Chapter 14 Team #2
His heart was in his feet. “Ah, right, of course. Planning your all out offensive to take the Osiris from me? It will be unsuccessful so you might want to think about that before you pick a team.”
“No one is going to try and take the Osiris from you,” his mother said.
“Uhm, I’m pretty sure the Alliance is, but that’s neither here nor there. Guys, we have to talk. What are you thinking of doing?” Jace asked, shaking off his mother’s hands. He needed a clear head for this.
“Maybe, I should ah… go and do something? Somewhere else?” Gehenna asked, half rising up from her seat.
“Aren’t you going to know what’s going on in here anyways?” his father asked her.
“Well, yes, of course! But it would give you the illusion of privacy!” Gehenna answered truthfully.
“You can stay then. We don’t want illusions here,” his mother answered dryly.
“I’ll be quiet as a--”
“Terminator?” Jace’s left eyebrow rose even as a smile tugged at his lips.
“Mouse.” She sank back down onto the couch with surprising quietness.
“Okay, I need to know where you guys stand,” Jace said. “I’m not going to ask you to break any vows you’ve made, but if you’re staying in the US military…” Here he found he had to swallow hard, “you can’t be my confidants. That means I’ll wish you well and see you at the meeting.”
His parents exchanged a glance. His mother nodded almost imperceptibly to his father, indicating he should be the one to answer.
“I’m resigning my commission early,” his father said. “I hear that someone else might be looking for some pilots.”
Jace’s lips curled into a smile. “I’d be happy to have you as one of the Osiris’ crew, Dad.”
“Then you have me, son.” His father smiled broadly. It was a smile they shared.
Jace turned anxiously back to his mother. “And you? What are you going to do, Mom? I could always use such a capable officer.”
She beamed at him, but shook her head. “Not that I don’t wish to be a member of your crew, Jace. But I think I can do the best by representing humanity with the Alliance. One of the things we’d like is for humanity to, at least, have an ambassador on Haseon.”
“And that would be you?” Jace confirmed.
She nodded. “If they’ll have us. We don’t exactly have anything to bargain with any longer.”
“I cannot believe the general is giving up so easily,” Jace said with a frown.
“Something occurred on a call he placed this morning. He’s been told to stand down,” she said.
Jace frowned some more. Osiris, what happened during that call?
General Intoshkin believed he was speaking to his superiors, the Osiris said.
Believed?
Imitating them was quite easy, the Osiris answered.
Oh, boy.
You do not wish violent actions to be taken against them. This delay will allow you to broker the agreement you wish, the Osiris stated. Once it becomes clear that he did not reach his people, it will be… too late? Yes, too late. Besides, all will be mostly pleased with what you will propose.
I’m so glad that you know what I’m going to propose, because I don’t! Jace laughed.
Are you certain that is correct? The Osiris asked.
Jace stopped. So you think my idea about reaching out to all the Alliance species who have been given the shaft, but have valuable things to offer to join with us and screw the Council?
Yes.
Jace grinned.
I already have compiled a list that you might wish to discuss with Khoth and your father, the Osiris said.
Sometimes, Osiris, you are the best, Jace said.
I am always optimal in all my functions, the Osiris replied, but sounded pleased.
“Jace, have we lost you?” His mother cocked her head to the side.
“Oh, no, no, just… just glad that there’s only one party who wants to act like a pirate,” he said.
“The Alliance… you have some news?” she asked.
“Nothing you or Earth has to worry about,” he said and hugged her. When he pulled back, he turned to his father who had gotten up from the couch, leaving only Gehenna seated. “So, Dad, what do you have to do here to leave the military and join my crew?”
“I’m going to speak to the general now,” his father said. “I didn’t think it would be honorable to learn anything about his plans.”
“Oh, yeah.” Jace gave him a bright smile.
He didn’t need his father to find out. The Osiris and Gehenna would tell him everything anyways so he was glad to have his father’s honor be left intact.
“Ah, I’ll join you afterwards,” his father suggested.
Jace’s head bobbed. “Yeah, Osiris wants to inject you with something.”
His father’s eyebrows rose. “Oooookaaaayyyyyy.”
“To welcome you to the crew!” Jace added, realizing how that sounded. “It’ll be good!”
“I trust you,” his father said, but there was a little bit of alarm in his expression.
You need to tell me EXACTLY what you’re putting into him and Khoth, Osiris, Jace warned the AI.
Of course, the Osiris answered dryly.
