A second set of lenses flicked over Burlock’s mechanical eye as he scrutinized the object. “Do we know what it is?”
Praz snuffed indignantly. “Of course we know what it—”
“Negative,” a Lethargot said.
“No idea,” the other agreed.
“We’re still working on it,” Praz grumbled.
Leo barely registered their bickering. He stared at the debris. It was a blackened shard as long as his arm, curved and etched with ridges. It wasn’t hard to visualize it as a part of a cylindrical drum.
“Oh crap.”
Burlock’s brow lowered. “Do you have something to say, Captain?”
“Nothing that’s not incriminating,” Leo mumbled.
Kellybean’s ears flicked. “Leo, have you seen this thing before?”
“Kinda? There was more to it last time, but…” He scratched the back of his neck. “Okay, this is the thing that was crippling the engines after we left the Jaynkee Spacedock. I found it in the machine room when we went to investigate.”
“What did you do with it?” Dilly asked.
“I unhooked it from the power junction and it fixed the engines.” He smiled weakly. “Let’s all just take a moment to remember that I fixed the engines. That was awesome, am I right?”
Burlock crossed his arms. “And what, exactly, happened to this unknown piece of malicious tech after you disconnected it?”
“It kind of got away from me.”
“Got away how?” Waverlee asked.
Leo looked at the floor. “Got away like, rolled off a catwalk and plunged into the plasma shell.”
“It what?” Praz shrieked. “Are you kidding me? No wonder it shut down! You can’t just go throwing random junk into the magnetosphere dinosaur!”
“Dynamo,” a Lethargot corrected.
“It’s not a garbage disposal!” Praz continued. “It’s a sensitive device only understood by the top engineering minds in the field, like me!”
“So this was all the American’s fault?” a raspy voice asked.
Leo blinked away from Praz to see Clermytha, the old Geiko woman, eavesdropping nearby. And she wasn’t alone. Her husband and a cluster of other injured passengers had gathered around the senior staff.
“Wait, we don’t know that!” Leo said defensively. “The problem could have been caused by anything… heavy… dropped from a great height… into the machinery…”
He stopped talking.
“This whole ‘Captain American’ thing isn’t cute anymore!” Horman shouted. He leaned against Clermytha, trying to keep the weight off his bandage-wrapped leg. “We all could have died because of his incompetence!”
A rumble of agreement rolled through the gathered crowd of walking wounded. Hax thrust a plastic finger at Leo. “That man killed my friends!”
“What?” Leo chirped. “I didn’t!”
“I can’t find them, so therefore they are dead!” Hax said. “You caused the disaster wherein they got lost, so by transitive axiom, you killed my friends!”
“I’m not sure your logic is entirely—”
“He’s a savage!” Horman snarled. “He doesn’t care if we live or die!”
“This was an accident!” Leo cried. “I do care!”
“I don’t care if you care!” Clermytha shouted. “We’re getting off this terrible ship at the next stop! While we still can!”
“And I demand a full refund!” Horman added, pointing at his leg. “With extra compensation for pain and suffering!”
The angry passengers roared with agreement, looking like they were one second away from grabbing their torches and pitchforks. Leo’s heart raced as he felt Madame Skardon’s contest slipping through his fingers. If the passengers left, the cruise was over. If the cruise was over, so was Varlowe’s presidency. If Varlowe’s presidency was over, Eaglehaven was the galaxy’s biggest doodie depository.
“No no, stop!” he said, raising his palms. “Let me sort this out! Please! We can still have a great cruise to Ensenada Vega!”
“We can’t, actually,” Burlock said.
Leo whirled on him. “Yes we can!”
“No, we can’t.” New malice seethed in the first officer’s voice. “The magnetosphere’s shell doesn’t just hold the atmosphere and deflect debris. It’s our primary radiation shield. We literally can’t go on without it.”
Horman gasped. “Are you saying the ship has no shielding?”
“We’ll all be fried to a crisp!” Clermytha squealed. “We’re doomed!”
Burlock raised an authoritative, calming hand. “We are not doomed. We’re just going to have to abort the cruise and abandon ship at the nearest habitable planet.”
