spine. "I am going with you, or I'll ground the Damocles and let the other teams handle this. This is our fucking family , Cindy! I will not let these assholes get away with this. I'm going with you and that is final."
In all the time she had known Ian, she had never seen him this pissed off before. "Okay Ian, but you'll be under my command. If you don't follow orders, I'll stun your ass and worry about the Court Marshal later."
"My armor is on the shuttle," Ian replied. When she raised an eyebrow at his comment he smirked. "I always carry it with me; I call it my United Express Card."
Cindy snorted. "Because you never leave home without it," she nodded and shook her head. She knew it was the truth, Ian did always keep his armor with him. This time, it looked like his paranoia would pay off. "Still, it isn't as heavy as ours is, so be extra careful."
Ian nodded and got back on the comms to direct the response to this emergency. From what Cindy could hear, whoever had done this was going to be in a world of hurt when they were found.
They got the dignitaries to the shuttle and Cindy saw two Shadow fighters hovering nearby as an escort for it. Ian came right back out carrying the case that contained his armor. "Let's go save our family, Cindy," he said.
She nodded and as a group they ran for the Raptor parked next to the shuttle.
"Lissa, as soon as the shuttle is clear, get us in the air. Everyone else, armor up; we have a job to do," Cindy ordered.
"Destination, Cindy?" Lissa asked.
"Abduction site first. Maybe those assholes left a clue as to who they are and where they might be going," Cindy replied.
Ian and the team all stripped and did as ordered. They all armored up, but as soon as Cindy pulled her helmet on for the initial system test, her armor froze in place.
"The simulation has begun, Admiral," Lissa reported. "I've set course for Star Dancer . We should be arriving in ten minutes. The Councilor's shuttle has returned to the UN landing pad and the Marine detail from their shuttle is acting as their guards."
Ian set his helmet on the table and nodded. "Thank you Lissa."
The rest of the team finished putting on their armor and tested it before they too removed their helmets. "The General said this is going to be pretty rough on her. Is that really necessary, Sir?" Sam asked.
Ian sighed. "From what Ty explained to me, yes it is. We have to be certain she has recovered from her ordeal. If she were to lose control again, she could do an incredible amount of damage before we could stop her. Too many lives are at stake not to do this."
"What happens if she fails?" Sasha Yukonov, the Damocles weapons officer, asked. She was named Sasha because her father had wanted a boy, she claimed.
"She'll go back into the hospital, I imagine," Ian replied sadly. "They’ll also have to try to remove much of her training telepathically. She'll never be allowed to return to service."
"She'll make it," Ben Carson said with complete faith in his superior. "She's the strongest person I know." Ben was the Heavy Weapons and Demolitions expert.
"Once this is over, she's going to kill me for putting her through this," Ian said. "Our relationship was already strained; this could very well destroy it."
The team sniper, Jerry Conan sat down across from him at the table. "Admiral… Ian, we all know what's been going on. We all confide in each other. Never doubt that she loves you. She has always been completely devoted to you and your family, even when you were all mad at her for choosing this career. Yes, she'll be mad because of the deception, but I think she'll understand why it was done."
Ian smiled at the man. "I appreciate your words, I really do, but I don't think Ty told you guys exactly what she's going to be going through in there. This is a worst case, no-win scenario. She'll think that she has failed everyone and lost her family. If you can think of the worst hell she could be put in, multiply it by ten."
"Why so
In all the time she had known Ian, she had never seen him this pissed off before. "Okay Ian, but you'll be under my command. If you don't follow orders, I'll stun your ass and worry about the Court Marshal later."
"My armor is on the shuttle," Ian replied. When she raised an eyebrow at his comment he smirked. "I always carry it with me; I call it my United Express Card."
Cindy snorted. "Because you never leave home without it," she nodded and shook her head. She knew it was the truth, Ian did always keep his armor with him. This time, it looked like his paranoia would pay off. "Still, it isn't as heavy as ours is, so be extra careful."
Ian nodded and got back on the comms to direct the response to this emergency. From what Cindy could hear, whoever had done this was going to be in a world of hurt when they were found.
They got the dignitaries to the shuttle and Cindy saw two Shadow fighters hovering nearby as an escort for it. Ian came right back out carrying the case that contained his armor. "Let's go save our family, Cindy," he said.
She nodded and as a group they ran for the Raptor parked next to the shuttle.
"Lissa, as soon as the shuttle is clear, get us in the air. Everyone else, armor up; we have a job to do," Cindy ordered.
"Destination, Cindy?" Lissa asked.
"Abduction site first. Maybe those assholes left a clue as to who they are and where they might be going," Cindy replied.
Ian and the team all stripped and did as ordered. They all armored up, but as soon as Cindy pulled her helmet on for the initial system test, her armor froze in place.
"The simulation has begun, Admiral," Lissa reported. "I've set course for Star Dancer . We should be arriving in ten minutes. The Councilor's shuttle has returned to the UN landing pad and the Marine detail from their shuttle is acting as their guards."
Ian set his helmet on the table and nodded. "Thank you Lissa."
The rest of the team finished putting on their armor and tested it before they too removed their helmets. "The General said this is going to be pretty rough on her. Is that really necessary, Sir?" Sam asked.
Ian sighed. "From what Ty explained to me, yes it is. We have to be certain she has recovered from her ordeal. If she were to lose control again, she could do an incredible amount of damage before we could stop her. Too many lives are at stake not to do this."
"What happens if she fails?" Sasha Yukonov, the Damocles weapons officer, asked. She was named Sasha because her father had wanted a boy, she claimed.
"She'll go back into the hospital, I imagine," Ian replied sadly. "They’ll also have to try to remove much of her training telepathically. She'll never be allowed to return to service."
"She'll make it," Ben Carson said with complete faith in his superior. "She's the strongest person I know." Ben was the Heavy Weapons and Demolitions expert.
"Once this is over, she's going to kill me for putting her through this," Ian said. "Our relationship was already strained; this could very well destroy it."
The team sniper, Jerry Conan sat down across from him at the table. "Admiral… Ian, we all know what's been going on. We all confide in each other. Never doubt that she loves you. She has always been completely devoted to you and your family, even when you were all mad at her for choosing this career. Yes, she'll be mad because of the deception, but I think she'll understand why it was done."
Ian smiled at the man. "I appreciate your words, I really do, but I don't think Ty told you guys exactly what she's going to be going through in there. This is a worst case, no-win scenario. She'll think that she has failed everyone and lost her family. If you can think of the worst hell she could be put in, multiply it by ten."
"Why so
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