"No, sir," Harry agreed. "Beats the hell out of retirement.”

  As the shuttle accelerated, they lapsed into companionable silence, the Earth dwindling to a marble behind them. Soren's thoughts drifted again to Dana, somewhere among the stars.

  A tone sounded through the cabin, followed by a flashing light indicating the jumpdrive was about to activate.

  Then, it did, engaging with a deep, resonant thud that vibrated through the transport’s hull. Reaching its crescendo, the vibration suddenly ceased, the universe seeming to hold its breath as the viewscreens all turned solid white. Then, with a jolt, the thudding resumed, space itself returning to being around them.

  As quickly as it began, the jump was over. The thudding faded, and the pilot's voice crackled over the intercom. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have entered Mars orbit. Please remain seated as we begin our descent."

  Soren peered out through the viewscreen beside him, the red planet looming large. Rust-colored deserts and deep canyons sprawled across its surface, interrupted by the gleaming domes of human habitation.

  The shuttle banked, lining up with the primary spaceport. Soren felt the familiar tug of deceleration as they approached, the mostly barren Martian landscape rising to meet them.

  With a gentle thud, the transport touched down, settling onto its landing gear. The cabin lights brightened as the hatch hissed open, the attendants moving to help passengers disembark.

  Soren unbuckled his harness, standing and stretching. Around him, his crew did the same, gathering their belongings and moving toward the exit.

  Lina fell into step beside Soren. Her blonde and silver hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, her blue eyes sharp and inquisitive. “So good to see you again, Soren,” she said, voice low. "What's the plan now?”

  “Good to see you too, Lina. Thank you for coming. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

  “You saved my tail at least three times. You brought me home, which let me meet my husband, have a family and a full life. This is the least I can do for you, sir. Hector practically kicked me out of the door when I told him what you said.”

  Soren smiled. “I owe your husband a beer when we get back. Right now, we sit tight. I assume someone will meet us with further instructions.”

  Lina nodded, trusting in his leadership. Soren led the way into the spaceport proper, the crew following close behind him.

  The terminal was all sleek lines and gleaming metal. Transparent panes offered stunning views of the Martian landscape, with red soil stretching out to the horizon punctuated by distant silver or white domes.

  They paused at the baggage claim area, waiting a few minutes to collect their duffels. As they were leaving, a figure detached itself from the shadows, approaching the group and drawing a surprised grin from Soren.

  “Jack," he said, clasping his old friend's hand. “You’re the last person I expected to see here, sir.”

  Jack Harper smiled, his teeth flashing white against his tanned skin. “Well, you know what they say. The best way to keep things quiet is to limit the number of voices. I didn’t want to trust anyone else with this.” His eyes swept Soren’s assembled crew. “I see a lot of faces I recognize in this crowd. And a few new ones.”

  “Admiral Harper,” Ethan Kaine said, coming to attention. “Sir.”

  “Admiral?” Tashi breathed nearby. “What did I get myself into?”

  “Cool your jets, Kaine. I’m retired and not here in any official capacity. In fact, I’m not here at all, so if anyone asks, you didn’t see me.” His eyes narrowed suggestively.

  Ethan relaxed. “Of course. I must have mistaken you for someone else.”

  Soren introduced Wilf, Tashi, and Asha. Unlike everyone else, Jack didn’t display any disapproval over him picking up revos to serve with them.

  "Fine bunch you've got here, Soren,” he said. “A good mix of combat experienced veterans and recruits. A good selection under the circumstances.”

  "That they are," Soren agreed. "Now, what's the situation? Where to from here?"

  Jack's grin turned mysterious. "Nowhere," he replied cryptically. "At least, nowhere on Mars. Don't get too comfortable, folks. We're not sticking around."

  Confused murmurs rippled through the crew, but Soren held up a hand, silencing them. He trusted Jack, even if he didn't always understand his methods. "Lead the way," he said simply.

