by AM Scott
She nodded, thoughtfully. “When we’re alone again, remind me and we’ll work on it. I do a lot of sound mixing for my thesis, remember? And nobody thinks their own recorded voice sounds like them.”
“Thank you, Saree.”
“You are welcome, Hal.” She plopped her coffee cup in the auto-cleaner, grabbed the panel puller and made her way to the cargo bay.
It didn’t take long to pull the additional panels or replace the ones she no longer needed. She got the last one and climbed to her feet, her knees and back aching. Gathering the tie-down panels, she straightened with a groan. Placing the wobbly stack into the proper wall bin, she closed it and dusted off her hands. Her stomach rumbled. “Hal, do I have time to eat before Captain Ruhger arrives?”
“They are approximately two minutes out, Saree.”
Crossing quickly to the galley, Saree pulled out a protein bar, chewing the chewy, chalky stuff quickly, forcing it down with a glass of water.
“Captain Ruhger is requesting entry, Saree.”
“Thank you, Hal. I’ll open the cargo bay door.”
“Do you want me to be silent, Saree, or act like I did before you implemented Protocol Zeta?”
Walking to the cargo bay and swallowing the last of the bar, she tried to ignore the faintly sweet-sour aftertaste of the bar. At least it wasn’t metallic like Thymdronteim. “I think silent would be best, Hal. Sorry.”
“I am not offended, Saree. I need to keep you safe.”
“Thank you, Hal.”
“You are welcome, Saree.”
Saree closed the hatch to her living area, hoping to minimize the dust. By the end of this, the entire shuttle would be covered in the dust of Gliese, but she’d like to keep it clean for now. She swiped the cargo bay door release. The latching mechanism hissed and clunked, and a bar of bright light at the top of the cargo bay exterior wall dazzled her eyes. She squinted as the bar widened, the wall lowering out and away from her, becoming the cargo bay ramp. The ever-present dust swirled in the air as the ramp lowered and rose in billowing poofs when the ramp made contact with the surface of Gliese.
An armored and helmeted figure waited at the bottom, the ‘soft’ armor molding around his massive body mostly black, with dark blue panels, ‘RUHGER’ blazing across the blue panel encasing his wide chest. He carried not only a stunner and laser pistol, but a rifle too. Another black and dark blue armored figure stood in the distance, facing away from them and walking to the left, a lift bike waiting nearby. Probably Katryn, although she was too far away to read the lettering on her armor.
The passenger funneling structures appeared complete. A thin post and rope structure came within three meters of her ramp. The rather imposing figure at the bottom of the ramp waited, standing unnaturally still in a spread-legged position. He waited for the dust to settle and retracted his helmet. It was indeed Captain Ruhger.
She nodded. “Welcome aboard Fortuna Lucia, Captain.”
He nodded gravely in return. “Thank you, Scholar.” Bending, he picked up a large black duffle bag, and trod up the ramp, his footsteps producing snaps, crackles and pops from the plas panels as they settled under his weight.
When was the last time she’d used the cargo bay ramp? A very, very long time ago.
“I see you’ve pulled the tie-down points. I’ve got the strapping. Did you change the layout?”
“No. It looked very efficient.”
He nodded again. “Thank you. Can I help install these?”
She smiled. “Absolutely, Captain. Thank you.”
Placing the bag on the floor, he opened it, and a second bag inside. “The seating harnesses are in the outer bag, the stretcher tie-downs in the inner bag.” He said something inaudible, probably a command to his e-torc, and looked up at her with his eyebrows raised. “Shall we get started? I’ll start at the ramp if you’ll start at the hatch.”
“Good idea.” Bringing the layout back up, Saree pulled strapping from both bags, laying them over her shoulders. They worked in silence. It should have been a companionable silence, but Saree kept waiting for the inevitable questions to start. They met in the middle, both of them standing slowly from their crouched positions. Saree stretched out her aching fingers, the dry, rough skin protesting.
Ruhger pulled the bags from the floor. “Interior next?”
She nodded and led the way, opening the hatch and walking into the airlock.
“Scholar, you should secure the cargo bay,” Ruhger said.
