Chapter Thirty-One: Strategies

Twelve hours had passed since Carlisle’s team had left to try and recapture Sarah and so far Celeste was still under observation and in the dark. Jason, for his part, saw no reason to continue command until the planned leaving and was indulging himself in civilian life.

‘Jason’ came Claire’s voice from behind him. Jason was aiming to pocket his last ball in his game of pool and Nathan.

‘What? I can’t enjoy my own down time?’ Jason said as he shot his last ball into the pocket, moving on to the eight.

‘I’m not saying that, but there are far more important things to be doing’ Claire told him.

‘I doubt that, for the time being anyway’ Jason said. ‘Centre right’ he added to Nathan.

‘Even I told you I’m done with the job you gave me?’ Claire asked.

‘Oh yeah? Which one is that?’ Jason enquired.

‘The one I’ve been looking into for a while now’ Claire answered. Jason misfired, sending the cue ball past the eight and into the rail.

‘Remind me to give you a rematch’ Jason said, putting down his cue and walking to the front office which had been converted into Claire’s lab over time and sat down in a chair.

‘So you found the spy’ Jason said.

‘I think so. Your dad did a very good job of hiding his work. He’s obviously dabbled in Intelligence during his time’ Claire said, handing him the last sheet of paper from the envelope.

‘What am I looking at?’ Jason asked.

‘What anyone else would see, a normal form. But it’s encoded. Your dad used a measure called steganography to hide what he knew, and he did it very well. Everything he knew is there, in the form of a full stop’ Claire told him.

‘A full stop?’ Jason  asked.

‘Yes. I’ve expanded it and it’s hand-written in his shorthand. It goes on for pages and pages’ Claire told him.

‘I assume this is going somewhere’ Jason said.

‘It’s complex, but three letters are after three symbols. They appear more than once’ Claire brought the image on the screen. Three interlocked circles. Jason understood it at once but to anyone else in the military they would never figure it out because it wasn’t a military symbol. Jason knew instantly that what followed would be key. There was only one reason his father would use unregistered symbols: he wanted no one but Jason to know.

‘The letters that followed the symbols were P, O and H,’ Claire continued. ‘So I searched the through the database. No one had those initials but I did find three different military operations that were running during Saudi Arabia. Phoenix, Oyster and Hamster. Strangely enough, they all have one person in common’

‘Who’s that?’ Jason asked.

‘Our missing Lieutenant’ Claire answered.

‘Williams?’

‘The operations were all key points during the war for him. Phoenix was the operation where he was captured by Nexus forces. It was an assassination that went wrong’ Claire told him.

‘Williams was captured. That doesn’t mean he’s a spy’ Jason said.

‘You doubt the evidence I’m about to give you?’ Claire asked.

‘You’ve given me one piece of information and I want to damn sure before we start pointing fingers again’ Jason said.

‘Then listen to me. Oyster was a raid on a small fishing village where he was being held. Williams was found by military forces but later recaptured by Nexus soldiers. The mission ultimately failed. As for Hamster, that was a recon mission that he mysteriously turned up in, claiming he’d escaped while being transported to an Arabian prison’  Claire told him.

‘Do you believe that?’ Jason asked her. He himself didn’t. In all wars in human history there are stories about soldiers who are captured and change sides.

‘If it’s false, the Nexus did a good job. They killed more than forty of their own soldiers trying to get him back’ Claire said.

‘Of course they did. The military wouldn’t blink if he came back after killing forty Nexus soldiers, solo’ Jason said.

‘Well, eight months after he arrived back here, information started being leaked to the Nexus,’ Claire said. ‘But not solid proof’ she added.

‘And yet it makes sense’ Jason said.

‘Why?’

Jason sighed. ‘When Sarah died, you asked me what I saw. I saw Celeste on Scarborough beach, walking into the water’

‘Why didn’t you-’

‘I’m not finished,’ Jason said, holding up a hand. ‘I also saw my dad. He was about to tell me who the spy was before I woke up, but he did manage to tell me that the last page would prove it to me. That’s why it makes sense to me’

‘It was just a dream Jason’ Claire said.

