning her head through the twin earpieces and clawing back strands of hair tangled up in the device.

'Where are we?' said Tila. She took another bite of the bar. The cherries were not getting any cleaner.

'Jenova.' Grace passed Tila a bottle of water.

Tila chewed and swallowed. She opened the bottle intending to take a small sip until her body took over and demanded more. She drained half of it, took a breath, then drained the rest.

'Conway?' said Tila.

'I need to brief him.'

'Why don't you send him a message?'

'Security. I need to brief him and his team in person. Face to face.'

'His team?'

'This isn't a lone crusade. It's not Conway versus the Cabal. He has allies.

'Allies?'

Cities, planets, governments, corporations and dozens of smaller organisations.'

'Allies, not friends?'

'I don't think he has time for friends, Tila.'

'He doesn't have the personality either.'

'Tila! Manners.'

Tila finished the bar in two more bites. 'I miss getting told off,' she said.

Grace looked at her, then back at the starfield, and smiled.

'I know we have a lot of catching up to do, but I find it very hard to believe that no one else has tried to tell you off. You always pushed things as far as you could.'

'I never said they didn't try.'

'I'm going to have to get to know you all over again, aren't I? You're not my little girl any more.'

'We have time. Right? I mean, you're not going anywhere are you?'

'That's something we have to talk about.'

The comm system sparked to life before Tila could ask any more questions.

'Does anyone else see that big ship following us?' said Malachi's voice.

'Mal! You're awake.'

'I've been awake for hours. You're the one sleeping late.'

'Hours? What have you been doing?'

'Um. Don't ask.'

'He found the manual for the Valkyrie. What do you think he's been doing?'

'Ellie, hush,' said Malachi.

'Ellie? Are you okay?' said Tila, leaning forward in her seat, Grace noticed.

'I had a nap too. I'm okay, but I'm staaarving. We both are.'

'Truth,' said Malachi. 'But about that big ship....'

'Sorry, Ellie,' said Grace. 'I can't get you any food from here, but you'll be able to eat shortly.'

'We're hours from the nearest planet, though. I don't think I can make it.'

'When was the last time you three had a meal?' Grace asked Tila.

'Like, a year ago,' said Ellie.

'We last ate on Parador.'

'No wonder you're hungry. Let me see what I can do about that.' Grace touched a button and picked up the headset. She held it next to her ear. 'Mr Yoshihiro, I'm patching you into our local net now.'

'Thank you,' came the voice of Conway's confidant. 'I'm pleased to see you back in friendly skies, Grace.'

'Good to be back, Toma. We're decelerating now. Ellie, Malachi, follow my lead.'

'Why are we slowing down? We're already hours away from the nearest place to land,' said Tila.

'You should pay closer attention,' said Grace, and adjusted the flight controls.

The Last Jubilee slowed imperceptibly. Tila's friends reduced speed too, and then, overhead, she saw the ship Malachi had spotted.