The Dead Fleet (Juggernaut #3)

Seventy Five

The Senechal was as smooth as a dolphin. It's hull virtually seamless, even from this distance. As they drew closer, following guide lights to the lower docking bay, Tila made out the panels and sections that covered the outer hull.

The ship's name was inscribed in letters four metres tall on the stern, on giant fins which covered the engine housing and made it seem like the ship moved without effort. From their approach Tila could see the standard ship registration markings on the underside, set in the universally approved script of the commonwealth. They were supposed to help with identification, but with a ship this big, this...obvious, they were hardly necessary.

Windows three decks high lined the sides of the ship. They were regularly spaced along its length but offset by height, giving the effect of a clear wave from bow to stern.

It was not a subtle ship, that much was clear. It was the size of a building, as white as a star, and screamed look at me.

No, thought Tila, it screamed 'look at my money.'

She eyed it carefully as their three ships lined up one by one to dock.

'Why do you look so suspicious?' said Grace when she noticed her expression.

Tila took one last look around as they passed through the door and exchanged the infinite outside for the smaller, but warmer, inside.

The triple-layers space door closed behind them, and the ceiling panels which had blinked in sequence to guide them in now glowed a warm, steady white. There were three landing pads in the bay. Grace landed the Jubilee on the right hand side. Ellie and Malachi set their Valkyries down on the left and middle pads.

By the time Grace opened the door, only a minute or two later, Ellie was already waiting for her with another painful hug which Tila was mostly glad to suffer through. Malachi was climbing down his ladder.

'We need to eat!' said Ellie seriously. 'Or I'm going to die.'

'I've already let Toma know,' said Grace. 'You won't be hungry for much longer.'

'I hope not. I'm literally going to die,' said Ellie.

A steward entered the bay, neatly dressed in black and white.

'This must be our escort,' said Grace. 'Shall we?'

Ellie pushed Malachi before her, shyness suddenly overcoming hunger.

'Toma?' Tila said to her Grace as they fell into step behind the others. 'You're on first name terms with Conway's right hand man?'

'I've known Toma for years. Longer than I've known Conway.'

'Do you trust him?'

'With my life, Tila.'

'And Conway? Do you trust him too?'

'Yes, I do. I know you don't like him, that's understandable. He can be difficult, as you found out when you met him. That's just what he's like.'

'He never told me you were alive. Did you know that? He could have. He could have told us everything.'

'Conway just met you. He couldn't be sure who you really were. Sending someone to pretend to be my long-lost daughter is exactly the sort of thing they would try. Of course he would be skeptical.'

'But...' Tila's voice suddenly swelled with emotion that choked off the words. Grace turned her daughter by the shoulders so they faced each other. Ellie, Malachi and Mr Yoshihiro heard the sudden absence of footsteps behind them, and turned. Grace waved them away with a quick glance at her old friend. They understood and walked on.

'What is it, Tila?' Grace said softly. She stroked back Tila's stray hair and tucked it behind her ear.

'But you did stop looking. You never found me. You didn't know I was alive. I didn't know you were alive. I would have looked for you. I should have. I should have kept going, but I thought there was nothing left to find. I ended up on the Juggernaut and I stopped, and I gave up. And all that time you were still out there. And I didn't know, and I didn't look and I didn't find you, and...' The speech and the tears tumbled out of her. Twelve years of regret and fear and loneliness flooded free. Twelve years of guilt for not looking. Twelve years of hate that hope would be betrayed, and hope that hate would become enough.

Grace pulled her close, her face tight into her shoulder, and loved her.

'Oh Tila, it wasn't your fault. It was never your fault. What happened happened because bad people betrayed us and tried to kill us and tried to stop us. And they couldn't. Do you hear me? Remember that. They couldn't. All the resources they had couldn't stop us. The best they could do was slow us down. It took me this long but I found you. I promised you I would, on the bridge that day, and I found you. If it took another twelve years I would find you again and nothing would stop me, do you hear me? Tila? Nothing! Not the cabal, not Conway, not any army in the Commonwealth is coming between us again. I keep my promises. Now I'm going to make you another one. Are you listening?'

Tila pulled back enough to nod. She saw the dark stain on her mother's shoulder and wiped the dampness that remained on her cheeks. She looked at her mother and nodded.

'Good,' said Grace. 'Then listen to this. I am going to find your father. My husband. Our family. If he is still alive I am going to find him and bring him home to you. To us.'

Tila didn't want to say the words, didn't want to bring into being the possibility that she dreaded, but she had to know.

'What if he's not alive?' she said quietly.

'Then I am going to tear the Cabal apart ship by ship. This is my promise, Tila.'

'I'm going to help you.'

'You're going to stay safe.'

Tila looked her mother in the eye. Her old defiance asserted itself with new purpose.

'No. I'm going to help you. We'll find him together, or destroy them together.'

Grace didn't answer but pulled her close again, turning Tila's head so she looked down the corridor her friends had taken.

Or both, Tila thought to herself.

They stood in silence. One present moment dividing past hurt from future hope.

Tila said, 'Do we need to find the others?'

Gracepulled her tighter 'Not yet. We have all thetime we want, right here, just us. As long as you need. As long as you want.'