When the Dust Settled

by Jeannie Meekins

Streaks of pale green and pink clouds drifted about the ship. Spreading outwards, curling, folding in on themselves. Fingers of momentum that wanted to pick up the ship and carry her with them.

  “Giacomo?”

  “Nothing I can’t handle, sir. Just like riding the waves of a star.”

  John nodded. They’d keep going for now.

  Tan reinserted his earphone and settled comfortably back to work.

  Half an hour later and he pulled the earphone from its connection. A burst of static echoed around the bridge. It squealed and screeched for a few seconds, as though something was trying to make an artificial connection, then went silent.

  “The nebula, sir,” Tan explained.

  John nodded. “Giacomo, alter course.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Giacomo steered the ship out of the clutches of the interfering winds. The colours and gasses thinned and the pulsar rotated in oblivion to the difficulties it caused.

  It was barely midday when Gillespie’s sensors lit up.

  “Sir, I’m picking up something off the port bow,” he told John. “It’s skimming the edge of the nebula.”

  “Identify.”

  “It’s too far away. It shouldn’t be one of ours, unless there’s something out here we don’t know about.”

  That was always possible. Eavesdropping was one thing, but that wasn’t going to pick up everything and as reliable as Drago’s information was, he couldn’t keep track of or predict the movements of all the other allied worlds.

  “Giacomo, reduce speed. Take us towards the object. Move in slowly… Put it on main screen. Mister Gillespie, let me know as soon as you’ve identified it.”

  He put the ship on yellow alert. He would not fight this time. Whatever the ship was, he would let it go. The safety of the ambassadors was of the utmost importance.

  “It’s a fighter,” Gillespie identified. “Andromedan… short range.”

  “What’s it doing out here on its own?” John wondered.

  The ship suddenly lurched to port as it was hit on the starboard side.

  “Shields up,” John ordered. “Evasive manoeuvres. Giacomo, get us out of here.”

  “Engineering to bridge,” Kowalski’s voice came through the intercom. “Starboard engine’s shot to pieces. We can’t run.”

  “Return fire. Giacomo… do whatever you have to. Gillespie, head count. Tan, get us some help.” John flicked the intercom. “Lieutenant Commander McReidy, I need you on the bridge. Someone get to weapons now.”

  McReidy responded immediately. She barely excused herself from lunch with Cush as she acknowledged John’s call. The dining room jolted and she nearly missed the door, putting a hand out and pushing off the wall as she steadied herself. She bounced off the corridor wall and ran to the bridge. The main screen spun as stars zigzagged and phaser tracers darted across the view, while wispy tails of the faintest colour smoked and softened the harsh black background.

  “Heavy cruiser,” John told her. “One so far.”

  Hartford eased out of her console, his hands remaining on the controls as she took her seat and moved under his grip. He let go and cleared out of everyone’s way.

  “Go make yourself useful, Mister Hartford,” John told him.

  “Yes, sir,” he acknowledged and raced from the bridge.

  Giacomo flew in his usual erratic style. Tan was desperately trying to call for help on a transmission that seemed to be constantly jammed. He tapped his earphone, ran the channels and repeated his call. Gillespie was looking for more enemy ships.

  “Sir,” Tan turned to John. “Captain Drago’s got two cruisers. He’s half a day away.”

  John shook his head. “We won’t last that long. Find someone else.”

  With the starboard engine gone, they were down on power, and down on manoeuvrability. Shields were holding at a reduced level, enough to keep them safe. For now. Weapons systems were still operational. They could hold off one cruiser almost indefinitely, but not its companion.

  Another cruiser appeared, to join the first. John swallowed hard. “Plot a course to Drago.”

  “We can’t outrun a cruiser,” McReidy told him.

  “We haven’t got a choice! Engineering, I need as much speed as you can give me.”

  “At the moment, we couldn’t outrun a lifeboat,” came Kowalski’s answer. “Sir,” he added as an afterthought.

  “Repair time?”