‘Was it?’ Jason asked. ‘Me seeing Celeste at the beach and then a few hours she goes there and tries to kill herself? It’s too much of a coincidence Claire’

‘What do you want to do then?’ Claire asked him. Jason thought it through. The right thing to do was to tell everyone, but things had changed. Jason made his decision.

‘Nothing’ he answered simply.

‘You can’t not tell them’ Claire said, sounding almost insulted that her work wasn’t going to be used.

‘I can and will. If things were different, I’d tell them, but I killed an innocent man. As far as they’re concerned, the spy has been dealt with and in a sense it has. Wherever Williams is, he’s in no position to collect intel on us. Besides anything else, being this close to the assault on the ship they don’t need to doubt they’re leadership’ Jason said.

‘You’re going to lie to them?’ Claire asked.

‘I’m not going to tell them anything. Carlisle and his team are due back in twenty-four hours. If I have to tell them, I will. But not yet’ Jason explained.

‘So you ask me to do all of this and then let it go to waste?’ Claire replied angrily.

‘What would you do? Earth rests on us getting to that ship. If we fail, game over. Humanity is done here. Do you not get that?’ Jason asked.

‘Yeah, I get it, but I won’t follow a liar into battle. Nor will anyone else’ Claire told him viciously.

‘Once they understand what is at stake… if we pull this off, the benefits will be repaid to humanity and hundredfold, maybe a thousandfold’ Jason said. He could sense Claire was going to blow everything, he couldn’t let that happen.

‘We go to Uluru and we’re walking into a trap. You know that, I know that, we all know that. More importantly, the Tallentiri know that. You heard Sarah, they’re psychics’ Claire told him.

‘I have a plan to deal with the Tallentiri’ Jason said.

‘Were you going to fill me in on it?’ Claire said.

‘They’re insects. Large, alien insects, but insects all the same. I’ve asked Emilia and a few of the science people still with us to make the most powerful insecticide they can, and a lot of it. When we get there, we’re going to fly a plane over the largest group of Tallentiri present and release it. We’ll also rig the life support on the ship with it. Every room except the bridge will be affected. If it comes to it, we’ll lock ourselves in and outlast them’ Jason said.

‘That plan… do you think it will work?’ Claire asked.

‘The Tallentiri will have come up with a strategy for every possible scenario we could throw at them. This plan, I’m hoping, is so far outside the box, it won’t have registered, even if they’re psychic. Also, they see the ship as a weapon to use against us. They won’t be expecting it the other way around’ Jason told her.

‘A lot of it relies on chance’ Claire said.

‘The whole thing relies on chance, which is why I doubt they’ll have prepared against it,’ Jason replied. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a rematch to win’

Chapter Thirty: Mistakes

After days of pestering, Jason finally agreed to wear some fatigues supplied by the military as his clothes finally became too tedious to wear. Days of drying sea water combined with bad chaffing was what made the choice for him in the end. Although he didn’t like wearing them, he had to admit that they were far more comfortable than his school uniform which he had been wearing for nearly nine months. Celeste was now under watch at all times Jason had Sarah quarantined and buried an empty, home-made wooden box and Claire was nearly finished with the interrogations. Carlisle had already assembled the team to enter the airbase. The plan was to ambush an incoming shift, steal the uniforms, and go in as the next shift. Once inside, the rest could be let in without detection. They were also carrying explosives. If the mission failed, they would destroy the airbase, but Jason hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Jason had based himself in the Glasshouse, though he had made modifications. He had boards placed on the windows facing the main foyer of the grandstand and he had Claire shutdown the security cameras and just to make sure they couldn’t be used he had the lenses painted. Jason was sure there wasn’t another spy, he just wanted to be sure that, even if there was another spy, they wouldn’t get anything of value. There was a knock on the door.

‘Come in’ Jason said. The door opened and a soldier walked Sarah in.

