Descent into Darkness (Blood on the Stars Book 17) by Jay Allan

Author:Jay Allan [Allan, Jay]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-06-06T22:00:00+00:00

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“Please, Andi…go.” Barron had issued the withdrawal orders…and he had ordered all the non-essential personnel to abandon Striker as well. Atara’s force and the station would be the only units still present, and however well they did at holding back the enemy would make a huge difference in how many of the ships fleeing actually made it. But now, he was in his office, right off the bridge, talking to Andi. He’d already dealt with Akella. She’d given him a hard time, insisted she was going to stay on Striker along with him…but she’d been relatively easy to persuade. It wasn’t a lack of courage, Barron knew that well enough, but Akella was the head of the Hegemony, and she would have work to do. Whatever followed, whether he lived to see it or not, Akella would have her hands full.

Andi was a different story…but he had one secret weapon to use there.

“No, Tyler…I will leave when you do.” That was unacceptable, mostly because Tyler didn’t expect to leave. He wasn’t outright suicidal, but he didn’t see any way to escape either.

“Cassie…” Barron said the word, the one he knew his wife had already had in her mind. Their daughter, loved by both of them, perhaps the one thing more important to the two of them than each other. “This is my job, Andi…not yours. One of us has to get out of here, at least.” Barron realized he wasn’t ready to give up himself either, though he knew there was a great chance he wouldn’t survive.

Andi looked at Barron, a combination of anger and love in her expression. “Please, Tyler…come with me. You can’t do anything here…you know that.”

Barron realized he had scored, that Andi was going to leave. But she was going to do everything she could to get him to go as well. He knew that, understood it perfectly…and part of him wanted to give in. But he couldn’t.

“I can’t go, Andi…not while the battle is still raging. And you have to go.” He paused for just a second, and then he added, “And I’ve got to get back out on the bridge.” He felt himself tearing apart, and he believed there was an excellent chance this was the last time he would see Andi. He’d been standing about a meter from her, but now he reached out and grabbed her. “Please…just go. Take care of Cassie.” He knew his tactics were unfair, but he was sure that Andi’s escape was only good for a short while. He didn’t believe there was any way to defeat the enemy. Still, he hoped he would survive, escape to fight again.

He just didn’t believe he would.

“Go,” he said again…and he put everything he had into pulling himself away. “I’ll be right behind you,” he said, but he knew she didn’t believe him anymore than he believed himself. He stopped and looked at her, for perhaps ten seconds. Then, he turned and raced out of the room, and back to the bridge.

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