“I have some things to take care of.” Dani waved back at her crew as she started making her way toward the supervisor.
The supply list was rather well done, but she needed an excuse to break off on her own a bit and gather her thoughts. She also wanted to track down Patrick and find out how he planned to handle the whole rebel fugitive angle that the news was blasting across the galaxy.
Dani stopped at the supervisor and mentioned a few more things for the supply list, including some high quality food and a few games for entertainment. If they were going to be gone a longer time, then she wanted to make sure they’d have more than prepared meals and boredom to keep them going. The supervisor jerked the tablet out of Dani’s hands and rolled his eyes at the additions before waving over another worker and pulling him aside.
Dani glanced across the hangar at her crew. Cassia and Cruz were deep in conversation again. They seemed to have a lot to talk about these days. Meanwhile, Zadria seemed unimpressed about whatever tale Jag was telling that required him to gesture wildly. Howard watched the pair, his belly bouncing up and down as he chuckled.
“Okay, well, we can get most of this, but we don’t have any hupnal steaks to spare.” The supervisor seemed annoyed.
Dani cocked an eyebrow at the man, unsure if there was a distinct shortage of hupnal steak aboard or if he just didn’t think they deserved any more of the delicacy. A quick glance around the hangar indicated there was little else for Dani to do after speaking with the supervisor, so she took the opportunity to step out of the hangar and into the boring white halls of the Houston in search of Patrick.
Dani made her way briskly through the halls in search of Patrick but was disappointed that she couldn’t find him in any of his typical locations. In fact, the rest of the Houston seemed unusually quiet outside of Osirion’s hangar.
“You there,” Dani hollered after a guard walking down an intersecting hallway. “Do you know where Patrick is?”
The guard’s eyes shifted quickly in the direction in which he was going. “He should be in Conference Room D.”
Dani thanked the guard and wound back to the conference rooms, wondering what could possibly make the GC guard so uneasy. The door was closed when she got there, and Patrick’s strong, commanding voice spoke out behind it. Dani couldn’t quite hear what he was saying and leaned in close, but the speech stopped just as she did. The door suddenly slid open, and Dani was face to face with one of the ship’s scientists, who startled and jumped back, nearly causing an avalanche of lab coats.
“Sorry,” she mumbled as she stepped aside to let them exit.
After the last scientist stepped out of the conference room, Patrick greeted her in the doorway, looking perturbed. “Yes?”
“Can we talk?”
“I suppose so.” Patrick stepped aside and swept his arm toward the table.
Dani quickly took a seat and racked her brain for a starting point.
Patrick sighed, checking the clock on the tabletop display.
“So, rumor has it that the rebel sector was responsible for PS683?”
“Mmhmm.” Patrick leaned back in his chair, pressing his fingertips together as he narrowed his eyes at her.
“First they say one thing, now they say the rebels. Seems like they’re grasping at straws anymore.”
Patrick continued to squint at her silently.
Dani wrinkled her brow at his response. “What should we do?”
“There’s nothing to be done,” Patrick spat out the words like they left a bad taste in his mouth.
Dani pursed her lips and glanced across the tabletop display. “You don’t think they’ll come after Cruz, Cassia, or Howard?”
Patrick shook his head with a slight smirk. “They probably will, but, naturally, they won’t find them.”
“You aren’t worried about anyone on this ship saying anything? I mean, some of the staff isn’t exactly friendly.”
“You and your crew don’t have anything to worry about here. Houston’s entire crew is invested in this project, besides...” Patrick leaned forward in his chair, lowering his voice. “I know everything that happens on this ship. Plus, everyone here has something to lose.”
Dani nodded slowly. “Okay. And I’m guessing you’re hauling us halfway across the galaxy to get us out of the way, just in case?”
Patrick smiled. “You can never be too careful. The Houston has a massive ICC field. This particular wormhole places some distance between us and the closest police outpost. We’d have plenty of time to react if someone were foolish enough to attempt to go over my head.”