‘I can walk you know’ Sarah said, a little annoyed. The Solider simply grunted.

‘Dismissed’ Jason said and the Soldier left, closing the door behind him.

‘Has Emilia found a cure yet?’ Sarah asked. Jason had set Emilia the task of finding a way to help Sarah. So far the only solution she had come up with was a bullet.

‘No she hasn’t’ Jason sighed.

‘It’s getting worse. It’s not simply knowing things now’ Sarah said.

‘What do you mean?’ Jason asked. Jason knew he was looking at his future self. What would happen to him after he died, as Jason couldn’t deny that he had also been injected with the same thing as Sarah, though not through lack of trying.

‘I can hear them,’ Sarah answered, her voice quivering. ‘There’s also this’ she added, turning around and pulling up her pant leg up past her knee. Jason didn’t know what was worse; the smell of rotting flesh or the sight of what was happening. Her calf had been cut straight down the middle and was being eaten away. The bone could be seen, but it wasn’t white, it was brown, the same brown as the exoskeleton of the Tallentiri. The remaining muscle and skin were also a burnt brown colour and despite being an open wound, it certainly wasn’t bleeding.

‘How long has it been like that?’ Jason asked her.

‘A few hours. It wasn’t there at all last night’ Sarah replied. Jason picked up the phone behind the bar.

‘Carlisle?’ he asked. There was a pause. ‘Send Emilia up here now’ and Jason hung up.

‘What’s happening to me?’ Sarah asked.

‘We’ll discuss that once Emilia gets up here’ Jason said. For the next few minutes, they sat in silence, waiting, until the door opened and Emilia stepped through.

‘What’s going on?’ she asked. Jason looked at Sarah.

‘Show her’ he said. Sarah reluctantly showed Emilia her calf. Emilia gasped and stepped back in shock.

‘She says it wasn’t there last night’ Jason told Emilia.

‘What’s happening to me?’ Sarah asked again.

‘The obvious answer is you’re changing. I can’t tell you how far you’ll go though. As far I know, no one’s been though since the invasion’ Emilia answered.

‘Yeah, I don’t want to take any chances. She claims she can hear them as well’ Jason said. Emilia nodded.

‘Lie on your stomach on the table for me’ Emilia said to Sarah. ‘Jason, get me a sharp knife please’ Jason got her a knife from behind the bar while Sarah lay down.

‘What are you doing?’ Jason asked her.

‘I don’t know, but I might be able to get somewhere if I can analyse a piece of her leg’ Emilia said, taking the knife from Jason.

‘Emilia, we don’t have time for it. We’re moving in a matter of days. Could even be tomorrow’ Jason said.

‘I’m not telling you not to go. Leave me here with a few soldiers to continue my work with her-‘ Emilia started.

‘You know the plans for this place once we leave. We’re leveling it’ Jason said.

‘And what happens if Jandakot goes south? Where are you going to go? A few hundred people out in the open will attract a lot of attention from the Nexus or the Tallentiri, if not both. If I’m here, studying her, I might be able to cure her, and you’ Emilia said. Jason stopped. He hadn’t considered what they would do if the mission failed.

‘You’ve got seventy-two hours to find a cure. After that, we leave with or without you’ Jason told her.

‘I need more time-‘

‘Seventy-two hours. I don’t want to stay here any longer than we have to, and I’m not entirely comfortable with staying seventy-two more hours’ Jason said. Emilia looked like to say something but instead looked down at Sarah’s leg and stuck the blade of the knife into the brown skin.

‘Does that hurt?’ Emilia asked.

‘Does what hurt?’ Sarah asked.

‘What does that mean? Jason asked.

‘It could mean that the tissue is disconnected from the body’ Emilia said, stabbing the brown skin this time.

‘Anything?’ Emilia asked.

‘What are you doing?’ Sarah asked. Emilia sighed as she ran the blade down the bone and they saw Sarah shiver.

‘Where do we go from here?’ Jason asked.

‘We could treat it like Gangrene and amputate it’ Emilia suggested.

