Codename Alpha: Intervention

Chapter Eleven - Gummitwist

A worried look crossed his face, probably catching on to my obvious reluctance to elaborate on the plan. He inhaled quickly. "Alright, good luck." He then went back to a normal speaking voice. "I'll go with this one," he said, choosing the center ration pack I had set out. "Hey, before you go..." He asked, without finishing his sentence. The worried look seemed to worsen.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Have... have you seen Lieutenant Kovalev? He's not been hurt, right? Or Ensign Vance?" He seemed to be quite genuine. For some reason, I was almost instantly reminded of the rumor Eric had told Falco and I about, regarding Pearce and Kovalev's supposed relationship. It was bizarre to think that it really had been just a few days ago - it felt like it'd been weeks. I shook my head and focused back on him.

"Vance and Kovalev are fine, don't worry," I assured him, without actually having seen Vance yet. "In fact, there have been few violent incidents since... well, last night."

"Thank you," he said, seeming relieved. "See you soon."

"So we can hope," I responded, as I stepped back and closed the door, once more putting the chair back into place. Finally, I stepped towards the last quarters, marked with BLOKHIN and MARTIN, presuming that Marine would be there when I knocked. Much to my relief, I heard her on the other side. "What?" She asked, sounding angry.

"Just me," I responded, forgetting for a second that she wasn't in our quarters. "Conrad," I added, while I pulled the chair out of the way and opened the door. She was already standing there, and unfortunately she didn't seem happy to see me. Even though she was a sentinel fox, and as such it was difficult to determine emotions based on a face alone, I knew that she disapproved of my apparent change in allegiance. "I-I've got food," I stuttered. I held out the ration package, but she didn't take it, and instead just continued staring directly into my eyes. I couldn't help but just look away - I hated eye contact, and she evidently knew it. "Just... listen." I cleared my throat before continuing, gaining me a little confidence. "I've got a plan, alright? Just hold on and things will be alright."

She sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said, holding out her paws, where I then put the ration pack. "You know what you're doing?" she whispered.

I looked up and nodded. "Yes. You'll know when things get going." I was probably being overly vague, but considering how there was someone sitting not too far away, I needed to be as quiet and discreet as possible. I nodded, and stepped back towards the cart. Before I could do anything more, she interjected. "Hey, before you go... nobody's been hurt, right?"

"Not as far as I'm aware. Pearce and Kovalev are to your left here." I intentionally stepped back so she could get a view of the corridor. "For that matter, Pearce is in the room directly to your left. But, yeah, nobody's been shot or anything like that. You can rest easy."

"Alright, that's good. Guess I'll... see you later?" She said, with a questioning tone. I figured she was probably trying to ask when I'd actually begin my operation to try and reclaim the ship. It was something that hadn't really occurred to me until now. One thing was for certain, though, and it was that I couldn't waste time. I didn't have a frame of reference for how long mutinies typically last, but considering our current situation, I had to act quickly to at least prevent a diplomatic breakdown between us and Earth because the mutineers were currently holding their ambassadors prisoner.

"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled. "Uh, around dinnertime, breakfast... I'll be back, don't worry." She nodded wordlessly and turned around. "See you." I closed the door, and put the chair back in place.

I sighed, and began pushing the cart back down the corridor, starting to the mess hall. My heart skipped a beat when Becker stopped me by holding her paw up. "Got anything extra? I'm too tired to walk all the way to the mess hall. Right now, at least."

"Uh... I, uh..." I stammered. "Um, no. Sorry."

"Ah, too bad." she concluded, looking back down at your laptop. I once more swore internally, wondering how suspicious that seemed to her. I could only hope she'd forget the exchange in a couple hours.