“And how far away is that?” Horman asked.
Hax’s eyes scrambled as his tape deck shuttled. “At this vessel’s maximum speed, we should reach Nyja in twelve hours.”
“We won’t survive another twelve hours!” Clermytha stabbed a blue finger at Leo. “Not with the American in charge!”
The mob shouted in agreement. Leo felt himself going lightheaded with panic. “Wait! Maybe I can fix the dynamo! Then everything will be okay! Just give me another chance!”
Burlock shook his head. “You’ve had your chance, MacGavin. And you blew it. Over and over again. And now this ship is in real danger. Because of you.” His eye lens twitched. “The only way we’re getting to Nyja safely is with me in command.”
“Finally!” Praz cried. “Somebody said it!”
Burlock’s expression went stony cold. “Captain, for the safety of all souls on board, I demand you step down and abdicate control of this vessel to me immediately.”
“What? No!” Leo snapped. “Burlock, listen. I know this looks like it was my fault, but…”
He tried to think of a but. There was no but. Burlock’s voice lowered. “You’re in over your head and you know it. Everyone knows it. The time for fun and games is over. Step down.”
“I can’t. You know I can’t,” Leo said. “If I give up, Eaglehaven will be destroyed. I have to protect my home world.”
“And I have to protect this ship.” Burlock sighed. “All right, I guess we’re doing this the hard way.” He turned to the others. “I formally invoke the removal clause against Captain MacGavin. I put it to the senior staff for a vote.”
Kellybean’s whiskers twitched. “You can do that?”
Burlock nodded. “It’s in the WTF charter. We can relieve him of command with a simple majority.”
“I vote against the dirt monkey!” Praz said. “Lock him up!”
“Oh, come on,” Leo squeaked.
Waverlee shook her head. “Kid, you’ve put more people in the infirmary in two days than most captains do in a whole career.”
“Your vote against him is noted,” Burlock said.
“Against? That was a vote in favor!” Waverlee glubbed. “I’m usually bored out of my mind down there.” She jabbed Leo. “Keep ’em coming, disaster boy! I like a challenge!”
Burlock snorted. “Well I vote against him, obviously.” He turned to Kellybean. “What say you?”
“I say he stays,” Kellybean said. “He may not be perfect, but he’s trying his best.” She glared at the others. “Just like all of us.”
“Bah!” Praz muttered. “Mammals always vote on party lines.”
“All right, that’s two and two,” Burlock said. “One vote left.”
Silence fell as everyone turned to Dilly. The Dreda’s pitted eyes showed no emotion as it spoke through its translator collar. “Safety of the passengers and crew is its primary objective. Ship would be safer with Commander Burlock in charge.”
Leo gasped. “No! Dilly, please—”
“Sorry, sir. Is not personal.” Dilly’s mandibles clicked. “It votes to remove Captain MacGavin.”
“Boo-yah!” Praz cheered. “Don’t let the airlock pinch your butt on the way out, hairbag!” He ripped the cap
tain’s badge off Leo’s chest and pinned it to Burlock’s.
“Wait. No!” Leo cried.
The new captain adjusted his badge and nodded to Praz. “Lieutenant Commander, get that magnetosphere back online ASAP. Do whatever it takes.”
“Aye, Captain! We’re on it!” Praz and his Lethargot techs took off for the machine room. Burlock barked orders at the rest of the crew, now fully under his command.
“Waverlee, I want all these guests fully recovered by the time we reach the Nyja Spacedock. Dilly, help the doctor.”
They acknowledged and herded the angry tourists away.
Kellybean’s fur ruffed. “This is so not fair! Leo didn’t do anything wrong!”
Burlock fixed her in a glare. “Lieutenant Commander, go clean yourself up and prep for the shore excursion tomorrow.”
“But—”
“That’s an order,” Burlock snapped. “And it had better go better than your trip to Halii Bai, or you’ll be packing your bags too. You are dismissed.”
Kellybean’s whiskers drooped as she raked back her disheveled hair. “Yes, sir.”
