The Phoenix Conspiracy

  ***

  Calvin awoke to the sound of a loud knock. His eyes, well-adjusted to the darkness, stared at the door, but he didn’t say anything. It didn’t seem real. He rolled over, half expecting Summers to be next to him, but when she wasn’t there, he knew it had all been a very vivid, strange dream.

  The pounding came again, and Calvin managed to sit up, scratching his bare chest—which was frozen with sweat. He stared down at his crumpled sheets and blinked several times, trying to clear away the blurriness. He felt light-headed and somewhat dazed, and struggled to collect his bearings. He knew where he was but had no idea how long he’d been here in his quarters or what time it was.

  Whoever it was knocked a third time, louder than ever.

  “Come,” Calvin croaked with his hoarse, groggy voice, desperate for the knocking to stop.

  The door slid open, and a large silhouette rushed inside.

  “Lights,” Calvin ordered.

  They snapped on to reveal Miles, who looked tense, maybe even angry. His face burned red, and his eyes seemed larger than usual. “Is it true?” he asked, panting. Like he’d sprinted the whole way.

  Calvin’s head hurt, and he combed a hand loosely through his tangled hair, wishing Miles would lower his voice. “Is what true?”

  “That Summers has command?” Miles didn’t hide his panic.

  Calvin shook his head slowly. “I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about …” Feeling the torture of his dry throat, he looked around for a water bottle and noticed the open safe. Bottles and bottles of equarius still in place but perfectly visible. The half-empty one, however, was missing. He felt his heart squeeze with fear, and he realized what must have happened.

  Summers had used him. And he’d let her. Let her in his room. Let her somehow incapacitate him. And let her break into his safe and discover his dark secret. And all because he was too blinded by her brilliant green eyes, seductive smile, and superbly carved physique … She beat me! He shook his head in disbelief.

  “We got this nasty memo from Fleet Command, and the major made an announcement to the whole crew a couple of minutes ago. Summers is in, and you’re out. I guess they worked it out with someone up the food chain or whatever.”

  Calvin felt slow, like his mind wasn’t working properly. He closed his eyes hard and rubbed his temples, gently coaxing himself to a more alert state. While he did this, he realized he was in real trouble. And there was no one to blame but himself.

  “So is it true?” Miles pressed. He said it in the kind of way that meant he already knew the answer but desperately hoped otherwise.

  “I suppose it is,” said Calvin, unmoving. He didn’t even feel like standing up.

  So that was that.… It was such a bitter flavor. The grim future that awaited him in Xerxes didn’t feel real. What bothered him most of all—even more than knowing the Raidan mystery would never be solved—was that Summers had taken advantage of him so severely and bested him so easily. He was a smart guy. Always proud of his intelligence. How the hell did he let this happen?

  He thought of his encounter with her on the observation deck, what they’d spoken about, how it’d gone. How she’d leveraged her beauty against him. And the more he realized what a fool he’d been, and how he’d been played like a toy—a simple, stupid, foolish toy—the tighter he clenched his jaw.

  “How could you let this happen?” Miles demanded, shocked and frustrated.

  The question cut into Calvin deeply, and he could think of no answer he liked, because they each ended with it ultimately being his fault. Like the bad bishop move he’d made in his chess game with Summers earlier. A fatal blunder. Only this time, others had to share the consequences of his mistake, maybe even the whole Empire.

  “I got careless,” said Calvin, staring blankly at the wall as if he could see through it. “And I let my guard down.” He tried to block out the fresh images of Summers’s gaze playing with him, and her siren smile … again he shook his head, ashamed. She’d betrayed him. And by letting her do that, he’d betrayed himself. Ever since Christine, he’d kept his heart closed to the women around him, and now that he’d let someone squeeze past his defenses, his life was in permanent ruins.

  He realized how it had happened; he’d somehow projected his love for Christine onto Summers—and that had been his fatal mistake. With that knowledge, all his romantic feelings were crushed like splintering ice under a steel hammer. He blocked out the pain and confusion.

  “So what happens next?” asked Miles.

  Calvin shrugged. “We go to Xerxes. They launch a full inquiry and put us on trial. I’ll be discharged, my assets frozen, and they’ll leave me stranded on some two-bit border system where I can’t do any damage. As for the ship, they’ll swap out most of the personnel—probably stuff it full of navy officers the way things are going, and then go kill Raidan, if they can.”

  Silence filled the air, and Calvin took in a deep breath. “And if Raidan dies, his secrets die with him. What a waste.”

  “So you’re just gonna roll over, and that’s it?” asked Miles, his voice gaining volume.

  Calvin finally let himself look Miles in the eyes. “I’m not sure what else to do at this point.”

  “Yeah, but …” Miles faltered for a half second. “I don’t want that bitch to win. I wanna fight!”

  Strangely, hearing Miles say that gave Calvin the slightest burst of energy, and the tiniest smile cracked his lips—but only for an instant.

  He may have lost everything else, but he still had the loyalty of his closest friends. And seeing Miles there, eyes lit with rage, Calvin wondered if somehow he could still salvage his situation. If his senior staff—his friends—put it all on the line for him.

  “Maybe you’re right …” said Calvin. “We’re already condemned by association anyway, may as well hang together and do something to deserve it.”

  “Now that’s more like it,” said Miles, pumping a fist into the air.

  Calvin nodded, feeling excitement pour slowly into him as his mind raced, trying to think how best to twist the situation to their advantage.

  “Okay, Summers will probably keep two vigilant eyes on me,” said Calvin. “So that limits what I can do for now. But it’s also an advantage. If she’s busy watching me, then she’s less able to watch you, Shen, Sarah, and the others. What I want you to do is feel around for me, find out who’s loyal. See who’s in, if we make a move.”

  “When we make a move,” said Miles.

  Calvin smirked. “Right. But for now, we have to keep things quiet. Spread the word around cautiously and, when you have a good idea of who’s with us, arrange a meeting.”

  “I’m on it.” Miles whirled for the door.

  “And, Miles,” said Calvin before he could leave. “Be subtle.” He knew that wasn’t one of Miles’s strong suits.

  “You know I will.” A smile spread across his round face.

  Calvin nodded. “You’re a good man.”