  Jack nodded, turning and striding off through the terminal. Soren and his crew followed, their footsteps echoing on the polished floor.

  They passed beyond the main concourse and paused at a door marking a restricted area. Jack used a key code rather than his DA or biometrics to bypass security, providing them access to an area Soren immediately recognized as military. He'd passed through terminals like this countless times during his career, but always under official orders and with proper clearance.

  "Jack," he said quietly, falling into step beside his friend. "What's going on here? Where are the guards?"

  Jack shot him a sidelong glance. "On a break," he replied, his tone implying that he had arranged for just such an occurrence. "All of them. At the same time."

  Soren's eyebrows shot up. The level of influence and coordination required to pull off something like that was staggering. Just what kind of strings had Jack pulled to make this happen?

  He didn't have time to ponder the question further as they arrived at a gate. Jack punched his code into the keypad, the lock disengaging with a soft click. The door slid open, revealing another docking arm.

  “We’re leaving Mars already?” Tashi commented, disappointment evident in his voice and the crestfallen expression on his face.

  “Sucks for you,” Wilf muttered back, drawing a look from Soren that clamped his mouth shut.

  "All aboard," Jack said, gesturing for the crew to proceed.

  Soren hesitated, a thousand questions on his lips. But one look at Jack's face told him that answers would have to wait.

  Trusting in his friend, Soren stepped through the gate and onto the docking arm. The others followed, their expressions a mix of confusion, anticipation, and resolve.

  They boarded the second transport, settling into their seats once more. The hatch sealed with a pneumatic hiss, the cabin lights dimming. The shuttle disengaged from the docking arm, launching out into open space.

  Soren stared at the viewscreen as Mars receded behind them, the red planet shrinking to a pinprick of light. Ahead, the stars beckoned, vast and infinite.

  “Where are we headed, Jack?” he asked.

  “That’s for me to know and you to never find out,” Jack replied. “But I told you I had a ship for you, and you’ll never believe what I managed to pull off. Hell, I barely believe it myself. It’s like the very stars want you back in action, Wraith.”

  “That sounds like good news,” Soren replied.

  “Just wait and see,” Jack answered.

  Like before, the transport shuddered, the jumpdrive spooling up. A flash as time stood still, darkness as they entered the fold.

  “How long is this trip going to take?” Soren asked, glancing over at his friend.

  “For us? No time at all.” He grinned, pointing up to the overhead vents as the smell of something reached Soren’s nose.

  “Really, Jack?” he asked, already beginning to feel the effects of the gas.

  “For you to never find out,” Jack repeated.

  Soren didn’t fight it. Instead, he relaxed in his seat and closed his eyes, dozing off to the light smell of lavender.

  CHAPTER 10

  “We’re here, Soren.”

  Soren’s eyes drifted open. He felt calm. Rested, with no lingering after effects from the gas that had put him and the rest of the shuttle’s passengers to sleep.

  He turned his head to look out of the viewscreen, his eyes wide with disbelief. Instead of the familiar sight of a planet or a bustling space station, he found himself gazing upon a massive construction facility, the likes of which he had never seen before.

  Enormous skeletal frames of ships in various stages of completion hung suspended in the void, tethered to the station's central hub by a web of scaffolding and umbilical connections. Sparks of light flared along their hulls as construction drones and suited figures worked tirelessly to bring these behemoths to life.

  "Jack," Soren breathed, turning to his friend. "Where the hell are we?"

  Jack grinned, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Nowhere," he replied cryptically. He continued when Soren didn’t break eye contact. “This station doesn't officially exist. It's a Skunkworks for the FUP Navy, an R&D facility working on new technologies and designs."

  Harry, who had been studying the station with a critical eye, frowned. "Where is this in the military budget?" he asked, his quartermaster's instincts kicking in. "I've never seen allocations for anything like this."

  "Hidden in ancillary costs," Jack explained, "spread out over time. It's amazing what you can hide in plain sight if you know how to play the game."

