"How are we?" Captain Crai asked.

Her second in command looked at her with furrowed brows. "We're burning through space at maximum sustainable velocity."

"Time till we hit the outer limits?"

"Three hours and twenty-two minutes," he reported.

Every second felt like an eternity knowing what was happening inside that facility, she curled her hands into fists.

"Captain," her communications officer announced, "there's an incoming priority transmission. Personal encryption, tagged for your authorization codes."

Crai's breath caught in her throat. Only one person at that station had her personal comm protocols. Tim.

She stood. There was no way she could take this in the CIC. "Put it through to my quarters. And Lieutenant?" he looked up at her. "This conversation will not appear in any of our logs."

"Understood, Captain." He dipped his head to her.

She walked out of the CIC as straight as she could. The last twenty-four hours…. fuck no, the last month of her life had been hell. The voice she was about to hear belonged to the man who'd turned her into everything her parents had hated. This infuriated her.

The door closed behind her. She leaned on it, slamming her fists into it till her hands hurt. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" she cursed. Years of what she'd thought was building something legitimate, something that could bring Derek back to the family fold and give them a solid life. For what? Nothing…

Instead, she'd ferried people to their deaths.

Her comms pinged. Tim was already waiting.

She pushed herself back up, and took in ragged breaths to calm herself. "I can do this." Then she walked to her desk, hitting the accept.

Tim's face—the same calm, professional expression he always had was flustered.

"Feath," he said, "Where are you?"

"You know where I am," she replied. "I'm about to take down Ring-14 and rescue my brother."

He smiled, but it wasn't real. "You are not in Coalition space."

How did he know that?

Of course, he had trackers planted. "If you know where I am. Why are you asking?"

"We need you at Kepler station," he said. "Whatever mission you were on, reroute."

"Oh?" This had her attention. "What's going on?"

"We have hostiles in the facility, they've…" he paused. "They've taken hostages."

"Hostages? Really?" She feigned shock and then concern. "Are you safe?"

"For now," he replied. "But we need your fleet here within three hours. The VIP requires immediate extraction—his safety is paramount."

Prick, she thought. Of course, he would prioritize evacuating Braker and his most valuable scientist while leaving everyone else to die.

"Understood," Crai said, her mind racing through tactical possibilities. "Rerouting to Kepler Station, maximum burn. But Tim, if there are hostiles in the facility, shouldn't we coordinate with station security?"

"Negative," he replied quickly.

"What aren't you telling me?" she asked.

"It's a contained situation. Just get here and be ready for immediate evacuation protocols."

He cut the transmission, leaving Crai staring at the blank screen.

She brought up the Manta-S transmission codes, but a knock at her door had her pause. "Come," she ordered.

Her second in command stepped inside. "Mind if I have a word, Captain."

"Now?" only on his nod did she wave him in.

"Your speech," he said. "You're sure it's true?"

Crai lowered her head. "I wish I'd listened to him sooner."

"Derek knew, none of us could see it. You were besotted"

"But you all followed me, blindly."

"Not blindly," he reached over and placed a hand next to hers. "Not blindly at all. Feath, we're family."

She stifled a sob, "Gods Paul, why did you have to say that now?"

As her tears fell, he stood and pulled her too him. "Shh," he said. "We've got your back. You know we have."

She looked up into the grizzled older man's green eyes and saw something she realized she missed a lot, a human connection.

"We can make it right. Right?"

"We can," he replied and wiped a tear from her cheek. "Now, get the others in here and lets go over some kind of battle plan. We're not going in there without one."

"Don't feel like winging it?"

"Even with my record, no."

Crai laughed, and she hit her comms. "Command staff report to the wardroom, fifteen minutes please."

She returned to the CIC with Commander Kestat at her side, all eyes turned to her.

"Hold our course Lt Lane, reduce burn to ninety percent," she said. To the others she announced. "Commissioner Ranger has revealed he's got trackers onboard our ships. I need security to sweep all ships, top to bottom to find and destroy them."

"Security is making a sweep now," Kestat said.

"I want us to arrive exactly when we're supposed to, not a minute earlier. To Commander Kestat she said. "Prepare boarding shuttles for evacuation operations."

"Boarding shuttles, Captain?"

"We're going to be evacuating some very important people," she said with a smirk. "I want to make sure we do it by the book."

"You're sneaky," Kestat moved to his station to start pulling in the extra people he needed.

