Chapter 22 Transit
Ford stepped out of the shower and slipped into his new uniform, clipping the dark midnight blue tunic front into place, the new badge of Themis lodged firmly over his heart. He adjusted the sleeves and slipped his trademark cyber cloak over it. Everyone, especially the captain, was allowed to make a little adjustment to the standard issue now and again. He stepped out into the corridor and strode purposely towards the bridge, the ship humming and buzzing with activity around him.
It was amazing the difference a little rest could make. The blood shot eyes of the tiredness and exhaustion of the last few days had gone, everyone looked that bit more alert, refreshed, smiling at him as he passed. He smiled back. Once the plan had been executed he hoped they would all be able to get some proper R&R and train together instead of constantly being throw in at the deep end. That was the theory at least, although in the best keeping of military traditions, no plan ever seemed to survive contact with reality.
He was the last one to reach the bridge.
“Captain on the deck.” barked Carol, as everyone, in their crisp new uniforms, stood to attention and saluted.
“At ease people.” he took the captain’s station. He’d configured it for standing, the controls arranged around him in a waist high semi-circle. As had most of the bridge crew with their stations. The exception being Lucy who was seated at the helm, ready to pilot the ship. He scanned the readouts and checked his uplink with Gaia and Alaster. “What’s our status?”
“Green lights across the board, Themis and Sultan are prepped and ready to jump.” said Carol. “Amastra will remain here with the fighter escort until we give the all clear.”
Bryn swept the sensors one final time. “We’re clear to jump.”
“Very well tell Admiral Faiz to stand by to jump on my mark.” he waited for Carol to confirm they were ready. It would be interesting to see the Governors reaction when they arrived. If Scott was indeed telling the truth, rather than spinning an elaborate lie to try and save his own skin, he would be far from pleased to see them at Nova-7. “And mark.” he said pointing the first two fingers of his left hand at Lucy.
Lucy acknowledged him and opened the wormhole that would jump them into hyperspace, the space between space, and compress their travel time between the Scorponoid System and Nova-7. He took a deep breath, his heart racing and palms sweating as the wormhole collapsed behind them. They winked out of existence leaving the Amastra and her escorts behind in normal space. Sultan was hard on their heels, following them into the void. A dense swirling mass of red and black clouds wrapping themselves around the ships, as they hurtled through the nothingness towards Nova-7. He breathed sign of relief, it was like a thousand other starship jumps before it. No strange alien presence, no creeping tendrils trying to drag them off course, ever deeper into the uncharted zone.
Suddenly he tensed for a moment he saw, or perhaps sensed something, emerging from the nothingness. A long black, probing tendril, reaching out toward them before sinking back, vanishing into the random red and black patterns that ebbed and flowed around them. He blinked and gave a barely perceptible shake of the head. Hoping no one had noticed his reaction he looked around him and saw Bryn frowning at the sensor display.
“What is it?”
Bryn shook his head. “Strange, for a moment there, I thought I had a reading, must have been a sensor ghost. It’s just the same old, same old, hyperspace.”
Lucky cut in without taking her eyes off the consoles in front her. “Well seeing as I’m flying this crate, it would be nice of you to give me heads up, the next time you think you see something.”
Carol sensing the tension chimed in. “A ghost in the machine, right now that’s all we need.”
Alaster’s avatar materialised on the bridge. “I would like to assure you that there are no ghosts in or on this ship, everything is functioning within normal parameters. However I will run a full sensor diagnostic, but Themis assures me she is not experiencing any adverse reactions from the transit through hyperspace.”
“Somebody’s tetchy.” she quipped back. "Hold on I’ve got Anna on the com from Med bay she wants a private channel with you.”
Ford gestured to her to put it through to his console and evoked privacy mode. “What’s up?”
“I noticed a brief anxiety spike in your vitals, shortly after we entered hyperspace, is everything ok?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
“Well, I thought you might like to know, I’ve spotted a similar spike in the vitals of dozen people since we made the transit. I’ve even had a couple drop in the med bay.”
Ford frowned. “Anything we should worry about?”
“Negative, it only lasts a second or two in most instances. I’ve got Alaster monitoring the crew members deemed to be at risk and have updated their suits medical protocols to auto medicate if necessary.”
“At risk?”
“Yes, the common denominator is they were all members of the assault teams who made the transit through hyperspace with you.”
“Ok monitor the situation and inform me if anything changes, and one other thing, don’t upload the new medical protocol to my suit.”
“Understood.”
Ford revoked privacy mode, everyone on the bridge was looking at him. He shrugged his shoulders. “Nothing to worry about, I’ll let you know when it is.”
Exiles Page 41
