…decoy missiles, programmed to appear like an element of the Fleet, one voice called out in his mind. Use their strategy against them…
…double envelopment, like a trident, called another, the female voice whispering in his mind. Let the Destroyers engage the center column who will be firing solely reflexively and defensively while two smaller elements maneuver…
A single voice rang out louder than the others, its smugness and overconfidence apparent even in his thoughts. As the voice explained the strategy in great detail, Yen focused his attention solely on the sound of its arrogant tone, drowning out everything else in the room.
“The Terrans are operating in a very narrow window of opportunity,” the voice explained in the small bridge. “If they can’t get into position ahead of the Alliance Fleet, then all advantage will be lost and their ships will be annihilated, regardless of their numbers. We use their reliance on the projections of our Fleet’s arrival against them. Since we’re already burning our engines at maximum speed while traveling through open space, we’ll have to use a different technique to accelerate our timetable.
“My recommendation is to use the gravities of planet’s we’re passing by already on our route to our advantage. There are three gas giants that we will have to cross near during our two-month trip. All three of them suffer from intense gravities, between fifty to one hundred times that of a normal gravity on board our ships. If we slingshot around these three planets, skimming across their atmospheres, we can shave over a week off our journey, putting us in the sector of space just ahead of the Terran vanguard.
“The passage through the increased gravities will be hellacious on the crew as even the gravity inhibitors on board won’t be able to suppress the combined might of the planets’ gravities and those of higher accelerations. However, the couple hours of discomfort will be worth it for the positive gain we will receive as we establish our own ambush for the Terran Destroyers.”
As the voice stopped, Yen felt the pressure build again behind his eyes and nearly cried out in pain. Blinking strongly, he focused once again on the room and looked around, surprised to see everyone staring at him. He looked from face to face and realized, in horror, that the arrogant voice he had been hearing was his own. As he finished his scan of the room, he saw the shocked and infuriated expression plastered across Merric’s face and knew that while it had been his voice telling the plan, it had not been his own idea. Before Merric could say anything, however, Captain Hodge stood from her chair.
“I will assume that the reason you were late to this meeting,” she began, “was because you were finalizing the details on your plan.” A smile broke across her thin lips, one that Yen mirrored to the best of his ability. “I think the idea of using the gas giants to slingshot ahead of the Terrans is brilliant. Does anyone else have another idea or anything to add to Squadron Commander Xiao’s?”
She looked from officer to officer, but they all shook their heads, knowing their own plans jeopardized the ships in the Fleet significantly more than did Yen’s. When she finally reached Merric, her eyes rested on him longer as she watched the blood drain from his red face.
“Eminent Merric,” she asked, “do you have anything to add?”
“No, ma’am,” he said through tightly clenched teeth and jaw muscles that clenched and unclenched in his fury. “I have nothing to add to the brilliant plan.”
“Then this meeting is going to be prematurely concluded,” Captain Hodge said. “Navigation, begin plotting a course that will take us into the atmospheres of the gas giants. Commander Xiao, good work.”
Yen had no urge to stay on the bridge. Between his growing migraine and open hostile feelings rolling off of Merric like sheets, Yen was quickly feeling nauseous once more and had no desire to vomit blood in front of his commanding officer. Instead, he slipped quickly into the lift and closed the doors behind him, leaving the rest of the bridge crew trapped until the elevator returned for them. He hurried through the doors as the elevator stopped on his floor and, entering his code, he slipped into the enveloping darkness within. Taking a seat at the table, Yen placed his head in the crook of his arms and breathed deeply of the cool air in his room, glad to be out of the stifling discomfort of the bridge. Moments after sitting down, however, he heard a code being entered into his door. He turned as the door slid open and light flooded into the dark room. Standing in the doorframe, silhouetted against the bright light, Merric glowered at the seated Yen.
Merric stormed into the room as Yen slid out of his chair and moved around to the backside of the table, keeping the furniture in between himself and the infuriated tactical officer. His head ached as he sought the words that would placate the understandably upset officer.
“You stole my idea,” Merric snarled. “That was my plan and you know it!”
Merric lunged around the right side of the table, but Yen quickly moved as well, keeping the table between the two. The jarring movement caused another spike of pain to run through his skull and the air around him wavered slightly. Yen noticed a faint blue glow emanating from his hands. He was barely maintaining control of his powers, but Merric barely slowed to notice.
“I spent two days on that plan and you plucked it from my mind, you cowardly thief!”
“Merric, I’m sorry,” Yen tried to explain. “I didn’t even realize I did that to you until it was already too late.”
“I don’t want your pathetic excuses,” Merric yelled, spittle flying from his lips. “How dare you steal from me? Do you know who I am?”
Merric’s voice continued to dig into Yen’s mind, planting jagged hooks beneath the tender flesh of his brain and jerking, ripping toward the surface. Cringing from the pain, Yen watched as a single blue tendril slid from his sleeve and wrapped itself around his fingers. So fascinated was he by the power breaking free of his grasp, he didn’t notice as Merric came around the table and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling Yen up onto his toes so he could look eye to eye with the Pilgrim officer.
“I should ruin your career,” Merric said, his eyes wide with hatred. “But ruining your career wouldn’t be satisfying enough. Instead, I’m going to take my retribution straight out of your skin!”
Yen shook his head, the lancing pain blurring his vision. “Not right now, Merric,” he said passively.
Yen’s obvious lack of concern over his predicament angered Merric further. “You don’t tell me what I can and can’t do,” he roared. “I tell you!”
His eyes flaring a soft blue in the dark room and tendrils spreading from his sleeves and from the spines on his back, Yen’s hair whipped wildly in the windless room. “I said,” Yen began, his voice augmented by the unleashed power, “not…”
The first wave of energy slammed into Merric. Though he kept his grip on Yen’s coat, his feet slid backward on the tiled floor.
“…right…”
The second wave snapped Merric’s head back, singeing the flesh on his exposed neck.
“…now!”
As Yen finished his sentence, Merric was lifted from his feet and tossed across the room, slamming painfully into the kitchen cabinets before being dropped to the floor. His forearm twisted awkwardly behind him as he landed, his mass snapping the bones. Merric cried out in pain, clutching the fractured limb, but still glared at Yen with murderous rage. He leapt to his feet, his shirt torn, exposing the smoldering flesh beneath. Small lacerations across his arms, face and chest bled freely, staining his dark grey tunic with darker smears of blood.
“How dare you assault a superior officer,” Merric stated, his own ego overriding the shock in his system. “I will end your career for this. I will have you brought up on charges and executed!”