“I’m counting on you to keep us all safe.” Dani hated to admit it, but it was true.
Patrick stood and placed a fatherly hand on Dani’s shoulder. “You worry about keeping your crew in line and getting those missions done. Let me worry about everything else.”
For a moment, Dani felt as though Patrick were channeling her own father. His sturdy hand, his way of making her feel safe.
Her expression gave away her doubt. “I’m serious,” Patrick said once more. “I know you feel as though you were wronged for what happened before, but I’m not going to let anything like that happen to you.”
Dani opened her mouth to talk, but Patrick turned her and guided her into the hall.
“Please, get back to the hangar and prep your crew. We’re nearly there.” Patrick took a step back, the door to the conference room closing between them.
Dani remained there in the hall, staring at the door for a moment. This wasn’t the first door closed in her face, but that didn’t reduce her worry. More times than not when this sort of thing happened, it was because someone was hiding something. Regardless, there was nothing she could do about it right now. Her cheeks billowed out in a long exhale before she turned and headed back to the hangar.
When she arrived, the others had regrouped and were waiting for her. Stars still blurred past the window, but the new supplies had been loaded, the empty crates removed from Osirion’s hull, and the hangar was cleared.
“Howard,” Dani said as she approached the group, “did you check everything over yourself, too?”
Howard nodded. “Everything looked great. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
“Good.” Dani breathed a sigh of relief. “Patrick tells me we’re almost there. Let’s board and get ready.”
Dani led the crew up Osirion’s ramp once more, thankful for the retreat into her ship.
Chapter 4
Dani drummed her fingertips on the arm of her captain’s chair as she waited for everyone to get settled in. Carl, attracted by the noise, jumped up into her lap, curled up in a ball, and started purring.
“You’re quite the little anxiety detector, aren’t you, Carl?” Dani whispered to the feline as she rubbed his cheek with her finger.
Carl rolled onto his back and pawed at the comm hanging from Dani’s ear.
“What’s our next mission, Z?” she asked as she placed the comm back in her ear to protect it from Carl’s claws.
“They want us to set up the net then head in and see where it goes,” Zadria answered, swiping across the tablet that held her notes.
Carl, displeased that Dani removed his toy, hopped down and made his way to Cassia’s side. She quickly scooped him up, and he curled up in her lap.
“Any surprises in this one?” Jag asked as he flipped between status screens on his console.
“I hope not.” Zadria sighed as she wrinkled her forehead.
“I’m actually kind of liking not knowing where we’re going to end up. Keeps things interesting,” Cruz signed with a smile.
“I’m not so worried about where we’re going to end up as what’s going to happen on the way there.” Zadria’s voice cracked, and Carl perked up his ears.
Dani saw the stars outside Houston come to a halt through Osirion’s windshield and perked up. “Looks like we’re here.”
“Alright, the hangar’s clear. Go ahead and head out when you’re r
eady. Good luck,” Patrick said to the crew through the comm.
Dani grabbed the controls and proceeded to launch Osirion out into the open space around the Houston. The wormhole, suspended in space, was immediately visible after Osirion left the safety of Houston’s belly.
Dani began a scan of the wormhole and accessed the holographic display. Only, instead of the wormhole, the display zoomed in on the coordinates of S802-P825-C1106-66d.
A gasp escaped Dani’s lips as the familiar scene unfolded on the holographic podium before her. Immediately her eyes darted to Cruz, who held up his hands defensively. Her hands were frozen above the controls, but the scene still managed to shift to that of the wormhole before them.
“Wait, what was that?” Zadria asked, standing.
“Malfunction,” Jag quickly retorted, giving Dani a tight-lipped nod while Zadria examined the podium.
The rest of the crew seemed to be sharing concerned glances, but Dani did her best to avoid any further eye contact and she instead focused on the wormhole projected on the holographic display.
