When the Dust Settled

by Jeannie Meekins

  John nodded.

  “And since you’re not asking me if I know why, I’m assuming you know more than I do.”

  John didn’t answer.

  “Get out, Commander, I don’t need you in my way. Brenda!”

  “Here, Doctor.” Brenda arrived, her usually bright face showing signs of stress.

  John headed to the door.

  “Keep an eye on the lieutenant commander,” he overheard Dunlop tell the nurse. “If her brain activity drops below normal, call me.”

  “Yes, Doctor.”

  John was reassured a little; a lot less than he let on. He left McReidy to the care of the medical staff and returned to the bridge. He had to find out how ‘normal’ the ship was.

  Habit had him reaching for his communicator, only to realise he was still locked out. He’d fix that when he got back to the bridge, and contact all departments from there.

  “Sir –” Giacomo bailed him up as soon as he returned.

  “Not now,” John cut him off.

  Tan vacated his chair. John took it and began overriding McReidy’s lock. Within a minute, the computer recognised and acknowledged him, reinstating his access. His communicator switched on, the homing beacon activated, and he switched it off.

  He flicked the intercom. “Madison to crew. All departments report your current status.”

  Confirmations came in that all departments were operational. Some were not as fully manned as they should have been. Engineering had the least personnel. Not surprising considering half the engineers were in sick bay.

  He was tempted to send Gillespie down there, but his lack of faith in the man meant he wanted him on the bridge where he could keep an eye on him.

  Short of running into any major problems, the remaining staff would have to handle it. Although the first person to complain about working overtime would have more trouble than they could handle.

  Giacomo finally had his way. John really didn’t have the time or the inclination to listen. He also knew Giacomo was tearing himself up with guilt, and called him into the office to save the poor man the embarrassment of exploding in front of the others.

  The door had barely closed and Giacomo’s mouth was open. “Sir, I’m sorry.”

  John had only just made it to his desk. He turned around and sat against the edge of it, his hands in his lap. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry for.”

  He looked up into Giacomo’s anxious face, hoping his quiet words would ease the guilt.

  “But I shot you!”

  “I’m well aware of that.”

  “I… I could have killed you.” That was Giacomo’s greatest fear. The knowledge that he was capable of that scared him more than anything.

  “But you didn’t.” It was not something John cared to be reminded of. He also knew that nothing he said would have the slightest impact. He decided to try a different line. “Giacomo, before you say anything else, I think there’s someone you should see.”

  “Who?”

  John raised a hand and touched a forefinger to his own cheekbone.

  Giacomo’s black eye was beginning to fade. He frowned reluctantly.

  “The sooner the better,” John advised.

  “I’m still on duty,” Giacomo reminded, almost a little too quickly.

  “Don’t come back until you’ve sorted yourself out.”

  Although given in an advisory tone, it couldn’t have been regarded as more of an order if it had been issued with the proper formality. Giacomo wasn’t willing to debate or disobey.

  * * *

  As Giacomo made his way to Lorraine’s quarters, he wondered what he would say to her. His mind was a blank; he had no idea.

  Helen answered the door. At least he didn’t have to worry about it being slammed in his face.

  “Is Lorraine in?” he asked politely. “I need to speak to her.”

  I’ve been ordered to speak to her, was what he felt like saying. She couldn’t say no to that.

  “Of course she is.” Helen grabbed him by the arm and dragged him in. “Lorraine, someone to see you,” she called over her shoulder.

  “I’m really not in the mood to –” Lorraine began as she turned her head and looked over the back of the lounge. She froze in midsentence when she saw her guest. “Giacomo,” she whispered.

  Helen broke the awkward silence as Giacomo and Lorraine could do little else but stare at each other. “Come on, Anna,” she grabbed Anna’s arm, hauled her out of the chair and tried to drag her to the door. “We’ve got a prior engagement.”

  “No, I haven’t.” Anna was unable to take the hint.

  “Yes, we have,” Helen insisted, accompanying the words with a sharp elbow in the ribs.

  Anna looked blankly at Helen, then to Giacomo and Lorraine. The penny dropped. “Oh… um… yes, we do. Thanks for the coffee. Love to stay and chat…”

  Helen had her out the door. Giacomo turned slightly and smiled a thank you to Helen. For someone who had a big mouth, she also knew when to keep it shut.

  He heard the door close behind him as he turned back to Lorraine. She seemed to have gotten over her initial shock and rose to her feet.

  “Giacomo, I’m so sorry.”

  He stepped forward and took her in his arms. He felt her tremble as she buried her head into his shoulder.

  “Ssh,” he comforted her. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry about.” He was surprised to find himself using John’s words.

  She looked up at him, her face was wet and she gently brushed his cheekbone with her fingertips. “I don’t know what came over me. I’d never hurt you intentionally.”

  “I know that,” he whispered, holding her tighter.

  He didn’t blame her for anything. Whatever had happened wasn’t her fault. As far as he was concerned, it was over. He smiled to himself as he realised that was what the commander had sent him down there to discover.

