Seraph’s Gambit- Episode 50
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Squee
The door to the shield control room opened, startling Squee. He momentarily forgot what he had been doing with the components in his hands. Frowning, he turned to look at the person who had interrupted him. When he saw Ariana standing in the doorway, his frown faded, and his shoulders slumped.
“Captain,” he began, fumbling with his words. “Vlasa asked me to help him with repairs to the shield generators. I apologize for not seeking your approval first.”
Ariana cocked her head to the
“Besides,” Ariana continued, “We may end up needing those shields.”
“We may
Silence overtook them. Squee shifted uncomfortably. He wasn’t sure what to do with the components he still held in his hands. They were an easy thing to focus on, though. But he couldn’t let them distract him from what he knew he must do.
Fortunately, for him, Ariana spoke first, “How are your
Squee looked up, grateful for something easy to answer, “We have rigged makeshift cots for them in the cargo bay. Vlasa had to reinforce the emergency cots we had onboard to accommodate my people’s physiology. But it will serve them.”
“Good. Good.” Ariana said, distractedly.
Another silence engulfed them. They stood there awkwardly, neither genuinely looking at the other. Squee again tried to summon the nerve to speak, but still, Ariana beat him to it.
“Squee, I should apologize.”
Shocked, Squee looked up, “Captain…”
She cut him off, “I dismissed your peoples help out of hand. I should have tried to work with them. If I had, maybe we could have avoided all of those deaths.”
“There is nothing you could have done to avoid this tragedy,” Squee said, appalled. “It was our arrogance that led to this. And my failure to listen to the Gods.”
“I didn’t even try to work with Cru. If we had worked together, told him about the AI detector, insisted on going with you and avoiding any confrontations…”
“No!” Squee said, more forcefully than he intended. “Captain, it is I who must formally apologize for my actions.”
Ariana waved a hand, “Thank you, Squee, but it’s not necessary. You did what you thought was for the best.”
“No,” Squee said, unable to look up. “I did what I thought would be the best for me.”
When Ariana didn’t say anything in reply, he glanced up. She bore an expression he could not interpret. He did not believe it was anger. That human feeling he thought he understood.
Unsure, he continued talking, “The Council wanted to be the ones to reveal this plot. They insisted that it was for the best. But, in my soul, I knew the Gods had placed this mission on your shoulders. But you were a mere human. That couldn’t be right. At least that is what the Council decided.”
“They made it clear that if I defied them again, I would be banished forever and my status as Caleek would be revoked. I choose my ability to return to my people over the will of the Gods and the success of our mission.”
Ariana’s expression shifted. Again, he could not interpret it, but thought it was meant kindly because her tone was soft. “Squee, I can’t blame you for wanting to go home. You didn’t endanger the ship through your actions. If anything, you tried to protect us.”
“But Javi has been taken by the enemy because of me.”
“Well…” Ariana said, “That wasn’t completely your fault either. He decided to go. Would he have done that if you hadn’t done what you did? Maybe. We were docked at a Rokma shipyard. The ship was crawling with Rokma technicians. Despite my bravado, we weren’t going anywhere unless your people let us leave. And they weren’t going to let us leave with Javi. If I had tried to stop them, it would indeed have been over my dead body. But that wouldn’t have changed anything.”
Squee didn’t agree, but he didn’t know how to say so without undermining Ariana again. Instead, he decided to just remain silent. It was his guilt to bear, after all.
“But that is all in the past. We have to focus on what’s going to happen next. With luck, we transmit the plans before the LFD fleet gets there and everyone lives happily ever after.”
“And if we have our normal amount of luck?” Squee asked.
“Then we’re really going need you to finish working on those shields,” Ariana said with a smile.
Continue to Episode 51
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