The outer edge of this one was far more flattened than the previous two. In fact, the beauty of it helped bring Dani back to the present. It looked like a blossoming clematis, her mother’s favorite flower.
“It’s so pretty,” Cassia cooed as Dani brought Osirion around to face the funnel head on.
Petals of pink and silver bloomed open from the center of the funnel and reached into the darkness of space around it. The hollow of the tunnel lacked the glowing white light they’d experienced before, but the pink and silver continued down the throat, illuminating the first bend.
“Howard?” Dani cued without taking her eyes off the beauty before her.
The bridge was silent.
Dani blinked rapidly and pulled her eyes from the wormhole. “Howard?” she asked again, turning to look back at the gawking man.
“Oh,” Howard mumbled as he shook his head back and forth. “Right, sorry.”
“What are we going to name this one, Jag?” Dani turned to him and nodded toward the wormhole.
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe Claudia.”
“What? Not impressed?” Cassia asked.
“I’ve seen prettier things.” He shrugged.
Dani almost swore she could see a red tinge creep across Jag’s face as he angled his neck to stare down at his console controls. She turned and raised an eyebrow to Cassia, who shrugged in return. She then looked to Cruz, who she noticed was glancing at Cassia out of the corner of his eye. What is going on with my crew? she wondered.
The drone launched, and Howard expertly guided it around the petals, placing each SU carefully around the rim. “If the other end is as large as this one, we’ll need to restock on SUs before the next mission.”
“I’ll make a note,” Zadria commented as she tapped on the screen of her tablet.
Dani still wasn’t sure about Zadria, but it was nice to have another person around to take care of things. Standard GC crews ran with four individuals, the captain, first officer, communications officer, and navigation specialist. Warships like Alaska’s Vengeance also carried a doctor, mechanic, a weapons specialist, and a crew of fighter pilots and alternates. However, with the pressing war drawing out resources, Dani’s previous crew lacked a weapons specialist and alternate pilots. Still, they’d managed to make a decent dent in Vaerian forces.
Now, her crew looked somewhat different. Jag doubled as first officer and weapons specialist as he did before. Cruz now carried the additional title of medic, as did Zadria and Cassia to a certain extent. Howard’s duties had now stretched beyond those of a mechanic. It seemed that they were all working multiple jobs at this point.
“All set,” Howard announced as the net linked and came online. The cone of this wormhole was much flatter due to the outer shape of the funnel, but it still looked like it was functioning properly.
“Alright, everyone ready?” Dani asked as she ran her regular systems checks, ensuring everything was ready to go.
Nods around the bridge satisfied her question, and she slowly maneuvered Osirion into the net. “Don’t forget our tracker orbs,” Dani reminded Jag.
“Launching now,” he replied.
Dani verified the tracker orbs on her monitors before proceeding forward. “Houston, we’re proceeding into the wormhole now.”
“You’ve got a go from us. All systems are up and tracking. Take care,” Patrick’s voice confirmed.
The moment before the wormhole took hold of them with its own gravitational pull was exciting. It reminded Dani of the time her father had taken her off-world to a planet boasting a large amusement park. She remembered anxiously looking at her father as they sat in the front car of an old-fashioned roller coaster. The climb to the apex of the track was filled with anticipation of the ride ahead.
As Osirion continued to creep forward, Dani felt the current-like gravity catch. “Here we go!”
She eased up on the thrusters, letting the wormhole do the work to conserve fuel. The tunnel ahead looked clear of debris up to the first bend. As soon as Osirion was past the point of no return, the gravitational force took hold, lurching the ship forward and into the tunnel.
The brilliant pinks and silvers continued as they sped through the wide space. This one was much roomier than the wormholes they had traveled before. It was almost an enjoyable experience. The beauty combined with the ease of the flight made it seem like they were out for a leisurely drive.
“Well, this one doesn’t seem bad at all,” Zadria said, sitting up a little taller in her seat.
“No.” Jag pointed across the bridge at her. “Never, ever say that.”