She cast an apologetic glance at Leo before scampering away, leaving him alone with Burlock.
“Collect your things, MacGavin. As soon as we get to Nyja you’ll be on the next shuttle back to Eaglehaven. I wouldn’t want you to miss the admiral’s big renovation.” A sinister smile pricked his lips. “I hope you have a good air freshener.”
Leo didn’t respond. There was nothing he could say. He just stood there, paralyzed, staring at his badge on Burlock’s chest.
He wasn’t the captain anymore.
He’d lost the contest. He’d lost Varlowe’s presidency. He’d lost his home.
Just like that, he’d lost everything.
Chapter Fourteen
Dull metallic thuds vibrated through the walls as rocks and ice pelted the Americano Grande. Leo stood in an elevator, staring numbly at its wall as it rocketed upward. Apparently when he’d destroyed the magnetosphere dynamo he’d also managed to knock out the credential lock on the lift. He could finally access the command level on his own. Now that it was too late to matter.
He’d been hiding in his stateroom for hours, sulking and watching space debris thud against his balcony like a murderous hailstorm. Part of him wanted to open the airtight door and walk out into it. Just let a clod of ice take him out before the ship got back into comms range. Before Burlock could tell the board he’d been stripped of command. Before Admiral Skardon’s smug victory. Before Varlowe’s heartbreak. Before Eaglehaven was deluged with dung.
But after a good wallow he had pulled himself together. He was ready to beg. He was ready to grovel. He was ready to kiss whatever part of Burlock required kissing. To save the galaxy’s last bastion of humanity, he was willing to sacrifice his pride. Or what little was left of it.
The elevator pinged and the door slid open on the command lobby. Leo took a deep breath and marched out of he lift, steeling himself for what he had to do.
“All right, Leo. Put on your ‘force to be reckoned with’ face. We’re doing this!” He swiped his tabloyd at the lockpad. It farted an error tone. Apparently some of the locks were still working. He sighed and thumped a fist on the metal door. “Hey, it’s Leo! Hello? Guys?”
A moment later the entryway slid open, revealing Swooch’s slouchy form. The teenage Geiko smiled and blinked her half-lidded eyes.
“Oh, hey duder.” She waved lazily and headed back to the helm. “Come on in.”
Leo swallowed his anxiety. It was go time. He marched onto the bridge to face his former crew.
Every station was abandoned.
“Where is everybody?”
Swooch slumped into her swivel chair with a casual spin. “They’re all off in a meeting. I guess there’s some kind of big emergency or something. I don’t know. Above my pay grade.”
Leo winced as fist-sized hunks of ice pounded the window glass like frozen birds against a windshield. They didn’t seem to bother Swooch. Nothing seemed to bother Swooch.
“Oh. Okay then.” Leo shuffled awkwardly. “So… I guess I’ll just come back later.”
“Nah, you should hang out, bruh. I made pizza clumps.”
Swooch grabbed a plate off her console that was loaded with what looked like pre-chewed masses of Chicago deep-dish. Leo averted his eyes and noticed a series of alerts flashing across Swooch’s panel. “Wait, what’s happening here?”
“Not a whole lot.” She nodded out the window at the supermassive Blue Hole spinning off the bow. “This part of space is pretty low-maintenance. Just don’t run into that thing and you’re golden.”
“No, I mean…” Leo gestured at the blinking screen. “What is happening here?”
Swooch glanced at her panel, as if noticing it for the first time. “Oh, this? It’s nothing.” She waved dismissively. “It’s just upset ’cause the engines blew out.”
Leo choked. “Blew out?!”
“Yeah. They’re stone cold dead.” She waggled the steering yoke. Nothing happened. “I put in a help desk ticket with Praz, so I’m sure he’s on it.”
“Why are you sure?” Leo squeaked. “What has Praz ever done to make you think he can fix a dead engine? Or identify one?”
“Hey, I don’t judge, man. Everybody’s got their own vibe.” Swooch poked at the unresponsive panel. “Still, I should probably call down again. Before it’s too late.”