‘You are not amputating my leg!’ Sarah said defiantly.

‘Right, I can’t make her do something she doesn’t want to do,’ Jason said. Emilia looked at him. ‘I mean I won’t’ he added.

‘Well I don’t know what to do’ Emilia said.

‘Well figure it out. Take her back down to quarantine, make sure no one sees her leg’ Jason said. Emilia nodded escorting Sarah out. Jason sighed, rubbing his eyes.

‘Yeah, alright’ he said to himself, yawning slightly as he got up and walked out of the Glasshouse. Where he was confronted by Carlisle.

‘Ahh,’ Carlisle said. ‘Just the man I wanted to see. You look terrible. Have you had any rest?’

‘I’m well ahead of you. That’s exactly where I’m going’ Jason said.

‘Ok, well before you go you should know we’re running low on food’ Carlisle said.

‘Alright. Form three teams of six, three civillians and three soldiers in each. One goes South, one goes West and one goes East. You know all that’ Jason said shortly.

‘Yes I do, but everywhere within five clicks has been picked clean’ Carlisle told him.

‘So expand to ten,’ Jason said, slightly annoyed. ‘Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go get some sleep’ he added as he walked up the stairs to the fourth floor.

‘Yes sir’ Carlisle said.

‘How many times do I have to tell you not to call me sir?’ Jason asked, tiredly.

‘Many times. Each time I’ve given you the same response sir. You are the commanding officer and my training has drilled me to address the CO as either sir or ma’am’ Carlisle replied.

‘Right. Don’t address me as “sir” Lieutenant. That’s an order’ Jason said.

‘I have two questions, what do you want me to address you as and does that order apply to all military?’ Carlisle asked.

‘As long as it’s not “sir” you can address me as… as professor banana boat for all I care. And yes it applies to all military’ Jason said.

‘Ok, professor banana boat,’ Carlisle replied and Jason saw a slight smile spread across Carlisle’s face. ‘I’ll let you get some rest’ he added, turning back. Jason nodded as he climbed the stairs to the third floor which had been converted in a dormitory. Jason nodded to himself.

‘Yeah, I’m gonna regret saying that’ he said to himself sleepily as he let himself fall onto a mattress and crashed.

He was awoken by thunder and lightning and the feeling of someone shaking him.

‘Jason,’ Emilia’s voice said. ‘Are you awake?’

‘I am now’ Jason answered, sitting up.

‘Good. We’ve got a situation downstairs. ‘Emilia told him. Jason got up and walked down the stairs.

‘What is it?’ he asked.

‘Sarah killed the soldier guarding her and escaped’ Emilia answered, following him down the stairs.

‘What? How?’ Jason asked.

‘We’re not sure. He seems to have been stabbed with-‘

‘With a talon?’ Jason asked. Emilia nodded. ‘Great’ he added as he walked

‘Carlisle, a word’ Jason walked away from the soldiers and Carlisle followed him.

‘I did warn you’ he said.

‘Yes you did and I should’ve listened. I didn’t and I accept responsibility for what happened’ Jason told him. Carlisle nodded though it was obvious he was angry.

‘Look, I can understand your anger. But it was under my authority that she stayed and ultimately my fault that this happened. But I need you to focus because I am your commanding officer and you know that she is critical to the current plan’ Jason told him.

‘Damn right it’s your fault. She should never have been here’ Carlisle said.

‘I know. But we have to find her. I’d go, but I have to deal with the negotiator. Take seven of your best men and find her. We leave in thirty-six hours, with or without you. Understand?’ Jason asked.

‘Yes’ Carlisle said vehemently.

‘She is to be alive Carlisle. Alive ok’ Jason told him.

‘Yeah I’ve got it. Thirty-six hours and she has to be alive’ Carlisle replied.

‘Then go’ Jason said and watched as Carlisle turned his back and left.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Planning and Execution

Claire had called Jason into the main office. She was sitting far up the back and in front of a computer.