  Harry nodded, a look of vindication on his face. "I knew it," he muttered. "My estimates never matched up with the budgets. I always thought something was off."

  As the transport docked with the station, Soren and his crew disembarked, passing through a rigid umbilical into the station proper. Jack led them through a series of corridors, the stark white walls and gleaming metal floors a testament to the station's state-of-the-art nature.

  They entered a large command center, where a man in a crisp FUP Navy uniform waited alone in the compartment, his posture ramrod straight as he stared out at one of the ships under construction. He spun around at the sound of their approach. His eyes widened, a look of excitement and awe spreading across his face.

  "Captain Strickland," he said, his voice filled with reverence. "It's an honor to meet you, sir. I'm Captain Kyle Rashad, station manager."

  Soren shook Rashad's hand, a bit taken aback by the man's enthusiasm. "The pleasure is mine, Captain."

  Rashad beamed, his eyes shining with admiration. “When Admiral Harper reached out to me, asking about surplus…well, I initially told him there was nothing I could do to help. But then he said it was for you. I’ve read all the books about your exploits, sir. Your tactics, your strategies...you're a Navy legend."

  Behind Soren, Wilf and Tashi looked at each other in astonishment. "I had no idea," Tashi whispered to Wilf. “Did you?"

  Wilf shook his head, his fingers twitching with excitement. "No clue. We really lucked out, huh?"

  “Wait a second,” Asha said. “You’re Captain Strickland? As in The Wraith?”

  Soren turned toward her and nodded. “Yes.”

  Her lips quivered as she tried to form her following sentence. Soren couldn’t tell if she was about to praise him or damn him.

  “My mother served with you on the Tempest,” she said. “Ensign Lynn Whitaker. She was a junior nurse during the war. She…she used to tell me stories about you. Those stories were the reason I wanted to join the Navy so badly.” Tears welled in her eyes. “I…I can’t believe I’m standing here with you, Captain. I…I can’t believe…after everything that happened. When I thought I would spend my life stuck on Earth, that I’m here with you.” Her teary eyes turned into a disbelieving, joyful sob that brought Soren to her, putting a firm hand on her shoulder.

  “I should have recognized you by your violet eyes alone,” he said. “You look so much like your mother.”

  Asha looked up, smiling. “She said you were the best captain she ever served under.”

  “Where is your mother, these days?”

  Asha shook her head. “She passed away a few years ago. Cancer. I can only imagine what she would think of this. Of me being here with you.”

  Rashad cleared his throat, drawing their attention back to him. “Captain, I don’t mean to be ill-mannered, but I sent the crew for lunch so I could meet with you privately. There’s a silent nature to this business that we need to maintain for the safety of my people.”

  Soren squeezed Asha’s shoulder and turned back to the other man. “I understand. Please, continue.”

  “I’ve been working on a special project here," he explained, "a starship with experimental tech that I had hoped to test in the field. But budget cuts have killed my already limited funding. The station is scheduled to be mothballed by the end of the year, along with everything being built here.”

  Soren frowned. "That's a damn shame," he said. "The work you're doing here is important."

  Rashad nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. “Tell that to the bean counters at the Pentagon. Without a true threat to the FUP, they’ve decided there’s no point in hiding funding to advance the Navy’s offensive capabilities beyond their present state. Even Senator O’Hara agrees with the need to cut funding, and he wants to stand tough against dissension.” Rashad sighed before continuing. “Anyway, when Admiral Harper contacted me and told me he needed a ship for the Wraith, outside of proper channels, I saw an opportunity. A chance to have my tech tested in the field, to preserve my work, and to be of service to a childhood hero of mine.”

  “It sounds incredible,” Soren said. “But I don’t understand how you can just hand over a brand new starship to me.”

  “An experimental starship,” Rashad corrected. “One that isn’t listed in any inventory anywhere. One built with funds siphoned out of office supplies and printing costs. Not to mention toilet seats,” he added, one side of his mouth lifting in subdued levity. “The Navy won’t miss it, because the top brass don’t even remember it exists.”