  Lorraine pulled away. She wiped her eyes with her hands and attempted to regain her composure. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”

  “I’ve got some time.”

  He had as long as he wanted, but he gave Lorraine a reason to throw him out. She was still tense, her gaze lingering on his cheek when she tried to make eye contact and she looked around the room for a distraction.

  “Could you give me a hand studying? The exam’s in a fortnight. If I miss it now, I won’t be able to sit it for another six months.”

  Giacomo beamed. “You get the books, I’ll clear the table.” Any excuse was good enough for him.

  * * *

  McReidy opened her eyes. The ceiling lights glared down at her and she turned her head to the side. The beds were full, the staff wandering around in their duties and the sting of antiseptic hit the back of her throat.

  Sick bay – but she had no idea how she got there, or why. The last thing she remembered was being on the bridge. Arguing with John about… something or other. She couldn’t quite recall.

  “You’re awake again,” Kat smiled.

  “How did I get here?” McReidy’s voice wavered.

  “You were unconscious. The commander brought you down here.”

  Great, McReidy flinched, her palm raising and pressing against her forehead. Another thing to add to the list of what he would use against her.

  “Are you feeling better?”

  “Yes… fine.” Surprisingly, she was. Her head was clearing, her memory a little hazy – the most recent events a complete blank.

  “Doctor,” Kat called.

  Dunlop looked up from his horizontal patient, spoke to Gunston and made his way to McReidy.

  “You’re looking better,” he told her.

  Were his lies always so obvious? she wondered. Although “better” and “normal” were two completely different things.

  “I’ve got to get back to the bridge,” she told him.

  “Okay, just give me a couple of minutes to check you over.”

  He checked her chart, the readings on the machines beside her and
ran a scanner over her.

  “All good,” he smiled.

  He peeled the wired tapes from her temples – how did she not even know they were there? – and unclipped the finger clamp. The heart monitor stopped beeping and flatlined. Kat turned it off.

  McReidy quickly looked over herself to see if there was anything else she was plugged into that she’d been unaware of.

  “Nothing else,” Dunlop told her as he moved to the intercom on the wall. “Sick bay to the bridge. I’ve just cleared Lieutenant Commander McReidy for duty.”

  John wasn’t letting her anywhere near the bridge. “It’s too late today. Tell her to get some rest and I’ll see her in the morning.”

  Although McReidy could see the sense in his words, she still felt it was just an excuse.

  * * *

  Apparently, it wasn’t too late in the day to recall other crew to the bridge.

  Giacomo had made himself at home on Lorraine’s lounge. She lay on her back along the length of it, using his lap as a pillow. One arm curved around her as he held the book where they could both see it.

  Every now and then, he would pull the book away with his free hand and flick it shut, keeping his thumb inside at the appropriate page, and quiz her. He tended to cheat, his questions leading away from what she had just read and into the next section. It infuriated her.

  Since she claimed to have read the book at least a dozen times, she should have known what the next progression would be. He was trying to get her thinking to advanced problems rather than what was written in front of her.

  She seemed to be distracted, her attention more on studying Giacomo than anything else. He gently reminded her that flirting with the examiner was not necessarily going to guarantee a pass.

  She looked up at him with dark teasing eyes. His heart skipped a beat as they turned serious, revealing her true intent. He bent his head to kiss her. The sound of her voice as she whispered his name was drowned out by the commander’s over his communicator.

  “Giacomo!”

  Giacomo’s head stilled. “Here, sir.”

  “Get back up here before I send someone looking for you.”

  “Yes, sir.” His forehead dropped gently onto Lorraine’s as he sighed in frustration. “I have to go,” he whispered.

  The irritation of the commander’s timing reflected in Giacomo’s voice. The smell of her hair was in his nostrils – and would probably stay there for the rest of the day. He lifted his head reluctantly.

  Lorraine sat up a little, allowing him to move, then snuggled into the spot where he had been. He passed her the book.

  “Later,” she told him quietly.

  He nodded, trying to hide his disappointment. She drew her knees up and rested the book against them. He left her to continue studying on her own. At least, she might be able to get something done.

  * * *

  When John left the bridge that night, he had a crew in charge that he could trust. He’d sent Tan and Humphries for a break and had them back now with Hartford. Giacomo and Gillespie, he wasn’t leaving either of them in charge – or alone. Not yet.

  He headed to the bar for answers.

  It was almost empty. Most of the crew were either on duty, in sick bay or resting off whatever had affected them.

  Soghra wiped down the bar, polished a few glasses and resigned himself to the fact that the commander wasn’t leaving without answers. He took a glass and bottle of rum from beneath the bar and walked to John’s table.

  John watched him put the glass down uncap the bottle and pour the golden brown liquid.

  “What was it?” he asked.

  Soghra took the empty seat opposite and shrugged. “Merely a child.”

  “That’s not answering my question.”

  “It is as much as you need to know.”

  “No,” John ground out, his grip tightening on his glass. “It got onto my ship undetected and took over most of my crew. Don’t tell me I don’t need to know.”