Turning back toward him, she sucked in a shocked breath—his face was just inches from hers. She stepped back, needing some distance before she was tempted into an unwise and inappropriate action. “Won’t the Havenites be arriving shortly? And isn’t that Katryn out there?”
“Yes and yes, but better safe than sorry.” The corner of his mouth lifted a tiny bit.
Saree’s heart melted and she clenched the struts of the airlock structure, holding herself back.
His smile morphed into an ironic tilt. “You never know when some sand crawler will decide your bay looks like a good basking spot.”
She nodded once and took in a shaky breath. Obviously, all these ridiculous feelings were only on her side. Good thing she kept herself from doing anything stupid. “Good point. I’ll bring it up.” But his massive, armored body was blocking the hatch quite effectively. It wasn’t a small airlock, but his shoulders were wide, especially encased in the armor. “Uh, could you…back up?”
A surprised look crossed his face, and he glanced around the airlock enclosing them. “Yes. Sure. Sorry.” He took a large step back and to the side, clearing his throat.
Saree turned back into the bay and swept across the control to close the bay door. They both watched as the ramp rose, whirlwinds of dust rising at the upper corners. It snapped into place, sandy dirt falling to the floor, dust rising, and latching bars slammed into their slots with a loud thunk. Turning back into the main shuttle area, Saree was all too aware of Captain Ruhger on her heels in the confined space of the airlock. Emerging into her living area, she walked to the far side.
Ruhger stopped just inside the hatch, pulling it shut behind him, and surveyed the interior with narrowed eyes. He focused on her transuranic case for more than a few moments.
“Would you like some coffee or tea, Captain?”
His head jerked up to her face with a slightly startled look. “Uh, no, thank you, Scholar. I think we should get this done.” Putting the big duffle bag down near her couch, he pulled more strapping, so she did the same. They worked in silence again, but rather than waiting for the questions to begin, Saree found herself breathless with an entirely different kind of anticipation. Did he feel it too or was this tension all on her side? It was probably just her imagination—she was acting like a teenage girl.
Crouched in an awkward duck-walk, she shuffled back to fasten the last strap and ran into something solid, but not a wall. “Oh, sorry, Captain.” She twisted in place and found herself almost face to face with Captain Ruhger. Caught, she looked straight into his dark brown eyes—she couldn’t look away.
The Captain met her gaze. He blinked and Saree realized how hard she was staring. Blinking herself, she stood up so quickly her head swam. “Uh, I’ll let you get the last one.” Stumbling to the pilot’s chair, she thumped down into it, trying to get her breath back. Come on, Saree, act like an adult. Rolling her eyes at her own behavior, she swept up exterior views. Sure enough, townspeople were trudging toward her shuttle, filing into the flimsy fencing. Katryn stood at the end of the poles, just in front of her ramp.
She turned back to the Captain—he was already waiting, face impassive, at the hatch to the cargo bay. Trying to force a smile, Saree quickly gave up, trotting over to open the airlock. She pushed past him and through the airlock to reopen the cargo bay door. When the dust settled, the view had changed significantly. People holding stretchers stood in a neat line; tired, anxious faces tilted up to her. Katryn stood in front of the line of people, bob
bing and weaving to look down the line, evidently comparing faces against files in her holo. Ruhger joined her, and moved farther into the line of people, checking bags. Katryn stopped each person, applying something to the back of their hands. Probably some sort of identity tag, allowing them to track who was coming on board.
The first group tromped up the ramp, two stretchers, three young children and a harried woman, presumably their mother. Leading them into the main shuttle, Saree helped the stretcher-bearers strap their patients in place, and showed the mother where to put her bags and her children. They sagged against each other, the stress of the last few days written across their exhausted faces.
One of the stretcher-bearers, a young man barely out of his teens, said, “Scholar, now that you’ve shown us how, we’ll strap all the others down. Just show us where you want them.” He nodded wearily at her and she returned a nod of acquiescence.
The next thirty minutes blurred into an unending, dusty stream of wailing children, moaning patients and exhausted parents. Saree tightened the last strap, securing a baby seat to the floor, and stood upright, suppressing a groan as her lower back protested.
