When the Dust Settled

by Jeannie Meekins

  The mumbled background comments were not clearly audible, but the intent was obvious.

  “Gillespie, get down to engineering and sort this out before they kill each other,” John ordered. He really didn’t feel like breaking up fights at the moment. “I thought Kowalski was all right after shore leave.”

  “He was,” McReidy answered. “Then yesterday, he just snapped. He got into a fight with Case… It’s just not like him.”

  * * *

  Giacomo turned up for work the next morning with a black eye. He wouldn’t say how he got it, but he did have a tendency to settle arguments with his fists.

  McReidy had other thoughts on the matter. It made her think of the unsettling conversation with the girls the previous night. Especially when she looked at his hands. They showed no sign that he might have struck back.

  McReidy had intended on spending a pleasant evening with the girls in the bar. Catching up on gossip, even though a lot of it wasn’t true, was always an interesting experience. Especially when Helen was there. She tended to overexaggerate the truth and most of what she said was based on rumour.

  No one ever believed a word she said, and it would have been quite easy to laugh it off had she not been so serious. No one wanted to hurt her feelings and nothing she said was ever hurtful or malicious.

  Spending so much time with the men, McReidy knew their imaginations could be just as active as the women’s.

  Lorraine was letting of steam about Kowalski. He had been arguing with everyone, nothing was done to his satisfaction, and when he was reminded that he was not chief engineer, he flew into a rage and took a swing at the unlucky person who had mentioned it.

  “What happened when Gillespie got down there?” McReidy asked. Gillespie hadn’t been forthcoming when he returned to the bridge.

  “It didn’t last that long,” Lorraine answered. “Red punched his lights out.”

  McReidy flinched as she visualised Kowalski being flattened by Red. The size difference alone was enough to make Kowalski back down under normal circumstances.

  With the break of a few seconds silence for impact, Helen was underway. Her topic of choice was Tan. The tight red curls bounced around as her head moved whenever she spoke.

  “He’s kinda sweet,” she smiled. “I know we were only working together with the code and figuring out the language is my job. But, I swear, it’s like he doesn’t even know I exist.”

  Soghra was in lust. His arrival at the table to take their orders didn’t seem to faze Helen, who continued talking.

  A table full of women was usually the only time Soghra went out of his way to provide service. They all knew and played him well. They were also careful to make sure there were always at least two of them – being alone with him was just too uncomfortable.

  McReidy could see why Giacomo liked Lorraine. She was young, pretty and very feminine – something a lot of the girls seemed to lose when on duty, but made up for after. Her dark eyes could be full of mystery and a touch of genuine cheek. And she knew her way around engineering as well as any man there – and better than some.

  Lorraine didn’t seem to be her usual self. She was on edge. She shook her head, as though trying to clear it, then suddenly cut off Lynn, who was mentioning the latest male she thought of as interesting.

  “I don’t know why you’re bothering,” Lorraine snapped. “They’re all as bad as each other. You can’t trust any of them.”

  “I think you’ve gone a bit overboard,” Kat stepped in.

  “Really? Like you and Rodgers are perfect. I bet he’s still seeing Wanda.”

  Kat’s bottom jaw trembled and she struggled not to say something she would regret.

  “That’s hardly fair,” McReidy put in.

  “Especially since you’ve got Giacomo.” Helen was never lost for words.

  “Him?” Lorraine shrieked incredulously. “You can have him if you like…!”

  That was definitely not the same Lorraine of a few weeks ago, McReidy noted.

  “He’s probably one of the worst,” Lorraine continued. “He’s arrogant, demanding, chauvinistic… Isn’t he?” The question was directed at McReidy. “You work with him. Don’t you agree?”

  None of the adjectives fitted Giacomo and McReidy really didn’t want to get caught up in this line of attack. “Well, I haven’t really noticed –” she began calmly, trying to ease what was becoming a very volatile situation.

  “So he is two-timing me! I thought so!” Lorraine was furious. She had seen McReidy’s lack of agreement as confirmation of her own thoughts. “Wait till I get hold of him!”

  She threw down her drink, slammed the empty glass on the table, shoved her chair backwards and stood up.

  “Lorraine, wait,” McReidy began.

  Lorraine’s glare cut through her and she decided to stay well out of it as the engineer stormed off, leaving an air of discomfort.

  McReidy glanced around the bar. Soghra appeared overly interested in them: table full of women – no surprise there. But he remained at a distance, content to observe. None of the other crew gave them more than a second glance.

  “Something’s really upset her,” Kat commented.

  “Well it’s not Giacomo,” McReidy answered. “He’s not like that.”

  “Are you sure?” Lynn asked.

  “I know he isn’t.”

  The sociality of the evening was gone. Kat and Lynn left. Helen wanted to go, but offered to stay and talk to McReidy, not wanting to leave her alone. McReidy told her to go, assuring her that she would be fine; she could handle Soghra.

  McReidy sat quietly, occasionally sipping her drink and thinking. It was not right. First Kowalski, then Lorraine. It seemed the entire engineering section had suddenly become… she didn’t know what.