***

The next three hours had crawled by. Her communications officer-maintained contact with the facility, receiving increasingly urgent requests for immediate evacuation while she gave them excuse after excuse.

Captain Crai exchanged a look with Kestat as they drew in closer.

The damage was immediately apparent. Blast scarring marked the facility's hull, emergency lighting flickered in sections, and debris floated around the station like evidence of recent combat.

"What's happened here?"

"From the looks of it, a massive fire fight, and this isn't just over the last twenty-four hours."

"Pull me the δ-Wave," she ordered. "Manta-S coding."

"Accessing δ-Wave now," Kestat said. "You're free to transmit."

PRIORITY TRANSMISSION

To: Manta-S

From – Captain Crai

Arriving at destination as planned

Orders are to extract priority VIPs

We had a good talk, for that I'll be forever grateful.

Site is damaged will reinforce crews.

Proceeding as planned

END TRANSMISSION

"The commissioner is trying to reach us again," her communications officer reported.

"Put him through," Crai said.

Tim's face appeared on their main viewer, he seemed taken aback that he was faced with the full crew of her ship. "I need your security forces. Now."

"My security?" she said with feigned concern. "What exactly are you asking us to do?"

"You need to breach level seven. Terrorists have taken hostages and hold key positions."

"With all the personnel you have there, you can't breech one level." Crai had to stop herself from laughing.

"Your people have the firepower to end this quickly."

"Of course, we'll be onboard within the hour."

He cut the comms. Nausea hit her, he wanted nothing more than to use her crew, as usual. But this also gave her the perfect cover to be on the station and to help Lev's people.

"Docking bay four is operational," Navigation reported. "Station control is requesting immediate security coordination."

"Acknowledged," Crai replied and glanced to Kestat. "All teams, ready?"

"Ready, Prepared for dual-objective. Evacuation and prisoner containment."

Crai and Kestat headed for the shuttle bay, less then fifteen minutes later they were approaching the docking bay.

Tim was waiting for her as the airlock cycled, Dr. Hinada was at his side and two of her personal security. Miller and Bosloe.

To her surprise his expression changed. "Come," he said. "The situation is contained but critical."

"What happened here?" she asked as he linked her arm and moved her quickly down the corridor.

"Tim," she said and stopped walking, "I need to know what's the tactical situation with the infiltrators?"

He frowned and leaned in closer to her. "They're trapped in the core processing chamber as I said." he replied. "They've destroyed the lab. The AI system is down and they have Dr. Martinez and all her team hostage. My security teams can't breach their position without risking the doctor's life and we need her for Braker Seniors ongoing treatment."

Crai knew that wasn't the truth, but she hoped at least they had the Doctor safe.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"And you need my people to handle the breach, even with the AI here. That doesn't make any sense. How did they best that?"

"I don't know," he sighed. "But they did."

"Lieutenant Hayes," she called to her security chief behind her. "Coordinate with the station personnel, use standard breach protocols. Priority is the prisoner safety."

Tim was nodding along with her. "I want everyone alive. Those infiltrators need to answer for their crimes."

"Understood, Commissioner," Hayes replied.

Captain Crai turned to Dr. Hinada. "My shuttle is prepared for immediate evacuation of you and the VIP."

"He's secured. As soon as we have Dr. Martinez we can depart," the scientist replied. "Though I must stress the importance, we need her alive. Years of research cannot be replaced if she doesn't make it through this operation."

"Of course, Doctor, she will not be harmed I assure you."

Moments later and they were stood in a small room looking onto the situation in level 7.

By her side Tim was coordinating both security teams. Watching him, Crai realized how thoroughly he'd deceived her over the years. He was not the man she'd fallen in love with. Not now. She wondered if he ever had been or had Brakers broken him somehow?

"Captain," Lieutenant Hayes reported, "we have eyes on the situation. They have limited exit routes."

"Approach options?"

"Two access corridors, but the hostiles have established crossfire positions. With out numbers now, we're coordinating a breach from multiple vectors."

"Primary objective is Dr. Martinez. Secondary objective is prisoner containment. Non-lethal methods only—these infiltrators may have valuable intelligence."

"Non-lethal?" Tim asked with surprise. "Feath, these terrorists have destroyed millions of credits in research equipment. They deserve whatever—"

"I will interrogate them," she interrupted with authority that brooked no argument. "That man in there is the one holding my brother's bond."

"What?" Tim asked and his grin spread. "What a coincidence. You get two birds with one stone."