“Scholar!” Captain Ruhger called from the bottom of the cargo bay ramp.
She winced at the pain when she twisted toward him. “Yes?”
“Sister Sofia will ride up with you.” He pointed to a young woman in a dark brown robe standing next to him, a large bag thrown over her shoulder, a smaller one with a red cross in her other hand. “She’s got medical training and will deal with any issues during the flight. She’ll stay on Lightwave.”
Saree nodded, smiled and motioned for the Sister to join her at the hatch to the living area. After warning everyone, she swept the control to close the cargo ramp. They’d planned well, seating adults near next to the wall, so everyone leaned away and there were no unfortunate accidents or halts in the closing mechanism. Although there was an unfortunate amount of dust raining down.
“Come this way, Sister,” Saree said. They wove through the people and stretchers. Saree showed Sister Sofia where to stow her bag and pointed out the co-pilot’s seat.
Saree brought up the intercom system. “Attention, all passengers,” she said while initiating the engine start procedures. “We are departing for Lightwave. Please make sure your harnesses are tightened securely, then sit back and relax. The trip will take approximately one hour and fifty-six minutes. Please do not unfasten your harnesses without permission from myself or Sister Sofia.” Finishing the pre-launch checklist, she surveyed the surrounding area to make sure it was clear, and initiated engine thrust. Gravity weighed heavily, then the grav generators compensated. A couple of the children screamed or whooped, but most just sat there, too tired to care. Such a shame; this was undoubtedly their first trip into space.
Once they’d blasted out of Gliese’s atmosphere, Saree locked in the auto-pilot and showed Sister Sofia the vid system so she could check on her patients without climbing around and through all the people. Inevitably, Sister Sofia had to check on several in person, and take three young children to the sanitation mod.
Eventually, they reached Lightwave.
“Shuttle Fortuna Lucia, turn your shuttle controls over, please,” Chief Bhoher said calmly. “We’ll bring you into Cargo Bay One. We’ll let you know when you’re cleared to open your cargo bay doors.”
Shutting her engines and thrusters down, Saree set the shuttle controls to remote control using the same codes she’d originally used to dock with Lightwave and put her hands on her lap. “Lightwave, Fortuna Lucia is yours.”
“Copy, Scholar. Initiating docking.”
Watching her instruments and keeping her hands clenched on her lap, she waited while Lightwave pulled her shuttle into the cargo bay, setting down gently on the ceramic and metal floor. Lightwave’s bay door closed, enclosing her shuttle easily, and air rushed in, easy to see in the swirls of dust. No matter how much you clean, there’s always dust and dirt from someplace. There will be tons more by the time we’re done.
“Scholar, you are clear to open your cargo bay door.”
Warning everyone in the shuttle to stay seated, Saree made her way across the sea of bodies on her floor to the cargo bay, stepping inside and sweeping at the panel to open the door. She could have done it from her e-torc, but she wanted eyes on the situation, just in case someone unfastened early. As the wall lowered, she crossed to the people closest to the ramp, Sofia on her heels. Saree helped them unfasten their harnesses and gather their bags. She smiled and waved at Loreli, but she wasn’t sure Loreli noticed—she was talking to Sister Sofia, passenger processing it sounded like. Additional Sisters strode in, unstrapping stretchers and carrying them out, families trudging wearily behind them.
Before too long, she was alone again, securing all the bays and hatches for the return trip. She checked each harness tie-down—in an emergency, she didn’t want pieces of strapping floating around and getting in the way. Finally, she plopped down in the pilot’s chair.
Before she’d drawn breath, Chief came over the comm. “Scholar, if you’re ready, we’ll push you out. Alpha shuttle is approaching. Please remain at the hold point we’ve designated—we want Alpha shuttle to lead the way back to the planet, just in case.”
“Copy that, Chief. I’ll stand by.”
Dust swirling, Lightwave’s cargo bay air was sucked away and the bay door opened. Lightwave pushed her shuttle out and Saree took the controls, thrusting gently to the hold point and stabilizing her orbit. She watched Lightwave’s cargo bay vid as they unloaded. The process went relatively quickly.