  She wasn’t aware Soghra had sat down opposite her at the table until she felt her hand in both of his. She ripped her hand from his grasp and gave him a look that warned him not to try anything. He heeded the warning.

  “Another lemon squash?” he asked.

  “No… thanks.” She shook her head, her voice quiet.

  He glanced around the bar. It was quiet and no one needed attending to. And since she hadn’t specifically told him to go, he stayed.

  “Something’s not right.” McReidy didn’t realise she was confiding in Soghra. It wasn’t something she would do. He just happened to be there. “I’ve never seen them at each other like this before.”

  Soghra didn’t answer. He simply watched her with interest.

  “Last night… when Kowalski was here.” She looked up from her glass to Soghra. “What started it?”

  “Nothing I am aware of.”

  McReidy frowned slightly. Why was there always more to Soghra’s answers than the words said? Should he have been aware of something? Should any of them? Maybe she was becoming paranoid. Everyone was entitled to blow off steam every now and then.

  Now, as McReidy thought back on the entire incident, it confused her more.

  Giacomo barely spoke all day, seeming almost to avoid her, shying away from any form of eye contact.

  At the end of shift, he was the first one off the bridge. McReidy charged after him, catching him up in the corridor.

  “Giacomo.”

  He kept going, his head down as he ignored her.

  “Giacomo.” She lunged after him and grabbed his upper arm.

  He stopped and turned to face her. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this,” he apologised.

  She released his arm. As if he had something to apologise for?

  “I don’t mean to offend you, but I don’t think of you like that. No matter what she says.” The last sentence was almost a whisper. He turned away and walked quickly down the corridor.

  Although he admitted nothing, McReidy knew Lorraine was responsible for the black eye. It still didn’t change the way he felt about her. He was hurt, not angry. McReidy was the one who now felt guilty. Had she not defended Giacomo, she may not have been
seen as ‘the other woman’ – which was apparently what had happened – although it had been fairly obvious by Lorraine’s mood that the blame was going to be laid somewhere.

  * * *

  John and Dunlop were the only ones missing from poker that night. Kowalski was warned – threatened – to behave or else. He seemed a lot calmer: whether his anger had passed or Red had knocked some sense into him.

  It was not the same relaxed atmosphere as usual, at least not to McReidy. The others didn’t seem to notice. Kowalski had trouble concentrating, appearing to lose complete track of things in the middle of a hand. He screwed his eyes shut, his hand rising to his forehead as though trying to clear his mind of something. It happened a few times, causing McReidy to wonder if there really was something wrong with him. Dunlop had cleared him for duty so it was obvious there was nothing physically wrong.

  He spent much of his conversation with Gillespie. They talked in low voices, watching McReidy as though they had a secret they wanted to keep from her. She was becoming paranoid!

  As the evening wore on, they finally, carefully, let McReidy and Giacomo in. The conversation was becoming dangerous. They had brought up something that should never be discussed.

  “I really think the commander’s lost it. The doc even had to relieve him from duty the other day.”

  McReidy couldn’t believe that Kowalski was serious. “And he also cleared him back for duty,” she reminded him.

  “Physically, maybe. But you can’t tell me half those stunts he pulled were those of a rational man.”

  She had to admit that no one else would even have attempted a lot of John’s actions.

  “We shouldn’t even be in this war. Our mission was to scout and recruit allies, not take on enemy fleets. A lot of us think we’ve run out of luck. Let’s get out while we can and leave it to the big ships. If the commander keeps going like this, he’s going to get us all killed. And for what?”

  She had no answer.

  “You know you have the power to relieve him. With the doc’s agreement or that of two other senior officers.”

  “Sam, do you know what you’re talking about?” She wasn’t game enough to use the correct term. He couldn’t mean it… not really, she tried to convince herself. His face was serious enough to show his intent.

  “There’s a lot who’d support you, if you decided to take over,” Gillespie added, his tone every bit as serious as Kowalski.

  “Whoa, guys.” She raised her hands up defensively in front of herself. “We shouldn’t even be having this conversation.”

  “Suit yourself,” Kowalski answered.

  “Let us know if you change your mind,” Gillespie told her.

  They seemed to drop the subject pretty easily. They also didn’t seem worried that she might say anything. Giacomo had remained silent. It was hard to gauge a reaction from him. Hopefully, in the morning the whole matter would be forgotten. If it was never mentioned again, then she would have no need to say anything.

  * * *

  McReidy didn’t sleep well that night. She had the beginnings of a massive headache, something she had never been prone to until she arrived on this ship. For an hour, she tossed and turned, finally deciding she would have to get something from sick bay for her head.

  As she sat up and threw the blanket off, the ache suddenly disappeared. She changed her mind and decided to wait and see if it flared up again. The next thing she knew it was morning. She wasn’t aware that she had gone to sleep. The alarm hadn’t gone off. It showed she still had a few minutes before it was due.

  She was tired. Another eight hours would be sheer heaven. Unfortunately, she had work.

  The bridge was quiet and she slumped into her seat, glad she had her back to John as she covered a yawn. Her head started pulsing; enough to be irritating, not painful. If it didn’t ease by lunch, she’d get some painkillers.