  “I’ve got no idea. It’s too hot to get near.”

  “Independence, two hours away.” Tan’s news brought a sense of relief.

  “Plot a course,” John ordered. “Don’t lay it in yet. Mister Kowalski, put everything into the shields. Helm on auxiliary.”

  “It’s too slow,” Giacomo complained.

  “Doesn’t matter. Just stay put… Where’s that third ship?”

  “Got it,” Gillespie answered. “It’s coming out of the nebula directly behind us.”

  “Range?”

  “Less than a minute… It’s a battleship.”

  John thought as much. It was the fighter’s homeship.

  “Has she launched fighters?” He didn’t think she would. With Bismarck almost crippled, it wasn’t necessary.

  “No, she’s after our port engine.”

  Two in front, one behind. It took John only a second to think of something. “Let’s play chicken. Red, I want deflectors moved.”

  “Gotcha, sir,” Red answered.

  “Giacomo, manoeuvre the port engine towards the battleship. Pretend you don’t know she’s there.”

  Giacomo mumbled something unintelligible.

  “Shields are overloading,” Kowalski warned.

  It was not news that anyone wanted to hear.

  “Boost with the auxiliaries,” John ordered.

  That was something Giacomo didn’t want to hear. The helm dropped in response accordingly.

  “Battleship’s arming up,” Gillespie advised.

  “Deflectors aligned?”

  “On your call, sir,” Red answered.

  “Don’t anticipate, Giacomo,” John calmly warned.

  Giacomo started sweating. The ship was almost at a standstill. Shields were holding, but they couldn’t stop the continual buffeting and the controls shook under his hands. He was ready to take off on command.

  John held him till the last second. “Now!”

  The next few seconds were organised chaos. The two cruisers’ phasers deflected off Bismarck’s shields at the approaching battleship. A fraction of a second later, their torpedoes had clear space to the battleship, destroying her completely. She fired before she was hit; her reflected shots scattered the cruisers.

  Bismarck had dropped, shearing past a torpedo that ripped out a shield and threatened to punch a hole in the hull. Giacomo threw the ship on her back as tracers cut through their wake. Auxiliaries switched back and the helm responded with full power.

  Giacomo was much happier now that he had the port engine under his control. The precious few seconds of escape were not enough to get them out of any range and it wouldn’t take the enemy long to find and catch them up.

  Shields were dropped fully. Everything non-essential was switched off, the power being diverted into maintaining as much speed as possible. Independence was close. So close they could almost feel her. If wishful thinking could have made any impact, now was the time.

  The cruisers caught up. They were within firing range. Putting up shields meant reducing speed. Outmanoeuvring meant increasing time. John didn’t like either option. The ship couldn’t afford any more damage. He had to put some shields up. They would have to take some hits.

  “Independence to Bismarck.”

  Tan put the call on audio and it resonated throughout the bridge. The sound of Captain Pemberton’s voice was just the incentive the crew needed.

  John caught Tan’s eye and nodded his approval. “Bismarck here.”

  “Looks like you’ve got yourself in trouble.”

  “Yes, sir
.”

  “Can you hold out until we get there?”

  “I don’t know.”

  It was more than John’s words that affected the crew. He turned to Tan and drew a finger across his throat. Tan acknowledged and cut off the transmission.

  “Giacomo, call.”

  Giacomo was a little hesitant. “If we didn’t have the ambassadors –”

  “Forget them,” John interrupted. “Call it as you see it.”

  “Stand and fight.”

  “Gillespie?”

  “Stand.”

  “Tan?”

  “Stand, sir.”

  “McReidy?” John deliberately left her until last.

  “I hate to be outvoted.”

  “This is not a majority decision.” For a second his eyes softened and he allowed her to read him.

  “No, but it is unanimous.”

  “Giacomo, turn us about. We’ve got to find somewhere to put the ambassadors down. Mr Tan, let Independence know what we’re doing. She can pick them up and take them in. The cruisers are after us. Let’s make them regret it.”