“Too late for what?”
“To turn. Before we coast into the accretion disc.”
Leo looked out the window at the gaping gravity well dead ahead. “Oh shix! We’re headed for the Blue Hole!”
Swooch raised her palms in a calming gesture. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t get all worked up. We won’t go into the storm for another…” She checked her console. “Twenty minutes.”
“Twenty minutes?!” Leo shrieked.
“Give or take.” The Geiko yawned and stretched. “Plenty of time for the dudes downstairs to work it out. So…” She lifted her plate with a grin. “Pizza clump?”
“Damn it, Swooch!” Leo thrust a finger at the window. “You just said all you had to do was not run into that thing!”
“So?”
“So… you’re going to run into that thing!”
“Ah.” Swooch snorted a laugh. “That’s funny.”
“Aagh!” Leo clutched his hair. “Can you stop being so infuriatingly chill?”
He shouldered her aside and grabbed the yoke. It was slack in his hands. He dialed dials and slid sliders. Nothing happened. “Oh no. It’s hosed. It’s super hosed.”
“Yep,” Swooch said from under his armpit. “S’what I said.”
In a panic, Leo flicked the switch for the deep-space comm link. Another warning joined the blinking mess on the panel.
“Comm inoperable while in Blue Hole dead zone.”
He pounded a fist on the console. “Damn it! We have to… I don’t know…” He frantically waved his hands. “Do something!”
“Oh! I know this one.” Swooch sauntered to the MonCom station and tapped a pad. Instantly, the dim, nighttime lighting turned red and an earsplitting klaxon echoed through the ship.
“All hands brace for impact,” an electronic voice intoned. “Collision imminent.”
Swooch smiled. “Is that better?”
“Yeaghh!” Leo clapped his palms on his ears. “Worse, actually! Turn it off!”
“No problemo.”
The Geiko hit the panel again and the alarms silenced. Leo raked back his hair and pulled a deep breath. “Okay. Stay calm. Just find Burlock and—” The door clanked open and Burlock stormed in, followed by Comfit, Quartermaster, and Dilly. Leo blinked. “Dang, that was quick.”
Swooch smiled a lopsided grin as she dropped into her seat. “Hey, look who brought the party!” She pumped her hands in the air. “Woot woot!”
“What in blazes is going on here?” Burlock roared.
“Gah! Swooch!” Comfit hissed. “You literally had one job.”
She raced to her console as Quartermaster slipped behind his and Burlock settled too comfortably in the captain’s chair. Behind them, Kellybean darted through the door, still clutching the itineraries she’d been working on in her office.
“I heard the alarm and I—” Her claws dug the carpet as she saw the bow pointed straight into the nightmare space storm. “What’s happening?!”
“We’re going to crash into the Blue Hole!” Leo cried. “We don’t know what to do!”
Dilly raised a claw. “May it make suggestion?”
“Yes, please!”
“Do not crash into Blue Hole.”
“Thank you for your insight, Lieutenant Commander.” Burlock turned to Comfit. “Report!”
“Engines are completely unresponsive,” Comfit said, tapping at her consoles. “I can’t even run diagnostic scans on them.”
Quartermaster hammered buttons and pushed sliders. “I’m reading spontaneous, catastrophic failures across multiple systems.”
“How could this happen?” Burlock snapped.
“It can’t!” Quartermaster cried. “All these systems have redundant backups! A direct torpedo hit couldn’t take out so much so quickly!”
“All right, people I need answers!” Burlock barked. “What’s it gonna take to keep this ship from going into that gravity well?”
Swooch licked her greasy fingers and shrugged. “A miracle?”
“Can confirm,” Comfit said, swiping at her screens.
Terror curdled Leo’s gut as he turned to Burlock. “We have to evacuate.”
“We’re not going to evacuate,” Burlock said. “I’ve never lost a ship in my command and I’m not about to start now.”
“What are you going to do? Get out and push?” Leo shouted. “We need to get the passengers in the lifeboats and abandon ship before it’s too late!”
Galaxy Cruise: The Maiden Voyage Page 17
