The Crucible- The Complete Series

by Odette C. Bell

  … I’d forgotten all about him. He’d been behind me in the corridor.

  “Oh my god, you’re alive,” he said as he took a staggering step forward and then crumpled. His legs jerked out from underneath him, and he fell to one knee, a painful jolt passing through his body.

  I punched a hand out towards him.

  A groan tore from his lips and he fell down onto one hand, his back buckling. “You’re alive,” he repeated. “Christ, I thought for sure you’d be dead.”

  I reached him and pushed down to both knees, grabbing his shoulder to stabilize him.

  Instantly he winced.

  That’s when I saw the blood trickling quickly from the back of his head.

  He’d clearly injured his back, too, as he couldn’t hold himself steady.

  Carefully I supported his shoulders and guided him down to the floor.

  “I’m fine,” he protested. “I need to… I need to go and check on my ship.”

  Briefly I tore my gaze from him and angled my head towards the windows. I realized that the ship now locked in the Alliance battle-cruiser Ra’xon’s traction beam was the Godspeed.

  “I have to check on my crew,” he gasped as he tried to push past me.

  I wouldn’t let him move.

  It wasn’t hard. I didn’t have to call on my ability to lock him in place – he barely had the strength to fight against my hand as I pressed it into his shoulder. “You’re injured, and you will injure yourself further if you continue to move. A first response team will be on their way.”

  As if to confirm that, the intercom crackled. “Emergency personnel to converge on deck 46 A.”

  The Lieutenant Commander twitched again, grabbing a hand onto my arm as he tried to push it off. “My crew—”

  I twisted my head towards the window. I could see that the Ra’xon was already sending support ships out towards the embattled Godspeed.

  “The Ra’xon is attending to it.”

  The Lieutenant Commander still held my arm as he attempted to push it off one last time.

  He failed, but his fingers stayed in place. With a bleary languid gaze he looked up at me as I knelt beside him.

  He didn’t say anything; he just held my gaze.

  … It was one of the most confronting experiences of my life.

  Then Lieutenant Commander Nathan Shepherd lapsed into unconsciousness.

  Not too long afterwards, a first response unit arrived. Medical personnel attended to the Lieutenant Commander, and we were then both taken away.

  I don’t know why, but despite my best efforts, my gaze kept slipping towards Lieutenant Commander Nathan Shepherd.

  …

  Corridor 46 A

  The cleanup started straight away. The hull had to be reinforced before the emergency structural shielding sapped the engines.

  A team of technicians were sent to reinforce the hull plating.

  Junior Engineer J’lax floated outside of the station in a mech suit. He was part of a contingent of 10 engineers sent to repair the hole on the exterior of the station.

  As the thrusters of his suit maneuvered him towards his destination, confusion crumpled his brow.

  His three eyes slid from left to right, taking in the extent of the damage.

  It was massive. Most of the hull plating along a 100-meter section had been torn clean off.

  … Except for one four-meter subsection.

  He blinked all three of his eyes simultaneously.

  In the name of the goddess, he just didn’t understand.

  His gaze flicked from left to right again, picking up the trail of destruction that stopped abruptly for four meters, then continued for another 50 meters after that.

  He hunched over the controls in his mech suit, running a quick structural scan and comparing it with the blueprints of the station.

  … There was no special structural support in the small section that was completely undamaged. No extra shielding, no reinforced plating.

  “Hey, Frazon,” he initiated his comms, “you see what I’m seeing?”

  “I’m seeing a lot of work,” Frazon said, voice shaking. “That ship did a heck of a lot of damage when it tore free from its moorings.”

  “No. That four-meter section just above there.” He sent Frazon the coordinates.

  “What about it? It’s probably reinforced.”

  “It isn’t. There’s nothing about it on the blueprints.”

  “We need to fix this damage,” Frazon snapped, the stress obvious in his tone, “and you can’t rely on the blueprints. They’re not always accurate.”

