Turbulence by Gala Lyn

Author:Gala, Lyn [Gala, Lyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LGBT, Science Fiction & Space Opera
Publisher: Loose Id LLC
Published: 2013-10-21T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

The training room felt crowded by the crew’s fears as the captain stood on the upper deck to explain the mission. Jacqs figured at least some of that fear came from the idea of the captain leading them anywhere. From Jacqs’s position on the far side of the room, he could see the captain’s hand shake every time the man let go of the rail. And Zeke looked absolutely stone-faced, which made a nice contrast to Taylor’s stark-white terror.

Haslet was handling it about as well as Jacqs expected. She stared at the far wall like she could see death and she was too tired to care. There was a woman after his own heart.

Jacqs listened to the captain, he honestly did. Downed ship. Stranded officers and diplomats. Urgent situation. No other ship close.

After hearing a couple dozen briefings about how the outcome of the war depended on the success of the mission, Jacqs could practically give the briefing. No, he definitely didn’t need the pep speech, but he was interested in the others. Bolson looked physically ill. Jacqs wondered if anyone would mind if he went over and just happened to share the story of how Peter Duncan got disemboweled. Given Bolson’s general state of unwellness, Jacqs would bet good money he could get the guy to vomit.

Quin and Grah both had that look of determination that young soldiers sometimes got, that expression that suggested they were going to charge the enemy and win all battles. Reality would hit them later. Lacroix and Neira Daygik both seemed a little more concerned, and Copta el Hac seemed to be fervently praying, her lips moving to some internal dialogue that didn’t have anything to do with the captain’s description of their potential lines of approach in order to land undetected on Chent-Seven.

“This is fucked,” Ashwin Little whispered.

Jacqs grunted. It was, but he didn’t feel a need to comment on it.

“I should go see if Dary is all right.” Little glanced toward the door and then up toward the captain. He didn’t want to leave the briefing. The problem was he was right. Dary was getting this over the comm as she ran the belly gunner, and Jacqs didn’t trust her to keep her focus on the guns. She was the sort to start crying or vomiting or something.

“Go. I’ll let the commander know you needed to secure the gunner station,” Jacqs said. Little gave him an odd look, but then he nodded and moved back into the corridor that led to the lift.

“Do we know what sort of enemy we have between us and them?” Lacroix asked.

Jacqs was wondering the same thing, but no matter how careful he tried being, he always said something offensive during briefings, so mostly he just waited for others to go asking the questions.

The captain looked over at Zeke. He might have stopped drinking for the moment, but his brain was still pickled.

Zeke stepped forward. “We know their emergency beacon reported a massive explosion in the

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