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been
converted into a makeshift infirmary.
    As he disappeared around the corner, he heard
Miles call after him, “You okay, Cal?”
    “Fine,” Calvin yelled back. And, to be
honest, part of him actually did feel rather fine, despite the
searing, superficial pain. He wouldn’t have thought he’d like it so
much, but the fact that Rain gently held his hand with hers, all
the way to the infirmary, was surprisingly pleasant. Her long
fingers were warm to the touch and slender, like one would expect
of a pianist. As she cleaned the wound, applied disinfectant, and
bandaged it, Calvin found his eyes moving upward from Rain’s sweet,
tender hands and up her loose-fitting scrubs, I really ought to
get her some better fitting scrubs , all the way to her wild
tangle of red hair and eyes so pale-blue and majestic they could
have disarmed a bomb.
    “There you go,” she said, letting his hand
go. It might have been his imagination, but she seemed to let go of
his hand more slowly than would be normal, almost as if her fingers
wanted to linger there, holding his…
    Snap out of it, Calvin ! He blinked,
clearing away the beautiful image that was Rain’s eyes and pale
face, and looked away. “Uh, thank you, Rain.”
    “You’re very welcome, Calvin,” she said.
“Now, I know it hurts now, but trust me, it’ll heal quickly.”
    “Actually, it’s feeling quite a bit better
already,” he said, though not quite sure why; the pain was as
ever-present as before.
    “Oh, good, I’m glad to hear it,” she said
with her trademark smile, which, Calvin swore, had the power to
bring cheer to even a man on his deathbed. “So, where were you off
to in such a hurry?” she asked. Clearly it was an invitation for
Calvin to stick around and visit, something he’d been contemplating
doing, but wasn’t quite sure how to make happen in a non-awkward
way.
    “Well, one of my errands was to come check on
you, ironically enough,” said Calvin. “To see how you’ve been
getting by since we’ve entered Rotham space.”
     
    ***
     
    It had taken an entire shift cycle: white,
red, and green, and still they'd not arrived at Izar Ceti. This had
been expected, of course, once the distance was calculated, but
nonetheless, Summers found herself on pins and needles while in the
command chair and unable to sleep when relieved. The isotome
weapons, the rest of them, were within their grasp.
    It is up to me to destroy them , she
made herself promise. Calvin had done his part, he’d eliminated
fifteen of the thirty weapons, now it was up to Summers to
eradicate the last fifteen. Even if it meant sacrificing the Nighthawk to do it, she’d gladly pay the price. She only
wondered if her crew felt the same way.
    “Attention all of you,” she said to those
with her on the Bridge. Sarah, Shen, Mr. Roy, and Nimoux each
looked at her, clearly expecting some new instructions. “I have an
important question to ask each of you, and I would feel better
knowing your opinion on the matter.” Even Pellew, who was there
along with two soldiers whose presence Summers did not understand,
looked at her with anticipation.
    “Yes, Commander?” asked Nimoux from her left.
His presence on the Bridge still seemed to inspire a degree of awe
and apprehension among the other officers, except for Pellew, who
was on record as distrusting him.
    “When we arrive at Izar Ceti, there is a good
possibility we will encounter the rest of the isotome weapons. I
expect them to be aboard Zander’s ship.”
    “Isn’t that what we’re hoping for?” asked
Sarah.
    “Yes, it is,” said Summers. “Now, I don’t
think I need to tell you how very critical it is to the safety of
the Empire that we succeed.”
    “No, Commander, you don’t need to explain,”
said Nimoux. “Those weapons, if I understand what you’ve told me
correctly, represent the single-most savage weapons of mass
destruction ever designed. I think I speak for us all when I say we
will do whatever it takes to