  Not always accurate? On a station as complex as this one, they had to be. As an engineer, you needed to know exactly where everything was at all times, lest you cut into some innocent looking piece of plating only to find it housed part of the life-support system.

  “Get to work,” Frazon said tersely.

  J’lax shook his head and did what he was told.

  …

  Lieutenant Commander Nathan Shepherd

  I woke screaming, demanding to know what happened to my ship.

  Everyone tried to assure me it had just been an accident. None of my crew had been killed, though a few were seriously injured.

  As soon as they’d stabilized me sufficiently and hooked me up to a self-moving back-brace, they discharged me.

  I’d shattered four vertebrae and fractured my skull in three places.

  The only reason they were discharging me was because I’d been called to an emergency meeting with senior Star Forces members who were on the station.

  My injuries would heal quickly. They’d already fused together my bones, and the mechanical back-brace was just there for additional support.

  It was so small, you couldn’t even tell I was wearing it.

  Modern medical technology was incredible, but there was one thing they still couldn’t do – tear the shock from your body when you’d undergone what I had.

  Though they’d fixed my eardrums, I swear they still rang, and there was a dense nauseous feeling settling in my gut.

  I walked quickly to the designated meeting room.

  I wanted to get this over with so I could inspect my ship.

  Everyone had been calling it an accident. There’d been some kind of mistake during the resupply of the Godspeed, one critical enough that it had initiated an explosion that had torn a hole 20 meters wide in its hull and ripped it from its dock.

  I arrived at the room to see Annabelle Williams outside. She’d been leaning with her back against the wall, staring at her hands, but as soon as she saw me approach, she lurched forward. “Nathan, oh my God, are you alright? I heard you were caught up in the explosion? I was so worried.”

  “I’m fine, Annabelle,” I said quietly. “But I want to know what the hell happened to my ship.” I brushed past her into the room.

  Waiting for me was the controller of the station, Captain H’agovan from the Ra’xon, and Admiral Phelps.

  As I entered the room, the atmosphere was grim.

  “What the hell—“

  Admiral Phelps cleared his throat. “It wasn’t an accident, to answer your question, Lieutenant Commander.”

  I stopped. Floored. “What?” my voice trembled.

  “It was a terrorist attack,” Phelps said flatly. In his 80s, he was relatively young for an Admiral. With the long lifespans of humans these days, you could be expected to serve the Star Forces for a good century or more.

  “Terrorist attack?” I repeated in a hollow tone.

  “It was the resistance,” Phelps added.

  “The resistance?”

  “This is the first time they’ve attacked a high-value target like this,” Phelps’ calm cracked, and his voice bottomed low as he brought a hand up and ran it through his still black beard.

  “Sit down, Lieutenant Commander.” Avral, the Commander of the station motion towards a chair. “You are still injured.”

  I couldn’t sit. I couldn’t sit at a
time like this.

  I stared at the Admiral, incapable of controlling my expression. “Why did they target us?”

  “It seems their goal was twofold – not only did they want to destroy the Godspeed, but they intended to use her to damage the Ra’xon as well. They would have managed to, but this station’s structural integrity held long enough that the Ra’xon had time to pull away and initiate their shields,” Phelps explained.

  “In other words, we were lucky,” Captain H’agovan grumbled. She was from a massive race. She stood at least 2 feet over me, and I was 6’1. A truly powerful build, you wouldn’t want to take her on in an arm wrestle. “If deck 46 hadn’t held, we’d be looking at a completely different situation here. The Ra’xon could have spiraled out of control and taken the whole station with it. We should be extremely thankful no one was killed.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t believe this. I thought this station was one of the most protected places in the Milky Way? How the hell did the resistance get aboard my ship?”

  Nobody answered. The silence felt as if it swelled around me.

  I swallowed hard, gaze darting between the Captain and the Admiral. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “You want to know how the resistance got aboard your ship? It’s the same way they’ve been carrying out the rest of their terrorist attacks against Star Forces’ assets.”

