“Just hold on … and stay awake.” Perry ran into the galley in search of something, anything, he could use to wrap about Cabreil. The galley kitchen was huge and sterile-looking. In place of actual cupboards, energy portals were used instead, like the ones throughout the ship. It took Perry a moment to figure out how to open them, which was simple. He merely had to wave his palm in front of a sensor. One by one, he opened each, until finding what he sought. He grabbed up a large tablecloth, made of some linen-type fabric, and quickly ran back toward the mess.
During Perry’s absence, Cabreil had slipped into unconsciousness. The right side of his face lay in a pool of blood—the pallor of his skin now deathly white. Perry peered at Cabreil’s ample backside and saw a gaping, open wound the size of a cantaloupe.
Perry gagged, bringing the back of his hand to his mouth to hold off vomiting. Bile burned the back of his throat, but he kept himself together and the wave of nausea slowly passed.
Wasting little time, he rapidly wrapped the fabric twice around the Caldurian’s mid-section, hefting up Cabreil’s hips twice to feed the fabric beneath him. He pulled both ends together tightly then knotted them below the alien’s rotund belly. Blood was already seeping through the white—completely saturated—cloth.
Perry didn’t relish what must come next. Stooping over, he first grabbed an arm, then the alien’s opposite leg, pulling his significant weight up onto his shoulders—into a standard fireman’s hold. Rising up, the dead weight he now carried made Perry’s knees nearly buckle. He eventually found his center of gravity and, step by unsteady step, made his way back to the corridor. He saw the shimmering DeckPort ahead in the distance. It seemed a mile away. It took him another five minutes to reach it and, as he approached, he remembered what he’d also left behind, on the other side of the Deck 4 DeckPort. But that was where he had to go—where Medical was located—no two ways about it.
Then a novel thought occurred to him. “Um… hello? AI, tell me where the large blue beast is located? Where it is now on this ship.”
“The organic life form you are referring to is currently defecating on the ship’s bridge.”
“Really?”
The AI did not answer.
Perry took in that information and quickly tried to recall the distance between the bridge’s location and the DeckPort, where he and the hefty alien on his shoulders would emerge. His heart sank. He’d never make it back to Medical, which was located mid-ship. Certainly not carrying this heavy weight.
“AI … will you follow my orders?”
“Affirmative. You are now the commander of this vessel, Captain Reynolds.”
“Then seal off the bridge. Do so now.”
“Confirmed. The bridge hatchway has been sealed.”
“And the beast? It’s still inside there?”
“That is correct, Captain Reynolds.”
* * *
By the time Perry reached Medical his legs were shaking uncontrollably—each step an exhausting effort. Entering the open hatchway he saw Ricket, monitoring Fine’s MediPod—pretty much where he’d last left him.
Chapter 34
Sol System
Planet Earth, Subterranean Aquifer, The Lilly, San Bernardino, CA
__________________________
Summer, 1995 …
Perry, noticing Ricket had opened one of the free MediPods for him, half-carried— his legs wobbling—the dead weight of the Caldurian riding heavily across his shoulders. He let the body half slide, half fall, into the open clamshell. The alien’s blood splattered all around, even dripping down the outer surface of the MediPod.
Ricket, now at his side, used his semi-robotic hand to push inside a leg still hanging out. The limb landed within the pod with a soft wet thud. Ricket quickly moved over to the device’s control panel and within seconds the clamshell began closing.
Ricket said, “He lost a lot of blood … unfortunately, he subsequently died.”
Perry looked at Ricket and shook his head. “Then why all the bother with …”
Ricket interrupted, “The MediPod will still attempt to repair his damaged organs and quickly replenish the patient’s blood supply. Nanites will provide much of that work. At the appropriate time, the Caldurian’s heart will be re-stimulated into beating again.”
“And you think that will work?”