“I believe that went well, Saree. Do you agree?” Hal asked.
She smiled. “Yes, I do. It went very well. Here’s hoping the rest of our trips are this easy.”
Chapter 10
“Scholar, we’re going dock you at your normal bay. You’re done. We have the last of the Sisters to evacuate, then we’re full up,” Chief Bhoher said.
Saree just sat there for second, trying to process the words. “Really?”
“Yes, Scholar. We’ve taken everyone we can; we just need to get the remaining Sisters. Alpha will stay in the air for top cover. We’ll load them into Beta shuttle. It will just take a little time to get them all in since they’re spread throughout the compound.”
Why was Chief explaining their tactics? Hmm. Saree’s speculation woke her a bit. “Wouldn’t it be quicker and safer if you loaded them into two shuttles? If we use my shuttle and Beta, with Alpha in the air?”
“Yes. But that’s asking too much.” Chief’s voice had a slight tinge of satisfaction in it.
“No, no, it’s not. If we’re going to get out of here, we need all the crew members. Therefore, it’s better if I go and help with the final evacuation.”
There was silence on the comms. Probably Lightwave talking amongst themselves.
Hal said, “Are you sure about this, Saree?”
“Scholar, are you sure you want to help? There is a significant risk,” Captain Ruhger asked on the heels of Hal’s question.
“Yes. It’s the smart thing to do.” The Sisters’ compound was huge; it would take a long time to get everyone into one shuttle.
“All right,” Captain Ruhger said slowly. “I don’t like it, but with you we’ll load faster and the Sisters’ chances are better. I’m adding you to the ops net, which also has the Sisters’ command on it. The Sisters are pulling back to their main building, so there may be enemies on their outer wall soon, although we haven’t seen any sign of it yet. I’m sending over the deorbit path and a set of coordinates—you’ll land in the compound’s courtyard. Try to land very close to the building, right in the center of the semicircle. We’ve been landing there all day, so it should be clear. At the same time, Beta Shuttle will land at the north end of the building. They’ll take on the remaining Sisters. Alpha Shuttle will provide top cover. This will be our most vulnerable time, so don’t hesitate—if you have to shoot, shoot to kill. Lashtar, can we
get a SITREP and an ops brief?”
“There’s no sign of ground troops or remotes. Twenty-two Sisters remain in the compound, mostly on the rooftops. Four remaining on the outer wall—we’ll pull them back just before you land. All hands, evacuation operations brief.” Lashtar’s voice, already brisk, became staccato and louder. “Pay attention—the plan has changed. South and East, you’ll load in Fortuna Lucia at the center point; North and West, Beta Shuttle at the north end. I repeat, north end. Now’s the time to use the emergency egress routes—there’s nothing to lose. South platoon, you’ll pull from the end of the building inward—stack as you go. North, pull from center to the north, stack as you go. Load into the cargo bays, secure yourselves. Help those injured or wounded—Fortuna Lucia only has the Scholar, and she’s flying, so South platoon, get yourselves in there. Account for everyone—we’re not coming back. Any questions, Sisters?”
Silence. Sister Lashtar said, “Lightwave, questions?”
Chief said, “No, the plan is clear. We’re unloading Alpha Shuttle now. Approximately ten mikes until completion. Expect touchdown in approximately one hour and fifty-five minutes. Keep us informed of any issues. Lightwave out.”
“What about Tonee and Lessa?!” a woman’s voice shouted. “Are we just abandoning them?”
Lashtar’s voice was cold and firm. “Mari, we’ve gone over this. We can’t penetrate the Badlands; we don’t have the weapons or the resources, and we’ll get a lot more Sisters killed or taken if we attempt to go in on foot. Do you think Tonee and Lessa want you to trade your life for theirs? Enough. South command, take care of this. I don’t want to hear Mari on the comms again.”
“Once we’re all on board Lightwave, we can revisit the issue, Sister Lashtar. We intend to remain in orbit until another folder shows up or we have no choice but to go, to protect the lives we have safe already,” Chief Bhoher said. “We’ll do some surveillance and see what we can do.”