  Soren turned to Jack, his eyes wide with gratitude. "Jack, I don't know what to say. This is...it's more than I could have ever hoped for."

  Jack held up a hand, his expression serious. "Don't thank me yet," he warned. "There's a catch."

  Rashad nodded, his face growing somber. "The ship is close to completion, but not fully operational. Some of the systems are still under construction and would need to be completed under your care. Also, there could be some teething issues that you'll need to deal with along the way."

  Soren's crew exchanged nervous glances, but Soren himself merely shrugged. "We'll make it work," he said confidently.

  Jack chuckled. "It's not perfect," he admitted, "but it's the best I could do on short notice."

  Soren clapped his friend on the shoulder. "You've outdone yourself, Jack. Truly. Thank you."

  Captain Rashad motioned for them to follow. "Come," he said, "let me show you around the ship.”

  “Does she have a name?” Soren asked.

  “She does,” Rashad answered. “Not officially christened, of course. But I call her, Wraith. After you, of course, Captain Strickland.”

  Soren felt a rush of pride and humility. To have a ship named after him was an honor he had never expected.

  As they walked through the station's corridors, Soren fell into step beside Rashad. "So," he said, "what's this experimental tech you mentioned?"

  Rashad's eyes gleamed with excitement. "The hull," he explained, "is coated with a nano-crystalline matrix that responds to electrical currents. It can bend light and also reflect a range of signals that essentially render the ship invisible."

  "Like a cloaking device?" Tashi piped up, his voice eager.

  Rashad turned to him, impressed. "Exactly," he confirmed. “Another reason to name the ship Wraith. It can vanish like a ghost.”

  “Amazing,” Tashi said.

  They descended into the station's bowels, following Rashad to an airlock linking the station to the ship.

  “The overall shape is based on the Komodo-class destroyer,” Rashad said. “With some modifications to work better with the cloaking technology. With that being said, the technology isn’t perfect and there are some angles and vectors more susceptible to detection than others, but with the crystalline layer aligned, the ship should be as hard to spot as a single fish in the ocean.”

  He put his fingerprint against the airlock security panel. It beeped and slid open, allowing them to step through. Getting everyone in meant a tight fit, but only for as long as it took for the station-side door to close and the ship-side hatch to open. Rashad guided them across the rigid umbilical toward Wraith’s airlock.

  Soren was able to get a better look at the ship through small transparencies along the umbilical. What he saw took his breath away. The vessel was sleek and predatory, its black hull absorbing the light around it. It was smaller than a standard Komodo, with a sharper wedge shape and fewer large protrusions. Everything about its design spoke of power and purpose.

  They boarded the ship, Rashad leading them on a tour of the various decks and compartments. The interior had a lot of promise, with clean bulkheads and plenty of space for their tiny crew, but it also showed significant signs of its unfinished state. Wiring dangled from the overhead in many of the passageways they traversed, while other locations had missing panels that would otherwise cover electrical conduits.

  “At least artificial gravity and life support are working,” Ethan said as they walked. “Even if nothing else might be.”

  “As long as she’s space worthy, we can work out the rest,” Lina replied.

  “I can provide a rundown of system status for all of the critical functions,” Rashad said. “Along with the work schedule as the foreman planned it. I’m sure you’ll want to make adaptations to get the more important systems online as soon as possible.”

  “Anything you can provide will help,” Ethan said.

  “What about sundries and other supplies?” Harry asked.

  “We’ll need to coordinate their provision from the station’s inventories,” Rashad answered. “Since we’re being shut down, we have a surplus of rations and other equipment that you may find useful out there, including uniforms. Unfortunately, given the nature of the handover, there’s only so much we can provide. You may need to visit a commercial station or colony in the frontier sector to resupply, assuming you have available funds.”

  “I have some,” Soren said. “The one benefit of a small crew is that we won’t eat much compared to a full complement.”