‘I did it. I manaed to hack the security cameras of Jandakot Airbase. It was heavily protected but i-‘

‘Claire. You got in. that’s all I needed to know’ Jason told her’

‘I’ve only had about fifteen minutes before they found me, which they didn’t’ Claire told him.

‘Show me what you’ve got’ Jason told her. Claire pulled up some footage.

‘I was lucky enough to see them at the end of a shift and I heard this’ Claire played the footage. It showed a military truck carrying personnel leaving through a checkpoint. All Jason could hear was static.

‘I don’t hear anything’ Jason said.

‘Neither did I, at first anyway. Listen to just the static’ Claire said as she removed the video and played just the static. Jason still didn’t hearing anything. She played it again and again until finally he heard it. The faintest beep amongst the static background.

‘I don’t get what it means’ Jason told her.

‘The outer defences of the airbase are not going to give in easily from assault. If we want to get in then we need an identification card and move from the inside out’ Claire said.

‘They’ll never let all of us in at the same’ Jason said.

‘So we get a small force in on a shift and have them let us all in. Shift’s change every eight hours so next won’t take place for another six or seven’ Claire told him.

‘So we need to move fast and get as much info as we can’ Jason said.

‘But most importantly is the ID card. No point in any of this without it’ Claire said.

‘Ok. I’ll have Carlisle put together a force and you can conduct the interviews with the Nexus prisoner’s if we’re lucky they’ll already have one, if not they’ll know someone who does’ Jason said.

‘Why me?’ Claire asked.

‘You don’t have to personally do it. You can have someone else do it, have them report to you and then you report to me,’ Jason told her. ‘Also, look into that envelope again. We might’ve missed something with the spy’ Claire nodded.

‘Alright’ she answered. There was a knock at the door. Carlisle was there.

‘It’s time’ he said. Jason nodded, getting up.

‘Time for what?’ Claire asked.

‘Stay here,’ Jason told her.  ‘Keep working’ and Jason walked out and into the main grandstand with Carlisle.

‘What’s she working on?’ he asked.

‘You’ll find out soon enough. What’s the vote count?’ Jason asked.

‘One hundred and twenty-three to forty-seven. Guilty. That’s more than the fifty percent plus one that you need’ Carlisle answered.

‘I want to talk to him first’ Jason said. They were at the door to where Miles was being held.

‘Alright, just don’t take too long’ Carlisle told him. Jason opened the door and walked down to see Miles.

‘How you doing Captain?’ Jason asked, sounding confident. He knew he needed to be if he was going to get anything out of Miles now.

‘Been twenty-four hours hasn’t it?’ Miles asked gruffly. His voice had become deeper and scratchier during his imprisonment.

‘It sure has. You wanna know the count?’ Jason asked him.

‘I’m guessing it’s not good news otherwise you wouldn’t be down here right now’ Miles replied.

‘Oh, I’d be down here anyway. But you’re right, it’s not good. For you anyway’ Jason said. There was silence for a minute.

‘Well are you going to tell me, or keep me hanging?’ Miles said testingly.

‘One twenty-three to forty-seven in favour of guilty. So, if you have a name for me now would be a really good time to tell me’ Jason told him.

‘I swear to God I don’t know’ Miles said.

‘Well. We’ve got about an hour to sunset so why don’t you have a good think?’ Jason said, smiling.

‘I know other things. Other things that are useful’ Miles said quietly.

‘Going to elaborate on that?’

‘Things about your father. There were rumors’ Miles replied.

‘No way. No way he was a spy’ Jason replied.

‘No, no, no. Not him being a spy. The rumors were about his death being orchestrated’

‘The military wouldn’t kill him. He was their best soldier. Their best commander’

‘That’s right. He was next in line after Carson to take command’ Miles told Jason.

‘And the last thing the Nexus would’ve wanted was my father in command of the military. Alright, I’m buying so far. But I still need a name’ Jason said.

‘I told you! I don’t know!’ Miles yelled at him.

'Death penalty is still on the table. Enjoy your last hour’ Jason said as he left.