“I studied, while you were out looking for this master of Engineering, the many capabilities of this device. Some of it is familiar; things I knew before my mind was partially scrubbed. It seems information I once knew is more easily retrieved when the relevant thread is provided me—like a previously undiscovered pathway that somehow leads to hidden vaults of information. It really is quite interesting, Captain.”
Perry nodded, taking in the three occupied MediPods. “How’s Ol’ Gus coming along?”
“His condition is stable. He will need to stay within that pod for several more hours.”
“Maybe that’s good,” Perry said. “He has a tendency to get himself into trouble. I suppose we should deal with the lizard problem. Take it back to where it belongs.”
Ricket didn’t respond.
“You are going to help me. The beast’s already shown how deadly it can be.”
“I will do what I can to help you, Captain Reynolds. But I am not a brave individual. I am sorry for that.”
Perry waved his comment aside. “We don’t need bravery here as much as smarts. And you seem to have that in spades. According to the AI, the beast is presently locked within the bridge—where it apparently went to drop a brick.”
Ricket stared up blankly at Perry.
“Are there any weapons on board that you know of?” Perry asked.
“I assume there would have to be, Captain.” Ricket scurried over to a small desk in the corner and brought up a virtual 3D display, which hovered before him. Tapping at a virtual input device, an expanded diagram of the ship suddenly displayed. Ricket spread his fingers apart to manipulate the image and to locate a certain area of the ship. He zoomed in on one particular compartment.
“Yes, Captain Reynolds, there it is. The designated armory. It is on Deck 2, close to the barracks.”
“There are barracks on this vessel?”
“Captain, this craft has a crew capacity of over two hundred and fifty.”
* * *
Perry, feeling more comfortable moving about the ship, now found using the DeckPorts almost second nature. They found the ship’s armory and Perry was impressed with what they discovered there. Comprised of several adjacent compartments, including an office, or administrative area, there was also a four-lane rifle target range.
“So are these … all the weapons that are available, Ricket?” Perry asked, peering around the armory, then gesturing to a set of mounted gun racks on one bulkhead.
“Weapons are manufactured on an as-needed basis, Captain.”
Perry wasn’t quite sure what the small Craing was referring to as he hefted up one of the thick-bodied riffles. “This is an odd-looking weapon. Can you tell me what kind of ammunition it fires?”
“That weapon does not fire the type of projectiles you would be familiar with. The weapon fires energized plasma bolts. It is commonly referred to as a Flasher.”
Perry brought the rifle up and placed its stock against his shoulder. He looked through its triple sight arrangement and pointed the muzzle.
“The weapon is most effective, Captain, when used in conjunction with a battle suit.”
“Battle suit? What the hell is a battle suit?”
Ricket smiled. “I believe you will find this aspect most interesting.” He gestured for Perry to go stand within an area on the deck that was color coded with a series of lines and symbols. “Captain, stand with your arms extended out from your body. Please do not move.”
“How do you know all this? What to do?”
“It seems that much of this information was not scrubbed from my memory, at least not permanently. Although when I try to re
trieve information on exactly why I was on this vessel—what brought me to your planet—there is very little content for me to draw on.”
Ricket took a step backward. “AI, body scan the captain, then prepare and deliver the latest generation battle suit.”
Perry needed to close his eyes as a myriad of intensely bright, crisscrossing green laser beams moved up and down his body.
“Scans complete. Phase Synthesizer manufacturing process being implemented,” the AI said.
“It is complete,” Ricket said.
“What is?”
Perry saw something dark and very close within his peripheral vision. Startled, he reflexively leapt back and away from the imposing black figure that wasn’t there a moment before.
Ricket seemed to find Perry’s reaction amusing. He reached up and touched something—perhaps a small switch or setting—on what was now recognizable as some kind of futuristic spacesuit. The contoured surface—legs, arms and body cavity—was all matte black and, even in its empty state, looked dangerous and threatening. Perry, peering into the open helmet area, was able to see outside the tinted visor. Suddenly, a cascade of constantly-changing bright green symbols were visible inside the helmet’s surface.