  Gillespie behaved as though last night had not taken place. Giacomo was his usual chatty self, apparently over the embarrassment of the day before. No one was any the wiser and the subject wasn’t mentioned.

  They were almost back on course. That is, back to where they were before the unauthorised dash to Shimodo. Engineering seemed to have settled down, although fights were now breaking out all over the ship. Most of them over nothing. It was affecting most of the crew. Sick bay was overrun with minor casualties.

  It was mid morning when an alien ship was spotted on long range sensors. Gillespie was reluctant to identify it. It was too far away, he claimed.

  John’s eyes narrowed. Too far away or not, he wanted to know what it was.

  “Mister Tan, put it on the main screen.”

  “Yes, sir,” Tan obeyed.

  At extreme magnification, the alien ship could barely be made out. Sensors would have no trouble identifying it.

  “Looks like an Andromedan scout,” John encouraged confirmation.

  “Possibly.” Gillespie would not be drawn out.

  “What do you mean ‘possibly’?” John turned on him. “Either it is, or it isn’t.”

  “All right then, it is,” Gillespie snapped.

  John hesitated, before a low growl escaped. “I want to see you later.”

  “Yeah, whatever.” Gillespie didn’t seem interested either way.

  “A scout shouldn’t be out here on its own,” John deliberated. “Let’s see where it’s going. Giacomo, plot a course to follow.”

  McReidy’s head was in her hands, her elbows propped on her console, her eyes closed. The thumping increased with John and Gillespie’s argument. At John’s order, it cleared.

  “We’re not going anywhere,” she spoke before Giacomo could obey. He threw her a sideways glance, his hands frozen on the controls; but she didn’t see him.

  “What?” John ground out.

  “I said, we’re not going anywhere.”

  She stood up and turned around; a phaser pointed directly at him.

  John froze. His hands lifted slowly from the arms of his chair as his eyes shifted between the phaser and her eyes.

  “Don’t,” she warned. He better not provoke her. The mood she was in, she’d pull the trigger.

  He turned his hands over, showing her they were empty and that he wasn’t a threat. She wasn’t falling for that either.

  “You’re no longer in control. I’m relieving you of command.” She spoke with all the calm and confidence of someone who knew they were doing what was right.

  “On what grounds?” John wanted to know.

  The rest of the crew had turned from their stations to watch the confrontation. His eyes never left McReidy, but he saw the hint of surprise on Giacomo. Gillespie had his attention on Tan; the communications officer wasn’t making a move, his hands raised in surrender.

  “On the grounds that you take too many unnecessary risks.”

  John was on his feet. McReidy lifted the phaser to match.

  “If I was you, I’d do whatever she says,” Gillespie warned.

  John’s attention shifted to Gillespie. He had Tan in front of his console, on his knees with his hands behind his head in defeat, a phaser to his head.

  “Take it easy,” John paled, his hands raising clear of his body. He looked to the pilot. “Giacomo?”

  Giacomo stood up. His big hands closed over McReidy’s. “Give me that.” He easily took the weapon from her and lowered it.

  John relaxed. He didn’t see Giacomo’s thumb flick the setting on the phaser, or have time to move when the pilot raised it and fired, and he hit the floor unconscious.

  “Now we don’t have to worry about him,” Giacomo explained simply.

  “What are we going to do with him?” Gillespie asked.

  McReidy thought for a moment. “Put him in the brig. That should keep him out of our way.”

  “Tan?” Giacomo queried.

  All eyes turned to Tan. He lifted his head, his eyes shifting rapidly between them.

  “Make a choice, Mister Tan?” McReidy told him. />
  His calm look rattled her.

  “With the commander.”

  “Up.” Giacomo indicated with the phaser, and Tan stood.

  Gillespie tucked his phaser inside his jacket. He struggled with John’s dead weight, but managed to pick him up and sling him over one shoulder, then took the phaser from Giacomo and indicated Tan precede him. “Back in a minute,” he told the others.

  “Where to?” Giacomo was back at the helm. The alien ship was well out of range.

  “Anywhere except where that ship’s going,” McReidy answered.

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  Chapter nineteen

  John woke. His head thumped and his chest ached. The ceiling slowly came into focus and it took him a few moments to recall what had happened. That’s right. McReidy was in command, and Giacomo had shot him!

  He sat up on the bed and dropped his feet to the floor. He rubbed his chest with the heel of his hand and took a couple of steadying breaths. His head cleared and his nerves tingled as the lingering effects of the phaser blast leached out of his system.

  He was in the brig. That was perfectly obvious – he’d been there before. Somehow all ships’ brigs looked alike from the inside. Well, he couldn’t stay here all day.

  He switched his communicator on. “Computer –”

  “Unauthorised access,” the computer interrupted and switched his communicator off.

  He let out a low growl, stood up and walked to the door.

  “Locked, sir.”

  John’s attention moved outside the cell. Tan was sitting comfortably on the bed in the cell beside him.

  “Are you all right?”

  “They only shot you, sir.”

  John cringed involuntarily. “How long?”

  “A couple of hours.”

  John turned back to the door. He knew where the lock panel was, but couldn’t access it from the inside, short of ripping the whole wall out. And he was not exactly equipped to do that.