  John switched the intercom throughout the ship. Static blared back at him. He switched it back to engineering.

  “I need someone in the transporter room now.”

  “Transporter’s offline,” Kowalski called, his footsteps pounding the corridor to the transporter room as clear over his communicator as his voice. “Power’s in the shields.”

  “I’ll divert it back when we’re ready.”

  “That’s a lot to transport,” Giacomo shook his head.

  “Shuttles’d be picked off. McReidy, go sort the ambassadors. I’ll take navigation. You’ve got until I find us somewhere.”

  *

  McReidy went to the dining room where she’d left Cush. He wasn’t there. She raced to the cargo bay where all the ambassadors flew at her, throwing questions and demanding answers. She darted her head from side to side, looking around them, over them as she searched for the Manadosian.

  “Enough.” They filled her vision. “Stop. I can’t – Governor Cush…!”

  Cush pushed his way in but she couldn’t even hear herself think amid the noise of voices.

  “Back off!” she yelled. “All of you or so help me…!”

  They silenced and Cush grabbed her arm and dragged her away from them.

  “Governor, we’re under attack. We’re going to drop you off –”

  “Stop talking,” he told her. “I can hear your thoughts. They’re a lot quicker than your words.”

  She took a breath.

  “Understood.”

  “I don’t care what you have to do,” she finished, “just get them all to the transporter room.”

  *

  It didn’t take John long to find somewhere to put the ambassadors. It didn’t need to be able to support life, just sustain it until Independence arrived. McReidy and Cush had the ambassadors completely under control. They were scared, frightened of the unknown, of dying, of their fate being taken out of their hands. A few had encountered the wrath of the Andromedans; most had not. McReidy’s calm, assertive manner got results, though Cush quashed any thoughts of not obeying her.

  The transporter room was chaos as all the ambassadors suddenly decided they were going to be the first ones down. McReidy was squashed into a wall as they rushed past her and towards the pads, and she fought her way to the console. “Sam.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m just checking numbers. All clear, sir. We can probably get them all down in one pass.”

  “You better get them down in one pass,” John told him. “Co-ordinate with Giacomo.”

  The pilot and engineer switched their communicators on; the side conversation a blur to everyone else.

  “McReidy there?” John asked. “Tell her to get back to the bridge.”

  “Commander said –”

  “I heard him,” McReidy cut Kowalski off.

  “Ready, sir,” Giacomo confirmed.

  John checked the cruisers. Getting the ambassadors off had to be undetectable. A precision manoeuvre around the planetoid, through a blind spot in the cruisers’ scanners. The planetoid was large enough that once behind it and close to the surface, Bismarck would be undetectable – for the precious time necessary.

  “Dropping shields. You’ve got your power back, Mister Kowalski.”

  Giacomo cut the ship behind the planetoid and took her down to skim the surface. He worked with Kowalski as easily as if they were in the same room and the ambassadors were deposited in clumps.

  McReidy returned to the bridge and John was almost reluctant to give back the console. As he settled in his chair, he breathed a sigh of relief. He now felt safe to fight on his own terms.

  They cut away from the planetoid at a different angle, catching the cruisers by surprise as it seemed they had expected a straight line. Tracers chased along the edge of the planetoid as Bismarck veered around and came at them.

  The cruisers separated. One came straight on, the other lagging behind.

  “Take on the front one,” John ordered.

  “The other one’s weaker. Her engines were hit and she’s losing speed,” McReidy told him.

  “She’s foxing. Straight on, Giacomo. Everything into front shields. Let’s see who’s chicken.”

  Giacomo flew to orders. His intention to ram the cruiser was perfectly obvious to the Andromedans, who immediately reinforced their forward shields; a move confirmed by Gillespie.

  “Get ready to drop your nose and roll, Giacomo, we’re going under. Token firing head on to divert their attention.”

  John had no idea which way the cruiser would turn, if it did. The most common reaction would be up and away. Very few captains were willing to let their ships be rammed.