“What? There isn’t anything in here that poses a threat,” she replied, gesturing to the windshield ahead of them.
“Radiation levels are spiking,” Cassia announced.
“Close the solar shades,” Dani ordered.
“That’s why.” Jag quickly pressed the switch to close the solar shades and activate the display screen before sitting back in his seat, crossing his arms across his chest with a smug grin.
Zadria shrugged. “So? Radiation is to be expected in wormholes. In all honesty, the solar shades should have already been closed prior to entering.”
Dani sighed. “Enough bickering, you two. It’s done now. How are we looking, Cassia?”
“Good. The solar shades effectively stopped the radiation.”
Dani relaxed her shoulders and continued to guide Osirion through the bends of the wormhole. It did feel almost too easy, but she didn’t dare say anything, as the universe loved to prove her wrong.
“Detecting massive lifeform readings ahead,” Cassia said as she squinted at her monitor.
“Weird,” Zadria mumbled as she stared down the straightaway projected onto the large screen. “I don’t see anything but the end of the tunnel.”
The long, straight section of the wormhole ended with a small, black circle in the distance, much like the exits of previous wormholes. Dani peered ahead. “You sure, Cassia?”
“Uh...” Cassia pecked at her console rapidly. “I don’t think that’s the end, Dani.”
As the wormhole continued to pull them through the tunnel, Dani couldn’t help but notice that she couldn’t see anything defining in the darkness ahead. In the other wormhole, there had been a glimpse of stars and whatever else lay on the other side. Not this time. Just pure blackness.
“Shit,” Dani muttered as she realized what lay before them. “Jag, weapons, now.”
Jag offered a puzzled look but complied with the order, lowering the weapons relay to his console. The relay controlled four sets of primary weapons located around the ship, as well as eight additional minor weapons. “What am I aiming at?”
“The ooze ahead that’s completely blocking the tunnel.” Dani’s blood chilled as she gave the instructions. She hoped that the weapons would have an effect on the roadblock ahead, because she knew the shields wouldn’t protect them. The shields we
re only designed to protect against energy blasts and projectiles. They weren’t capable of offering a bubble of protection through however much of the black, oozing organism lay in wait ahead of them.
Jag fired into the dark that spanned the width and height of the tunnel. The energy blasts poked holes through the organism, but they quickly filled again with more of the churning ooze. “This isn’t working. It’s like shooting mud.”
“Keep firing!” Dani ordered, racking her brain for an alternative.
As they drew closer, they could see that the ooze had coated the inside of the wormhole, not only blocking their path but also spreading like roots down all sides toward them. “How thick, Cassia?”
“It’s thick, more than four times the length of our ship,” she replied as she projected the results of the scan on the holographic display.
Dani knew they couldn’t fly through the mass. The density would likely result in an unsurvivable collision, and even if that didn’t kill them, the organism would lock onto their ship and they’d have no way to rid themselves of it. With as much as they measured, they’d likely remain stuck in the middle of it with no way to seek help. “Prepare to hop,” Dani ordered.
“Wait, you’re going to hop while inside a wormhole?” Zadria’s vitals immediately elevated. “You realize that we have no idea what will happen, right?”
Dani ignored her, knowing it was their only chance. “Jag, reroute weapons power to the jump drive.”
“Yes, Captain.” He enunciated the last word and shot Zadria a dirty look.
Dani couldn’t help but smirk slightly as she started up the jump drive, the hum of it vibrating throughout Osirion. She’d never let them know, but she preferred the bickering over the flirting any day. The organism ahead seemed to be pulling itself through the tunnel toward them, the roots getting thicker as it drew closer before thinning out further down the tunnel.
“Here we go!” Dani activated the jump drive, causing the wormhole around them to jolt. A tendril of black reached toward them from the middle of the tunnel just as the walls of the wormhole fell away into a blur of pink, silver, and then black.
The Complete First Season - Episodes 1-5 Page 22