“What’s that? Some kind of Heads-Up Display inside there?”
“Yes, Captain, that is exactly what it is. A HUD, to use military vernacular. Go ahead … please step into the suit. It will automatically close and self-adjust around you. There is no need to do anything … just let it configure on its own.”
Perry looked from Ricket to the waiting suit. “Here goes nothing,” he said, taking a tentative step forward—placing one leg, and then the other, into the open front half of the suit. Immediately, as the battle suit closed about his body, Perry felt a slight pressure all around him—as if he’d suddenly grown a second skin. He looked at his covered hands and ran the fingers of one over the surface of his other arm. Huh! Touch sensitive—it really felt like he was wearing a second skin! “This is … amazing, Ricket!” He peered down at the small alien through his amber-tinted visor. The HUD symbols continued to refresh, which he found distracting, and he wondered if he’d ever get used to it.
Ricket, holding on to the Flasher, held it out to Perry—his little robotic arms outstretched. “Here, you will need this, too, going up against that creature.”
Perry took the weapon and his HUD refreshed again, showing now a whole new set of icons and symbols. “Man … this shit is giving me a headache. What the hell does it all mean?”
“To know that, Captain, you will need extensive hyper-learning.”
“Okay. Does that come with the suit?”
“No, Captain. For that you will need to spend a significant amount of time within a MediPod. And since you are the designated captain of this ship, you will require a highly specialized learning package.”
“Well … I don’t know how to use this weapon and the suit’s a complete mystery to me. Don’t you think you should have suggested that before dragging me down here?”
“Yes, I suppose so. I apologize, Captain. Although more intel is slowly coming back to me, unfortunately, I seem to have little control over when, and what it is I’m able to remember.”
“What’s this HyperLearning procedure like? What will I have to go through?”
“Captain, there is a different HyperLearning procedure for every crewmember rank. The higher the rank, the more HyperLearning is necessary; and that, I am sorry to say, will lead to increased levels of pain.”
“Pain? Seriously? Hey … my intention was never to captain a damn spaceship. This is sounding far more involved than anything I actually signed up for. In fact, I’d be happy to pass my captaincy rank on to whoever wants it. How about you, Ricket, do you want the title?”
“No, Captain, I am not a good candidate for such a thing.”
“Fine. Then do you remember how to get me the hell out of this suit?”
Chapter 35
Sol System
Planet Earth, Subterranean Aquifer, The Lilly, San Bernardino, CA
__________________________
Summer, 1995 …
Perry brought the Flasher along with him, although he had only a scant idea how to use it properly. Exiting mid-ship on Deck 4’s DeckPort, Perry saw movement off to his right. Reflexively, he brought the Flasher up, positioning his forefinger onto the trigger.
Ol’ Gus had obviously completed his time within the MediPod; he was wandering the corridor, still looking somewhat confused. Perry found himself smiling even before he knew why. Then he realized the old man had grown back his missing arm, positioned right where it belonged. Seeing Perry and Ricket approach him, Gus smiled. Even from a distance, Perry could see no gaping holes, only a mouthful of healthy white teeth. Apparently, he was as right as rain again too—and he looked surprisingly spry. Gone now were the partially hunched-over shoulders, which came with aging, and he seemed to have grown more hair atop his head.
“There’s a couple of weird-looking aliens laid out back there,” he said.
“They are Caldurians,” Ricket said, correcting him. “Two of the original crewmembers on board this vessel.”
“I saw blood on one of those pod things … cleanup is needed on aisle six,” Gus added, smirking.
Perry raised a palm in response to Ricket’s apparent confusion. “Ignore him … he’s just trying to be funny.
“So, Dad, how do you feel? That new arm working out okay?”