The hour passed and Miles was marched out the parking lot outside the racecourse where he was surrounded at gun point by soldiers.

‘If it’s alright with everyone, I’m going to skip over the vote count, because everyone already knows the number,’ Jason said, the silenced forty-five millimetre pistol in his hand. ‘Captain Miles, as you know, you have been found guilty by the court of your peers. Do you have any last words?’ Jason said.

‘I’m an innocent man-‘

‘Go to hell’ a soldier said as he spat on the ground.

‘I’m an innocent man,’ Miles said again. ‘So kill me if you must. But I’ll still be here. I’ll be that voice in the back of mind, constantly reminding you that you killed the wrong man. That you put an innocent to death. That you betrayed the memory of your father’ Miles finished.

‘You done?’ Jason asked.  Miles nodded.

‘Yeah I’m done’ Miles replied. Jason stepped around him, pointing the pistol at the back of Miles’ head.

‘I don’t savour bloodshed. In these times, every drop spilled is a loss and a waste and I was hoping that it wouldn’t come to this. That you would give me a name. Captain Miles, by trial of peers you have been found guilty of treason. Under the laws of the military, treason is punishable by execution and you are hereby sentenced to death’ Jason said, cocking the pistol. He turned his head, closing his eyes. He couldn’t watch, he didn’t want to watch, and as he took a deep breath in he felt his finger squeeze the trigger and heard the shot followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground.

‘What do you want done with his body?’ Carlisle asked.

‘Bury it. He may have been a traitor but he’s still human and therefore deserves the same respect anyone else would get’ Jason said, handing Carlisle back the gun as he walked back inside the Grandstand and then back to his tent where he found Celeste waiting for him, sitting on the edge of his bed.

‘Hey’ Jason said, sitting to her. Celeste kissed him softly.

‘While I was in my tent, I realised I never really thanked you for saving Sarah, so thank you’ Celeste said. Jason closed his eyes, sighing.

‘Yeah, saved’ He said. Celeste gave him a look.

‘I know she’s dead, but at least you tried. And then you saved my life too’ Celeste said.

‘I know. What were you thinking Celeste?’ Jason asked her.

‘I wasn’t. I was drunk. I was devastated and I missed her. To lose her once was bad enough and then to have you bring her back I couldn’t say goodbye, was too painful. Add that to the loss of the baby…’ Celeste said. Jason put his arm around her.

‘I get it. It was a lot to process. If I were you after losing the baby, Sarah would’ve been the only thing keeping me going’ Jason said.

‘She was’ Celeste admitted to him, wrapping her arms around his middle. Jason wanted to tell Celeste that her sister was alive, but he knew that the truth was more horrifying than letting Celeste believe that Sarah was dead.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Ressurection

They had spent the night in the hotel across the road from the beach for reasons other than comfort. They had agreed, as there was only one way onto the higher floors, the building was the most defensible and the Hotel held supplies they were running desperately short on at the Racecourse. Celeste had still not woken, partially because Emilia had put her under a strong sedative in order to allow her to wake up at the Racecourse. Jason agreed. The last thing they needed on the way back was a conscious Celeste who was intent on taking herself back to the beach to take another go at herself. It was winter now. Jason hadn’t realised how fast the year had gone. After the events of last night, Jason was battling Hypothermia and his salt-water drenched clothes were allowing the cold winter wind to cut through him like a knife. The best Emilia could do was insist that he remain as warm as possible, of course the only clothes they could find in the hotel were bath robes and Jason didn’t feel like exploiting the luxury they had enjoyed last night in front of everyone else. They had left the following morning and packing as many supplies as they could in to the car and returned to Racecourse and almost straight away Jason and Celeste were taken to the hospital tents outside where Jason was wrapped in a Thermo-blanket to heat him up while the medics worked on safely waking Celeste.

‘That was heroic,’ Carlisle said as he walked into Jason’s tent. ‘Overcoming your fear’

‘Yeah well,’ Jason said as he drank from his bottle of water. ‘Celeste was in trouble’

‘Yes she was, but how did you know where she was?’ Carlisle asked.

