Between

Chapter Twenty-Two

CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS ABOARD THE OSV NIGHTJAR, OFF THE MID-EASTERN COAST OF CORZIBAR

Silas Sacavage was almost shaking as he slammed the hatch shut to his private quarters and leaned back against the dog. His eyes squeezed shut and his hand reached into his chest pocket to retrieve his locket.

His twirled it in his fingers for a moment or two, finally opening his eyes to look down at it, but he couldn't bring himself to open it.

He couldn't bring himself to look at that picture again, even after ten years.

Then again, he almost didn't have to look at it.

The woman, 1927, served the purpose well enough.

A knock on the hatch against his back startled the man, and he shoved the locket back into his pocket before spinning the dog and swinging open the hatch. Craig Bower stood on the other side, and gave a quick salute. Silas gestured him inside and closed the hatch again behind him.

"What is it MSO?"

"I thought I might check in on you, Sir," Bower replied, his back straightening as his commanding officer addressed him. "I thought I might find you here and somewhat...troubled."

Silas didn't bother hiding anything from Bower. They had been friends for a long time, and partners in the military for even longer. The balding man knew Silas better than Silas felt he even understood himself.

"She looks like Amy."

Bower nodded, somber.

"It's uncanny."

"More volatile, though, it would seem."

The MSO chuckled a bit.

"And a few more freckles."

The Captain sucked in a calming breath.

"Of all the people to bring aboard...why would it have to be someone that looks so much like her? I have a mission and a crew to tend to, Bower. How am I going to do that with her on board?"

"Well, she won't be on board forever, Sir. Until the day comes that we can get her to the Fireback, you might best just avoid her. Dragging up difficult memories will no doubt cause issues in your leadership, and you know the Imperium is in a precarious state right now. There's no point in giving them any potential reasons to dismiss you."

Silas nodded, but his gut wrenched all the same. The woman's presence aboard the Nightjar was a directive of the Olerian Imperium, but it didn't make it any easier. Despite Bower's suggestion to avoid her, Silas knew that, as the Captain, it would be quite difficult to do so.

"It'll be my ass on the line if something happens to her, though, Bower," the Captain countered with a rough sigh. "Rutherford's expecting her to get to Oleria alive and well. I've already screwed up the 'well' part. We're still not sure if the guards shooting at her in the scrub knew who or what she was, but they didn't have to shoot at her to make me understand she's going to be a handful. You saw what she did to Lennox's face."

"She's a fighter, Sir," the MSO responded neutrally. "But, truth be told, that's something Oleria needs more of."

"Maybe, but soldiers also have to possess self-control. She seems to be lacking in that department, if her altercation in the medical bay is any indication."

"We can keep her strapped to that bed if need be, Sir."

At this, Silas' expression must have looked quite offended, because his second-in-command quickly retracted his suggestion.