Gus looked down at his arm, noting it was where it was supposed to be. He swung the arm around, windmill-like, then making a fist. Unclenching it, he shrugged. “It’s good.” Suddenly, as if remembering something, his head jerked toward the open hatch. “The … the … monster! Oh my god … did you … kill it?”
“No, but we’re safe for now. It’s locked inside the bridge,” Perry said.
“You going to kill it? With that?”
“I don’t know … maybe. Not sure how to shoot the thing yet.”
“Looks like it’s got the same pieces on it as any other rifle—long barrel, stock, trigger—what’s your problem?”
“Enough … Don’t worry about the gun, okay?” Perry huffed, becoming annoyed.
Gus gave Ricket a quick wink and smile, revealing his new pearly-whites again.
One of the MediPods produced a faint chime as its clamshell lid began to open.
“Oh good! First Officer Hormly Fine’s timed stay within the MediPod is now complete,” Ricket said. The three waited in silence until Fine sat up. The Caldurian rubbed his face, licked his lips, and took in a full, deep breath. Glancing toward them, he saw Perry, Ricket, and Ol’ Gus staring back at him.
“Do you not know it is rude to gawk as you are doing?” His eyes came to rest upon Gus. Scowling, he made a distasteful expression. “And what, may I ask, are you doing on my ship?” Pointing an accusing finger at Gus and not waiting for a reply, he said, “AI, have a security bot deployed to Medical immediately. I want this human placed in detention until I know more about him.”
Perry chuckled at that. “Um … that’s not going to happen. Gus is fine just where he is. He’s certainly no danger to you, nor to anyone else.”
Fine gestured for Ricket to come closer. “Don’t just stand there, Reechet … help me out of this capsule.”
* * *
Up and standing on the deck, the first officer shook out his legs and did several up-and-down squats. Seeming satisfied with his condition, he brought his attention to the others in the compartment.
Perry said, “Look … I have some questions for you.”
“I don’t answer questions, I ask them.”
Perry studied the middle-aged Caldurian, who was running long, tapered fingers through his shoulder-length, salt-and-pepper gray hair. He then gave his head a little shake—as though to ensure that it fell properly into place. Again, looking in Gus’s direction, Fine’s nostrils flared. Perry had noticed too that his father’s body smelled more than a little ripe
.
“And my questions?” Perry asked.
Ignoring him, Fine raised his chin and looked up toward the ceiling. “AI … I have given you a direct order! The droid!”
“You are not registered as one of the ship’s crew,” the AI replied.
Fine closed his eyes and Perry could tell the alien was inwardly cursing the infuriating AI. Fine looked over at Ricket: “I am the one who was supposed to reinitialize the ship’s AI in the event we weren’t all killed.” Again, he looked up. “AI, who are you are reporting to?”
“Captain Perry Reynolds is the ranking officer on this vessel.”
Fine’s eyes narrowed as he looked directly at Perry. “You!”
Perry shrugged, finding the Caldurian’s attitude tedious.
Fine took a step closer—tapping his pointed finger against Perry’s chest. His progressively harder pokes struck Perry three times. “You will transfer command of this ship over to me immediately.”
Perry didn’t like people pointing fingers at him. Having someone actually poke him in the process, as Fine did now, definitely wasn’t working. Seeing red, Perry reached up with his left hand and grabbed ahold of the Caldurian’s hand. Twisting it counter-clockwise while bringing it lower, an Aikido hold he’d been taught many years earlier by Green Barrett, a friend—a no-nonsense, fifth-degree black belt. Perry, over the years, had experienced much success using the move and was fairly accomplished in delivering it.
Fine, brought down to his knees, uttered a high-pitched yelp.
“First of all … don’t touch me. Don’t ever touch me again,” Perry ordered.
First Officer Fine nodded despite being in obvious pain.
“Second, if anyone is to be thrown in the brig, it will be you.”
Again, another quick nod from Fine.
Glory for Sea and Space (Star Watch Book 4) Page 19