‘Call it a hunch’ Jason answered.

‘I’ve seen commanders go on hunches. That was no hunch’ Carlisle said.

‘Well I’m no commander’ Jason replied, sharply.

‘You are at least the commanding officer. You’re capable of making command decisions. Sounds a bit like a commander to me. How did you know Celeste was there, commander?’ Carlisle asked him.

‘I don’t know. That’s the truth’ Jason replied.

‘Well maybe Sarah can help you figure it out’ Carlisle told him. Jason gave him a questioning look.

‘Sarah’s dead’

‘Yeah we all thought so. But she’s asking for you’ Carlisle said. Jason got up, pulling the blanket tight around him.

‘Take me to her’ Jason ordered. Carlisle nodded.

Jason had been taken down to the other end to the last tent and was allowed to enter. Once inside he saw Sarah alone, lying on a wooden table. They obviously hadn’t been able to find enough mattresses nearby and were having to make do.

‘How are you alive?’ Jason asked.

‘I’ll explain everything once we’re alone’ Sarah told him, shortly. Jason turned to Carlisle.

‘Leave us,’ Jason said. ‘No eavesdropping. No one comes within earshot of this tent without my permission. That’s an order’

‘Yes sir’ Carlisle said, nodding as he left.

‘You remember when you put in my cell in the prison, you were injected with a serum?’ Sarah asked him. Jason nodded. ‘Right well I was too’

‘So that’s why you’re alive?’ Jason asked.

‘I think so. Actually I know, and I know why’

‘How?’ Jason asked.

‘Because when you’re… resurrected… you know things’ Sarah answered.

‘Let’s hear it then’ Jason said.

‘That serum contained Tallentiri DNA and it’s changing me, or at least it will. I suspect physical changes to begin within the next couple of days’ Sarah answered.

‘Assuming what you saying you’re saying is true, you were in that prison for months, why would you change now?’ Jason asked her.

‘Because death has to occur before one can be changed. I’m effectively a host body for a parasite that’s going to change me into a Tallentiri, from the inside out’ Sarah answered.

‘But how-‘

‘Just listen, while I’m still me, ok?’ Sarah said. Jason nodded. ‘The Tallentiri have found the ship. I’m assuming you know about that?’

‘I do’

‘Right, well I’m not entirely sure on how they found it, but they have. It’s Uluru’ Sarah said.

‘You mean under Uluru’

‘No. I mean it’s Uluru’ Sarah said.

‘It’s a rock’ Jason replied.

‘It’s a rock built around the ship’ Sarah snapped.

‘I don’t believe you’ Jason said.

‘There are theories that Humans have telepathic abilities locked away in their brains. Some people, who we call “psychics” have this ability unlocked either naturally or through accident. Some claim to see dead people, other’s claim to be able to move things without touching them. Those people are frauds. The psychics have lucky guesses at best and the telekinetics are just liars’ Sarah said.

‘Why are you telling me this?’ Jason asked.

‘Because you had a true premonition.  Something about the Tallentiri DNA unlocks that telepathic ability’ Sarah said. ‘I know that because the Tallentiri are true telepaths. They communicate telepathically. They haven’t used a written language for centuries’

‘What are you saying?’ Jason asked.

‘I’m saying that the Tallentiri know everything we will do before we know it. I’m saying that going to Ayers Rock would be playing into their hands. They want us there’ Sarah told him.

‘They’ve been playing us this entire time,’ Jason sighed. ‘If what you’re saying is true, then we have to go. We have to play into their talon-like hands. If they take that ship, it’s over, they win’

‘I know. The technology would return them to power in the Galaxy’ Sarah said.

‘So that ship, whether they’ve seen it or not, is where we’ll make our stand. No more of these small victories. One way or another, this will end. Now I just have to figure out a way to get there. It would take weeks possibly months on foot and that would be without stopping for necessities.’ Jason said to himself.

‘Vehicles?’ Sarah asked.