  “How?” I felt my cheeks pale and slacken.

  “They’ve spread throughout our ranks, Shepherd,” Phelps answered in a controlled tone. We were in the station controller’s own office, and Phelps was standing next to the large table that was her desk. He leaned forward, made a fist, and pressed it hard into the smooth metal. “You had spies aboard your ship,” he stated bluntly.

  I took a step back. “What?”

  “One of your crew did this,” Phelps said as he raised a finger and pointed it towards the massive window behind the station controller’s desk.

  I shook my head again, the move jerky, a cold tension spreading down my neck. “That’s impossible. I know my crew. I can vouch for them.…”

  “And how about the Fargo?” the Captain interrupted. She stood ramrod straight in the middle of the room, her arms crossed, her powerful muscles pushing hard against the fabric of her black uniform.

  “… The Fargo?”

  “We have credible evidence to suggest that the Fargo’s engines did not go critical on their own. Someone attacked that ship, too – someone from within. And it stands to reason that once they boarded your ship, they took the opportunity to attack it also,” Phelps’s words were harsh and quick.

  I planted a sweaty hand against my forehead, locking my fingers firmly into my flesh.

  My ship was attacked by the resistance….

  “She’s salvageable,” Phelps suddenly added. “It’ll take a while, but we can rebuild her. It seems our terrorist didn’t want to scuttle your ship completely – just use it as a battering ram to knock the docking Ra’xon off course.”

  I stood there and swallowed. Then the anger flooded in. It rammed into me like a tidal wave. I clutched my hands into fists, driving the fingers as hard as I could into my palms. With a slow smooth movement I looked up at the Admiral. “How do we catch the bastards who did this?”

  “You continue your mission to the Hari System. It’s time we blow the resistance apart,” the Admiral answered.

  “How do I get there without my ship?”

  “We’ll take you.” Captain H’agovan nodded towards me, the massive muscles of her neck pushing against her collar.

  “… And what about my crew?”

  “We will do a full investigation. It’s already underway,” Admiral Phelps assured me.

  “And what if we accidentally bring that spy aboard the Ra’xon?”

  “We won’t.” Phelps pressed his fist into the desk once more, his whole arm locking up into his shoulder.

  I held the Admiral’s gaze.

  I wanted to believe what he was saying, but it was hard.

  It was hard, because my own goddamn ship had just been attacked. Someone got past all our defenses, despite the fact the Godspeed was one of the most sophisticated ships in the fleet.

  “I’ve already organized to have your personal effects transferred to the Ra’xon.” The Captain nodded at me. “You’ll find your quarters far more generous than your old ones. We’ve got a lot more room.”

  It took me a while, then I nodded. My jaw was stiff, and I could barely move it as I parted my lips. “I need to attend to my crew first. There were no deaths, but…” I trailed off.

  “Do what you need to.” The Captain nodded at me. “We don’t leave until 0800 tomorrow morning.”

  I pressed my lips together and took a breath. Then I saluted. “Will that be all?”

  The Admiral returned my salute. “You’re dismissed. You’re lucky to be alive, Lieutenant Commander, but we thank our lucky stars that you survived.”

  I turned to walk away but stopped. “How’s the ensign who was with me? Ensign Jenks?”

  The Admiral appeared to search his memory.

  “She’s fine. She sustained no injuries and was discharged immediately after her report was taken,” the station commander answered.

  “I guess you weren’t the only lucky one,” the Captain commented. “See you in the morning, Lieutenant Commander.” She turned and began to discuss something with the Admiral in a low tone.

  That was my cue to leave.

  I saluted, turned on my heel, and walked out.

  I’d only held my command of the Godspeed for a few short months. And she’d been scuttled whilst in my command.

  I locked a sweaty hand over my mouth as I walked out.

  I startled because Annabelle was still there.

  She jolted off the wall again, expressive hazel eyes widening as she saw me. “Is everything okay?”