"Breach positions established," Lieutenant Hayes reported seconds later. "Hostiles are responding to our approach but haven't opened fire as yet. They appear to be protecting someone in the chamber's center."

"Dr. Martinez," Tim confirmed. "I would wager they're here to kidnap her, her research is vital."

The irony was overwhelming—Tim expressing concern for one victim while enabling the systematic murder of many. But Crai used his concern as tactical advantage.

"Breaching in thirty seconds," Hayes announced. "All teams report ready."

Tim turned to the display, his fingers tapping on the console. Her men had positioned themselves to minimize casualties. They knew how to deal with these kinds of situations, though up to now they'd mostly been the ones on the other side.

"Execute breach," she ordered.

The teams rushed forwards. The assault was swift and professional—gunfire erupted but was soon stifled out.

"Core chamber secured," Hayes reported. "Prisoners are in custody, several civilians require immediate medical attention though."

"Get them to the Volt, asap, they can handle injuries better than the other ships." She paused. "Casualties?"

"No, Captain. minor injuries only. They offered limited resistance—seeming more concerned with protecting than fighting."

Tim's expression showed satisfaction mixed with relief. "Outstanding work, Feath. Dr. Martinez?"

"She doesn't look so good, but she's alive and stable," came the medical report. "She's been disconnected from some kind of neural interface system. Extensive port damage, but it doesn't look anything life-threatening."

"And the prisoners?" Crai asked.

"Secured and ready for transport." Her command channel pinger. "Captain, these aren't typical terrorists. Military bearing, professional equipment, disciplined behavior. This feels more like a rescue operation than industrial espionage."

Crai's heart raced as she realized her security chief was beginning to understand the true situation.

"Now then, let's get Doctor Martinez to Hinada. They have work to finish before we can move Braker to safety.

Tim waited for her to move with him, she didn't want too. Commander Kestat stayed by her side, his hand on his weapon though discretely.

They made their way through the station and met her men with the prisoners and Dr. Martinez.

She glanced around the prisoners, her eyes meeting Captain Tachim's for the briefest of moments.

Then she landed on Martinez and frowned. "She doesn't look fit enough to do anything," Feath said to Tim, "She needs medical attention not moving around a space station."

"She can get it where we're taking them." Tim replied.

As their procession moved, Captain Crai felt something tickling her consciousness. She scratched the side of her head and ignored it.

Soon they were in a medical facility the prisoners were pushed into a quarantined medbay the doors securely locked behind them and Martinez forcibly walked to a bed containing the VIP.

Feath followed close behind her, noting how much the doctors' ports bled still.

Dr Hinada smiled at her, but it wasn't real. "We need you to finish what was interrupted by Captain Tachim," she said.

"I can't." Martinez stated flatly.

"Can't or won't," Tim stepped forward, placing a hand behind her neck.

"I can't," Martinez looked up at him. Crai saw nothing but pain in her eyes. What had this woman just been through?

"Can't you see how weak I am?" Martinez continued. "If you put me back in there, I will not come out of it."

"So be it," Tim said to Crai's horror.

Tim looked to Dr Hinada, "You have full control here, get the job done. Understood."

"Yes, Commissioner. As soon as we can."

"How long?" he asked.

"A few hours, this isn't easy work."

Tim checked the timer in his HUD at the same time Crai did. Lev would be here in a few hours… this was critical timing.

Tim turned and pulled her away. "Let's go interrogate the prisoners while Dr Hinada completes her work."

Fuck, she had to do something to distract him, but what… swallowing Crai leaned into him, pressing her body against his. "How about… we take a little time for us first. It's been too long since we spent time together."

Tim's body tensed, and he looked at her, then to Commander Kestat. "Now?"

"You know how a good firefight makes me feel," she said.

His smile was wicked, and he dragged her from the room. "I have the perfect place."

The private quarters on the station were exactly as Crai remembered. Nothing but sterile corporate efficiency. There weren't many personal touches in here from Tim. The bed they'd shared on and off when meeting here, bore black sheets. The desk where he'd planned supply runs and more, was strewn with paperwork. Paperwork? Unusual when everything was digital. Less to hack, she thought.

"It has been too long," Tim said, his hands already moving to the fastenings of her uniform. "I've missed this, Feath. Us."

He pulled her closer, feeling the familiar warmth from his body against hers she shivered. Of course he took it to be pleasure, not pain.

With every touch, her mind screamed at her. His mouth found hers with desperate hunger, and she responded despite the revulsion churning round and around.