  Soghra relented. “They are an ancient race who drift the galaxy. They are known to some as Nebola. To the majority, they are not known.”

  “And?” John persisted.

  “They affected your crew because they can affect matter. The reason they are not known is because they prefer to interact with matter directly rather than the living beings that matter has become.”

  “Yet this one chose to.”

  Soghra shrugged. “A child’s curiosity.”

  John leaned back in his chair and took a mouthful of rum, not entirely satisfied by the answer.

  “A handful of living beings, it plays with. The millions of living beings raging around your system when it arrived…” Soghra shook his head. “Too much for it to even consider.”

  That explained why those who’d been sick were unaffected.

  “Now tell me how you got past North without him even seeing you.”

  The tiniest smirk crossed Soghra’s face. “He wasn’t looking for me.”

  Soghra’s attention was caught by something behind John and he nodded. “Someone else wishes to speak to you.”

  John turned to look over his shoulder. McReidy!

  “I thought I told her…” he growled under his breath. He downed his drink and slid the empty glass across the table.

  Soghra obeyed and poured him another drink. He capped the bottle, left it on the table and headed back to the bar.

  John heard McReidy’s footsteps, felt her at his elbow. “Can we talk?”

  Chewing her out now, like he felt like doing, wasn’t going to achieve anything. He glanced at his watch. “I guess I can make time.”

  “Get any answers?” she asked casually as she sat down.

  “A few.” He sipped his drink.

  She might have wanted to talk, but she was avoiding it.

  “Now you know what it feels like to have your ship stolen from underneath you.”

  “Yes, but I didn’t shoot you, or throw you in the brig,” he countered.

  “If you had’ve, you would never have gotten off that moon.”

  “If I had’ve, I wouldn’t have been court martialled.”

  She was about to protest.

  “All right,” he conceded. “I still would have been court martialled… But you really put me in it with Captain Barrett.”

  “It wasn’t deliberate.”

  John knew that.

  “What was it like?” he ventured cautiously. Although he wouldn’t discuss it with the rest of the crew, deep down he really wanted to understand what had happened.

  “It was… kind of… strange. I knew what I was doing but I couldn’t stop myself. Somehow, I didn’t really want to. If was as if whatever I did was the right thing… If that makes any sense.”

  John nodded. “It looked to me like you were enjoying yourself a bit too much.”

  “Honestly?”

  “Please.” His eyes met hers.

  “I was,” she confessed quietly.

  There was a moment’s silence. John took a long drink. McReidy watched him and the bottle. He wasn’t moving. She’d have to get her own glass if she wanted to join him.

  “The doc says the only ones not affected were the ones with your flu,” she continued.

  “The way my head’s been stuffed up, nothing could get in.”

  “Do we know what it was?”

  “A creature with the power to manipulate the human mind.” Not completely accurate but he didn’t feel like explaining and that had been the end result. “Apparently it was only a child.”

  “I’d hate to meet its parents!”

  John laughed quietly and agreed.

  “Soghra confuses me,” she continued. “He’s not the least bit interested in what’s going on, yet sometimes he goes out of his way to help us.”

  “He will only do something when it is in his own best interest to do so. Ruscatans only think of themselves as being important. They tolerate other races for the benefits they can get out of it. He –” John cut h
imself off before saying too much. McReidy knew nothing of Soghra’s history and he intended to keep it that way. “Has his reasons for being here.”

  She didn’t push him further. Good. He didn’t have all the answers. Only what Soghra intended him to know at this stage.

  She rose from her seat and left him in peace. Even better.

  Back to top

  Chapter twenty

  John was woken early next morning by a call from Fleet Command. He threw himself out of bed, dragging on a jacket and pants and raking his fingers through his hair as he stumbled to the loungeroom and his desk. The hurried warning from Humphries that it was Admiral Powers himself and that he did not seem in a particularly good mood set alarms ringing in John’s head. It was not going to be a pleasant chat.

  “Good morning, sir.” John tried desperately to stifle a yawn.

  “I see you’ve been at it again,” Powers snapped.

  “Sir?” John asked innocently. He had no idea what the admiral was referring to. More to the point, he didn’t know which incidents Powers was actually aware of.

  “Don’t play cute with me,” Powers’ face creased in restrained fury.

  He was in the mood to tear someone apart. Humphries had been kind in his observation.

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about. You disobeyed orders and led an enemy fleet straight to Antigua and Shimodo. Then you refused to loan Shimodo enough crewmen to enable her to get back to port safely.”

  John’s mouth fell open, but he had no words.

  “Are you going to deny it?”

  “Of course I deny it. For all the good it’ll do me.” John couldn’t think straight. That was not what happened.

  Powers wasn’t giving him a chance to think. “You shouldn’t have been anywhere near that sector. My orders specifically said…”

  John knew what his orders said. By now, he was not listening. Melchior – it had to be him. It looked like he was determined to get Kowalski at any cost.

  “Are you listening to me?” Powers roared.

  “Yes, sir,” John answered in defeat. He was not about to argue with the admiral. An argument he knew he would lose. How could he expect to be believed over the word of a superior officer?