‘Still too slow. That’d take days maybe weeks. We need to get there in a couple of days at most. How long have they known?’ Jason asked.

‘An educated guess? Months I’d say. Definitely before I was captured’ Sarah answered.

‘Then why not go there straight away?’ Jason asked.

‘Because, like I said before, they want us there. And, like it or not, that’s exactly where we have to go’ Sarah told him. Jason nodded.

‘You’re going to come with me. I’m going to call a meeting with Carlisle, Claire and some other soldiers. You’re going to tell them everything you’ve just told me-‘

‘I tell them I’m changing and they’ll throw me outside the Racecourse-‘

‘They won’t,’ Jason assured her. ‘The decision to exile you is my decision. I know it’s coming, you know it’s coming and, soon enough, they’ll all know it’s coming. And I’ll have to do it. I won’t have a choice’ Jason told her.

‘I know,’ Sarah said, nodding. ‘I’ll be dangerous. You’ll see me as a threat. When the time comes, don’t blame yourself. Like you said, you won’t have a choice’

‘Death made you wiser’ Jason said to her.

‘Death is the reason we’re in this position’ Sarah replied.

‘Well, it’s better to walk a difficult path that’s lit than wander unprepared into the darkness,’ Jason told her, heading toward the entrance. ‘Come on’. Sarah followed Jason outside where they were confronted by Carlisle.

‘Is it true? Did you give Miles a trial by peer?’ Carlisle asked Jason.

‘Define give. I would say no because it hasn’t happened yet, but we have bigger problems. Find Claire and ten of your best people and meet me in the Glasshouse’ Jason said.

‘Yes sir’ Carlisle said, turning around and leaving them.

‘So you knew why they were here? You knew about the ship the whole time?’ Carlisle asked Jason. All eleven of them were in the Glasshouse and Sarah had told them everything she knew.

‘From prison, onwards? Yes, I did’ Jason answered.

‘And you said nothing?’ Carlisle said again.

‘I was going too but A, we didn’t know where the ship was located and B, I was preoccupied with the Nexus spy and saving Celeste, so excuse me for not telling you straight away!’ Jason retorted.

‘Stop it, both of you. We have bigger problems’ One of the soldiers said.

‘You dare talk to your superiors like that, Marsden?’ Carlisle said.

‘Carlisle, stand down. That’s an order,’ Jason said. Carlisle reluctantly stepped away from Marsden. ‘Continue’ Jason said.

‘Well, I’m not going to pretend to understand everything that was said, but it sounds like we’re screwed’ Marsden said.

‘That’s because we are’ Sarah said.

‘Exactly. The Tallentiri will get bored and take the ship eventually, even if we don’t go. The Nexus know we’re out here and we don’t have the firepower to hold them off. Add to that, we’re running low on food again because of the Nexus prisoners’ Jason said.

‘So what do we do?’ Carlisle asked. Jason thought for a bit.

‘There’s an airbase in Jandakot isn’t there?’ Claire asked.

‘It’s under Nexus control but yeah, there is’ Carlisle answered. Claire looked at Jason and he knew exactly was she thinking.

‘What is it?’ Marsden asked. Jason nodded at Claire.

‘Go,’ he said. Claire nodded and ran out of the Glasshouse. ‘Do we have anyone who can pilot?’

Carlisle shook his head.

‘No we don’t’ he answered.

‘Actually, I can’ another soldier said. Marsden laughed.

‘Yeah you can, in a simulator, Fletch. This will be a real plane’ Marsden said.

‘I’m aware of that’ Fletch said. ‘But we have to do something’

‘Agreed,’ Carlisle said. ‘Commander, my men and I are yours to command. What would you have us do?’

‘First things first, gather the votes for Miles’s trial and count them. We deal with that matter before anything else’ Jason replied. Carlisle nodded.

‘Right away sir’ Carlisle said, but stayed with the others.

‘Dismissed’ Jason said. He watched them leave the room before he sighed and sat down. Jason knew, although he hated it, that if they were to win the coming battle he would have become the commander that his father was.