"I've missed you too," she whispered against his lips, though the words were like poison. "More than you know."

His hands were urgent now, pulling at her clothes with the kind of desperate need. She helped him, her fingers working at his shirt while her mind calculated timing.

How long until Dr. Hinada completes whatever horror she was inflicting on Dr. Martinez?

How long until Lev arrived?

"Feath," he shakily said her name as she pushed his shirt off his shoulders, revealing the body she'd once traced with loving fingers. He'd never stopped caring for his physique, and she took in the view one last time. "I know this has been difficult," he said. "But we can get through this together. Build something better."

"Better?" she asked, pressing kisses along his collarbone. "Like what we had before?"

"Better than what we had before," he replied, his hands sliding down her back. "This technology—it could give us centuries together. Consciousness enhancement improves cognitive capabilities and perfects memory preservation. We could be immortal."

Immortal… she shivered again.

His casual mention of what they were doing, the consciousness theft while he touched her with desperation, made her skin crawl. She forced herself to respond, showing eager desire. "Tell me about it," she whispered, her mouth moving against his throat.

"The matrix isn't just artificial intelligence," Tim said, his breathing growing heavier as she worked at his belt. "It's the future of human consciousness. Individual minds preserved and enhanced through integration with superior cognitive architectures."

His words were getting harder to focus on as his hands found the fastenings of her pants, but Crai forced herself to listen while her body responded to familiar touch. This was information she needed, even as every instinct screamed at her to recoil from his casual discussion of systematic murder.

"Enhanced how?" she asked, stepping back just enough to let her jacket fall to the floor.

"Neural pattern optimization," Tim replied, his eyes dark with desire as he watched her undress. "The consciousness matrix takes individual cognitive limitations and transcends them through collective intelligence integration."

She moved closer again, her hands sliding across his chest while her mind processed the horror of what he was describing. "Collective intelligence?"

"Minds merged into a form of artificial consciousness," he confirmed, his mouth finding hers again. "Each extraction makes the matrix more capable, more sophisticated. Dr. Martinez's research has allowed us to preserve individual personality elements while enhancing cognitive function."

His hands were on her skin now, familiar and warm and utterly repulsive in the context of what she knew he'd done.

"And Braker Senior?" she asked breathlessly as he pulled her toward the bed.

Their bodies tangled together in a dance she'd once cherished but now endured for nothing but tactical advantage.

"Dementia," he said as he pushed himself between her legs.

"He was losing his mind?"

Tim ignored her question and buried his face in her neck. She pushed him back, trying to not only salvage more time, but her sanity as well.

"Take your time," she said. "This needs to last."

He laughed. "I forgot how much of a tease you are."

It was easy when she knew how. He'd fuck her and fall asleep, he always did. But she wanted as much information as she could get from him first. She wrestled herself out from under him, straddling herself on either side of his hips.

"Nothing better," she purred into his ear and then started to kiss down his neck and torso. "So how did you fix his mind?"

"Oh, you'll love this," Tim replied with satisfaction that made her stomach clench. "Braker himself is the experiment for our next stage in human enhancement."

She continued her assault with her tongue as he spilled his guts. "Seventeen different consciousness's have repaired his neurological damage while preserving his individual identity. He's become something beyond normal human limitations."

As she reached a particular sensitive spot he gasped. "We could do the same for you. Preserve your consciousness indefinitely, enhance your cognitive capabilities beyond biological constraints."

"By murdering people and stealing their minds," she said quietly.

"By transcending individual biological limitations through collective consciousness integration."

She needed this to be over now, unable to stomach anymore. For several minutes, they moved together with a desperate rhythm. Where Tim found genuine pleasure, Crai felt nothing.

When he collapsed beside her, his breathing slowly returning to normal, she lay still and listened to the man who'd turned her into an accessory to systematic murder. Tim's guard was completely down, and he hadn't fallen asleep just yet.

"I love you," his arms tightened around her. "I know this has been complicated. What we're building here is going to change everything."

"I know," she replied. "Tim, I need to ask you something."

"Anything."

"What happened to the man I fell in love with?"

"He evolved," he replied with certainty. "He recognized that individual human consciousness is merely the first stage of cognitive development. The consciousness matrix represents our species' next evolutionary leap."

"Built from stolen minds."

"Built from preserved consciousness," he said yet again, though his voice carried a note of impatience. "Feath, you're being emotional about a process that transcends individual limitations."