  “Dive, Giacomo. Drop all shields. Fire everything.”

  Bismarck was on her back, scraping the underside of the cruiser. With their shields down, there was no protection as they bounced off those of the enemy. But it did allow them to get much closer. At point blank range, with most of the power diverted to the front, the cruiser was vulnerable. Bismarck’s weapons took their toll, and she was well clear before anyone knew what damage had been caused.

  The other cruiser was far enough away to pin Bismarck before she had righted herself.

  John had watched for her response as soon as they dived. A second’s full sweat knew they’d be hit before they were clear. “Hard to port! Full shields!”

  Bismarck was clobbered and sent spinning out of control. The impact knocked the crew from their seats. Instead of hitting the floor as they all expected, it took a few seconds to realise they were floating helplessly around the bridge.

  “Sick bay, now!” Red’s voice ripped through John’s communicator against a background of screaming. “Sorry, sir,” he apologised. “We lost gravity.”

  “Everyone all right?”

  “Get that welder off!”

  “Got it,” Crocker’s voice filtered through.

  Red’s breath blurred the communicator for a second before he answered, “We’ll manage, sir.”

  The bridge crew were desperately trying to get back to their consoles, arms and legs flailing everywhere in swimming motions. John was close enough to Giacomo to give him a shove in the right direction, the resultant reaction sending him towards the roof.

  Giacomo grabbed his seat, somehow managed to turn himself the right way up, and sat down. His legs were tightly scissored around the chair leg to keep him there. He pulled the ship back under control.

  They had lost sight of the cruiser. She could have been anywhere. He spun three hundred and sixty degrees on all planes and picked her up on the main screen. She hadn’t followed, stopping for the other cruiser, which was now nowhere to be seen.

  McReidy was floating within reach of Giacomo. He avoided getting kicked as he grabbed an ankle and dragged her down beside him. She wrapped her legs around the seat and clung to her console.

  “Thanks.” She was out of breat
h from her own fruitless attempt to get back.

  Gillespie hit the roof and pushed himself back down in the direction of his console. Tan tried to do the same, without success. John was two thirds of the way above the floor with nothing around him, blocking Giacomo’s view of the screen.

  “Will you get out of the way please, sir?”

  “Just as soon as I can figure out how to.” He wasn’t having any success in getting anywhere.

  Gillespie set himself from the top of his console and propelled himself at John with enough force that they both crunched into a wall. John took most of the impact, cushioning it from Gillespie.

  “I’ll bet you enjoyed that.”

  “This would be fun if it wasn’t so serious,” was Gillespie’s only reply. It was as much confirmation of John’s comment as was his grin.

  With the wall for propulsion, they both made it back to their positions.

  Tan was upside down, just out of reach of his console. The earphone had pulled free from his ear. Still attached to the console, it snaked around with a mind of its own. Gillespie grabbed his arm and jerked him down.

  Tan grabbed his console and tried to swing himself up the right way, nearly booting Gillespie in the head as he levelled out horizontally. Gillespie grabbed Tan’s foot and yanked it down, turning the man upright.

  Tan kicked his seat before wrapping his legs around it and pulling himself into it. He let go the console with one hand and retrieved the earphone.

  “Thanks,” he grinned to Gillespie as he pushed the earphone back in.

  “Everyone all right?” John asked.

  They all nodded.

  “Engineering, how are we holding?”

  “Gravity or shields, sir?” Red answered. “You can’t have both.”

  “Shields.” The crew answered before John had a chance to.

  “You heard them, Red.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The cruiser was coming in hard and fast. John was right about her being the stronger one, although at that moment he wished McReidy had been right. At full strength, they could have matched it. Currently? He didn’t know.

  “Giacomo, keep away from her. Gillespie, find a weakness.”

  “She doesn’t have one.”

  “She has to!” John’s desperation was coming through in his voice. He had to check himself. He couldn’t afford to pass on his anxieties to the crew.