“How is this going to work between the two of you, though? Keeping secrets from one another? Being apart?” Jace asked, hands threading together nervously.
His parents put their arms around one another and smiled softly and with incredible love behind their eyes.
“We’ve been keeping secrets from each other all our relationship so that’s not new,” his father said. “Your mother’s always outranked me.” He playfully pulled her closer to him. “Now my son will.”
“Yeah, well, I promise to go easy on you.” Jace ran his hands through his hair nervously.
“You better not!” his mother laughed. “Your father needs structure and a tight chain of command! Otherwise, he’ll be off playing practical jokes and stealing your spaceships for joy rides.”
“Just as long as he invites me, I’m good with that,” Jace said with a grin.
“But, in all seriousness, Jace, we’re doing this because it's the right thing to do to keep humanity--and you--safe,” she said as she reached up and squeezed his shoulder.
He nodded. “Same here.”
“We know, son.” His father thumped his back.
“So the Parkers are going to save the universe?” Jace asked.
“Are you going to do the hands in the center thing?” Gehenna’s voice rose up behind his mother as the metal behemoth clanked over.
“No, Gehenna. I was just being silly,” Jace said with a shrug.
“We could do it,” his father said.
“We are working to save the universe,” his mother pointed out.
“Oh, my God, I’m dying here. Fine. Let’s be dorky, but we’re telling no one about this,” Jace said.
Jace put his hand in and his parents did the same. Gehenna’s metal hand covered all of theirs.
“Go Parkers!” she cried.
And they pulled their hands back.
Jace shook his head and muttered, “Never telling a soul.”
His mother laughed delightedly and his father chuckled.
They hugged him as they made their way out.
Jace knew that Khoth was at the door and he indicated to Osiris to tell him to come inside.
Khoth’s soft steps into the room had Jace lifting his head to see the Thaf’ell Commander in his new “casual” uniform.
While Jace’s was pretty much suited to modern human fashion, Khoth’s reminded him of Anakin Skywalker’s Jedi battle armor in midnight black with silver inlays and stitching.
The shoulders flared out. There was an elaborate belting around his slender waist. Leggings covered Khoth’s long, muscular legs with shiny black boots coming up to Khoth’s knees. Jace blinked.
“Wow…” Jace breathed. “You look nice.”
Khoth smoothed his hands down the front of his outfit. “It is similar to some of our formal, religious clothes. It is perfectly sized, though this is not surprising. The Osiris has, undoubtedly, scanned me multiple times.”
“Scanned you… yeah… right, of course!” Jace shook his head to clear out the image of Khoth’s naked body being minutely recorded. It probably had been and if Jace asked, Osiris would let him see it.
“Oooh, your food is coming!” Gehenna said as she hurried to the door, leaving them alone with thoughts of naked Khoth in his head.
“I suppose we should eat at the meeting table. That’ll be easiest,” Jace said, feeling awkward around Khoth, which he didn’t want.
They both moved to the table. Khoth held out the head of the table chair for Jace. Jace stared at it.
“Why don’t we just sit opposite one another for now,” Jace said. “I’m sure I’ll be in that seat soon enough. When it’s just us… we should be… you know, normal.”
Khoth nodded and held out another chair for him. Jace sat down and felt strangely touched as Khoth helped tuck him up against the table. He sat opposite Jace and folded his hands on the table, fingers interlaced. Khoth stared down at them, saying nothing.
“So you talked to your mom,” Jace prompted.
“Yes.”
Hmmm, one word answers like the Osiris, Jace thought. That’s not good.
“How did it, ah, go?” Jace asked.
“Not well.”
Two words. Improvement or no? Jace wondered.
“What did she--” Jace began.
But then Khoth burst out, “She did not accept it! She acted as if I had not said it! She… she promised me…”
Khoth stopped. He closed his eyes and his hands fisted on the table. This was the most emotion that Jace had ever seen from the Thaf’ell.
This is bad. This is really, really bad. He faced death with less emotion than this, Jace thought.
Khoth’s voice continued so softly that it would have been hard to hear him if not for Jace’s superior hearing, “She is out of control. So desperate that I fear she will do something she cannot take back.”
Jace, the Osiris’ voice was clipped, the Thaf’ell fleet is preparing aggressive action towards Earth and us.
“Damn,” Jace breathed.
Khoth’s head snapped up. “What is it?”
Jace gave him a weak smile. “I had been hoping to talk to your mother before showing her the might of the Osiris. But time has already run out.”