She raised herself up and looked down at him in the dim light. "Do you even remember being human?"

"I remember being limited by biological constraints," Tim replied with a yawn. He was going to fall asleep any minute. "Individual consciousness trapped in failing neural architecture, restricted by cognitive limitations that consciousness enhancement technology can transcend."

That was when Crai finally understood that the man she'd loved was gone—consumed by the same technology that had murdered thousands of victims. Tim hadn't just enabled consciousness theft; he'd volunteered for it himself.

"You've used the enhancement technology on yourself," she said with growing horror.

"When did this start?"

"The early testing was maybe two years ago," he said and yawned again.

"You're not human anymore."

"I'm more than human," he replied with certainty. "Enhanced beyond individual biological limitations through consciousness integration with superior cognitive architectures."

"I'm not the same person you remember either." He never heard her. He was fast asleep.

She waited and waited till she was sure she could slip out and not disturb him. Usually, he'd sleep an hour or more, maybe two especially as she'd really worn him down, but she wasn't taking chances.

Sneaking her clothes she stepped out of the room. Commander Kestat glanced at her, she put a finger to her lips and dressed fast.

"We need to be fast," Kestat said. "I've been contacted from outside."

"Outside?" she was fastening her boots.

"A man named Mac, he's onboard a ship in the system."

"The Faulkner?"

"That's it, yes."

Feath had her weapon in hand. "Then let's move, fast, we need to get them out and then together rescue Dr Martinez from Hinada's clutches."

It didn't take long to get back to where the prisoners were. From here, she could see that Dr Martinez was still working on Braker Senior with Dr Hinada looming over them.

When she opened the door, the man she knew as Peyton Tachim stood. "What do you want?" he asked, seeing the weapons already drawn. Crai noted he'd positioned himself between her and the women she'd seen him with on Cali.

Crai reached for her second sidearm. "What I want is to get the fuck out of here, you?" She held out the gun for him.

"Derek?"

"On his way here with your Master chief."

"How long?"

"Any fucking minute now," she replied.

"Anymore where that came from?" Torres asked and pointed at the gun.

Commander Kestat held out his second firearm for her.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Peyton said.

The younger woman behind him stepped forward. "Let's not rush in there. Dr. Martinez could be doing…"

"Braker is the prototype," Feath blurted out.

"What?" The young woman paled.

"Then we're not holding back," and he was out the door before she knew it.

Crai followed close, but wasn't in time to stop what came. Now, Dr Hinada was up against the wall, a gun in her face. "Stop it," Peyton ordered.

"I won't," Dr Hinada replied.

Dr. Martinez had pushed herself away from Braker. "Sorrel," she said. "I need 5mg of neptatopin, from the drawer."

The woman almost elbowed her out of the way to administer the drug to Dr Martinez.

"Stop whatever is happening right now, or I swear I'll kill you both."

Dr Hinada was laughing though. "No," she said, "And no, you won't kill me, even I know how important I am."

"Sorrel?" Peyton ordered. "Do something."

Hinada laughed even more. "No one can get access to that system. Only—"

Crai moved in behind Sorrel though watching. "You're in?"

"Wasn't hard," Sorrel said.

Crai looked across to Hinada, "No one can…. Huh?"

"Impossible," Hinada said, and stared at Sorrel's back.

"I need help," Sorrel said. "Sarah, can you?"

"Of course, now you're in properly I can stop this."

"Sit," Peyton ordered. "How long do you need."

"Thirty minutes," Sorrel said.

"I'll watch the door," Crai said and moved to do just that, with Kestat at the opposite side.

Nothing moved until it did. Then all hell broke loose. Ahead in the corridor appeared Tim.

"You? What are you doing?" His hand was reaching for the emergency button on the console to his right.

Crai aimed and fired. Tim's gaze remained fixed on her. "Station-wide lockdown," he announced instead through his neural interface. "Hostile infiltrator in executive quarters. Activate self-destruct protocols, T17a418712."

The lights shifted to emergency amber as the station responded to his commands.

"Feath," Tim said with artificial calm as security surrounded her, "If you want to get out of here, you'll walk away from Braker right now."

Station Destruct Sequence Initiated.

T-Minus Fifteen Minutes.

Status: Station self-destruct activated Countdown: 15 minutes to total facility destruction Security Status: Crai surrounded but not contained Lev's Arrival: Ring-14 assault teams docking during crisis Prisoners: Trapped in medical bay with countdown active Mission Status: Victory and catastrophe converging

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