  I didn’t answer. Not for a long while. My thoughts kept being pulled from memory to memory. I saw flashes of that wall of fire rushing through the hallway towards me. Then felt the agony stab at my back as I crawled forward. Agony that had been nothing when I compared it to the sight of my damaged ship.

  “Nathan.” She reached a hand out and placed it gently on my elbow.

  I took a sharp breath. “It could be worse,” I forced myself to admit. “No casualties,” I said through a swallow that punched my throat against my collar, “and the damage to the station’s repairable.… It could have been a lot worse,” I repeated again.

  If the deck I’d been on hadn’t held, the Ra’xon could have been shunted into the station….

  I shivered suddenly.

  “I’m so happy you’re alive,” Annabelle said again, actual tears shimmering in her gaze.

  They caught my attention, and a small smile tugged its way across my lips. “You’re not one for emotional displays, Lieutenant,” I said gently.

  “Nathan, I’m just… I’m glad you’re alive.”

  I patted her hand and took a step back. “I’m bone tired,” I said. “But I’ve got to see to the rest of my crew. Some of them were injured badly.”

  “Give yourself a chance to rest,” she counselled immediately. “You’re crew are fine. They are receiving the best medical attention the Star Forces can provide. You need to look after yourself, Nate.”

  “I know they’re receiving the best medical attention, and no, I don’t need to look after myself. I still need to see them.” With that, I gave a short nod and walked away.

  When I reached the medical bay, my body was so tired I could have fallen asleep on the floor.

  I didn’t. Instead, systematically, I saw every injured member of my crew. I sat with them until the medical personnel shooed me away and gave me direct orders to get some rest of my own.

  I walked out of the med bay, the doors swishing closed behind me. Then I stood there for about a minute doing nothing but feeling the heady lethargy shift through my limbs.

  I knew I should get some rest, but t
here was one more thing I had to do.

  Though Ensign Jenks wasn’t part of my crew, I still wanted to check on her, if only to thank her. And though everybody had told me she was fine, I needed to see that with my own two eyes.

  I found that she had already been transferred to the Ra’xon.

  I forced myself to walk to her quarters.

  And then, when I reached them, I paused for a few seconds. My mouth was dry, heart beating hard in my chest. I didn’t know why. Latent shock from the explosion? Or maybe I’d pushed myself so far that I was about to collapse.

  Closing my eyes briefly, I pushed the sensation away and jammed my thumb into the intercom. “This is Nathan Shepherd,” I announced myself.

  “Enter,” someone said, and the doors slid open.

  An unfamiliar Ensign popped her head around the door, her confusion obvious. “How can I help you?”

  I glanced past her to see Ensign Jenks. She was kneeling with her hands rested on her lap, her head angled down until her short cropped hair cupped her ears.

  She appeared to have her eyes closed and either wasn’t aware of my presence or didn’t care.

  The Ensign at the door followed my gaze. “Are you after her? Is she late for her shift or something?”

  “No, she is not late for a duty shift. I’m here to…” I trailed off.

  The Ensign turned around and cleared her throat.

  Jenks didn’t move.

  “You have a visitor,” the Ensign tried, raising her voice high. She half turned to me and lifted an eyebrow. “She’s done nothing but sit there and stare at the wall for the past half hour. It’s just my luck to get another crazy roommate.”

  I wasn’t wearing my uniform, so the Ensign would have no idea of my rank. I cleared my throat. “Ensign,” I let my voice dip low, “Jenks here was just involved in the accident. She almost lost her life. I suggest,” my voice dipped even lower, “you cut her some slack.”

  The young woman stiffened, her eyes growing wide. “What, you were involved in the explosion?” She shifted her head quickly towards Jenks.

  Jenks finally stood, the movements of her body graceful as she lifted onto her feet. Her shoulders dropped down, and then, with just a slight pause, she turned to face me. “Yes, I was involved in the accident. No, I am not hurt. As I am uninjured, I didn’t think it was worth mentioning. I assume you have come to check up on me, Lieutenant Commander?”