Cindy chews on her lower lip, as she usually does when mulling over a decision.
“I want us to fly away for six hours, stop, complete repairs, then return to the planet. What is the fastest turnaround time you can give us on the main drive?”
Joe sighs in defeat.
“If we had more power we could do a quick stop and go, but we don’t.”
Olaf cuts his way out of reactor control and spends almost the entire six hours working with Patrick to plug the five holes in the ship. Peter spends this time doing a head count. His numbers do not add up. As he re-tallies the numbers, he groans inwardly. The missing must have been ejected into space.
Cindy stands in the cavernous hold, it feels even larger with only one Gamin shuttle left. The far wall where the rocket fuel was stored, a blackened twisted mess. She turns her gaze to the bodies before her. Once again, she is performing a mass funeral. She had thought fifteen had been killed, however laid out before her, are no less than forty covered bodies. She counts the body bags, many of which seem empty, and stops at forty-six. She frowns as she recognizes one of the names, Jeremiah. She looks over to Patrick. They were close. We’re down to less than half our original crew now, and still a long way from home. She feels miserable. We left George behind as well.
Hayato kneels nearby, his hands touching two of the body bags. His lips move as he quietly mutters. He stays there for quite some time.
Patrick walks to Cindy and frowns as he looks down at his friend, now gone. He chokes back tears as he tries to speak.
“One of the raiders shot him. He got tangled up in the guard rail, otherwise he would have been blown out into space.”
Cindy stares at the pockets of people mourning their lost friends. Her sorrow turns to anger. One day we will get our vengeance, and I want to live for that day.
The Kord seem withdrawn themselves. Golward approaches Cindy, his fur wet and matted under his eyes.
“I got your people killed. You would not have been here if it were not for us.”
Cindy ponders his words, then offers her own sympathies.
“We have all lost dear friends recently, but we will get you to your home, then us to ours.”
She suddenly realizes what they can do. With one last look at the deceased, she heads to reactor control, to find Olaf. Her plan is as radical as it is dangerous, but it brings a glimmer of hope.
Olaf listens to her idea then raises his eyebrows in surprise.
“If this idea of yours fails, well, it will get messy.”
Cindy grins at Olaf.
“Then don’t fail.”
Cindy rushes to the bridge, John is minutes away from disengaging the main drive. She arrives with time to spare.
“Take us back to the planet, John.”
“We will need a few hours to…”
“WOW!” Joe interrupts him. “Power levels at six percent and rising.”
John is baffled, but does not fail to take advantage of the energy. He turns the ship using the sub-light engines. As they swing around, the ship shudders. Thump, another impact strikes the rear of the Terran. The raiders have followed them. In a fit of rage Cindy slams her fist onto the chair.
“Let’s see how tough this ship really is then. Ram those bastards!”
John hesitates for a split second, then considers the alternatives. We can’t fight, we can’t run, why not.
Activating the ship’s thrusters, along with the sub-light engines, he gets them closer and closer. The raider’s ship moves to continue its strafing runs. Cindy watches as John anticipates the raider’s next move. He slams the main drive symbol with a vengeance. The Terran lurches at the raider as armor plating slides into place to protect the bridge. A dull thud is felt coming from somewhere up forward. This is followed by an eerie vibration that travels down the side of the ship. A new symbol flashes on Johns panel, it vanishes at his touch. Wonder what that was? The vibrations cease. He accelerates to factor six taking advantage of the unexpected energy. At this speed they will arrive back at the planet where George was left behind very quickly. So quickly in fact, they barely have time to plan everything.
With so many of the crew dead, Emma feels lost and makes her way to the hydroponics bay searching for peace. Instead of being cheered up by thriving plants, she is stunned to discover the area is totally devastated. The entire area is virtually empty. Ohh no. This is where the raiders cut through the ship. Sure enough, as her eyes follow the debris trails, she winds up looking at a pair crudely repaired holes. In amongst all this ruination, a small area has miraculously survived intact. Taking solace away from all the death and destruction, she wanders over to the few remaining plants. With the associated pipe work in ruins, these little plants will not last long, a few days at best. She sighs as she gazes at the destroyed water spray system. Superfluous now, it was designed to provide oxygenated water to compensate for the unknown elements of the alien atmosphere. She smiles as she recalls the day George replaced the core air sample, literally allowing everyone to breathe easy. Reminiscing about George brings her thoughts back to the present. Finding a bucket tangled amongst the wreckage, she starts to fill it with the delicious looking strawberries.
John disengages the main drive as close as he dare to the planet, and quickly has them in orbit. Edwards gulps as he launches the Terran’s remaining shuttle. Piloting downward, he hones in on George’s position. The task is made easier, thanks to a distress signal coming from the suit. He lands close to George, who lays motionless on the beach. Patrick quickly steps out, then using his own suit drags George inside. They make a hasty retreat, Edwards pushes the Gamin shuttle as hard as possible. To his dismay, there are two ships in orbit, the raider has followed them.
Cindy stares at her control panel.
“Not yet, not yet.” She says as she monitors the shuttle’s progress.
John takes the Terran lower and lower into the planet’s upper atmosphere as he keeps them between the raider and the shuttle. The enemies’ ship is clearly damaged, yet still they persist. However by protecting the shuttle, the raider is able to fire volley after volley of energy blasts at them.
Emma, like all those on board, feels the impacts as they strike the ship. With her task complete, she makes her way to the bridge so she can share her bountiful find. She stops as an odd sounds makes its way to her, like an ocean wave. A wall of water flows from around the corner ahead and rushes at her. She spots a stairwell up ahead, and bolts for it. Water slops at her feet as she hurtles her way into the opening. The wall of water rushes past, then begins to tug at her legs as it fills the stairwell. She climbs upward as the water continues to rise. Minutes later the deluge has passed, the water sounds like a tub draining as it gurgles its way down the stairwell.
Edwards notices the lower hull of the Terran is turning red as the massive ship skims lower into the planet’s atmosphere. He safely pilots the shuttle into the hangar deck, thankful of John’s own impressive skills. His demeanor changes as water suddenly pours out from one of the passageways. He lands the shuttle quickly as water spreads out across the floor. Bewildered, he stares at the slowly rising water for a moment, before contacting the bridge.
“Were in, and, you have a flood.”
John ignores the latter comment and activates the sub-light engines, hoping to arrest their descent. As soon as he is clear of the atmosphere, he engages the main drive. Glancing furtively at Joe and Andrew, he ramps their speed as high as he dares.
“Factor seven, and holding.”
Emma arrives on the bridge, dripping water and leaving wet foot prints with every step.
“Water tanks have ruptured.” She says a little distant. Looking around in shock, she holds up the bucket.
“I have strawberries for everyone.” She giggles, her sanity clearly fading fast.
“Cindy, you need to come to reactor control”
The voice carries with it an ominous tone. Emma drops the bucket and covers her ears. She closes her eyes and starts to mumble, rocki
ng her body at the same time. The affect is quite unsettling, and very unnerving to the bridge crew.
Andrew stands up and moves to Emma.
“Cindy, I got this. You go and find out what they want.”
Wordlessly she nods in thanks, then strides out the bridge. Arriving at reactor control she is perplexed as there is no one rushing about, no imminent disaster.
“What’s going on?” She asks curiously.
One of the reactor control men motions her over.
“Olaf broke the seal on reactor eleven, then locked himself inside.” The man gulps, then looks downward. “Radiation is so high in that section we can’t open the door.”
Cindy’s mouth twitches in apprehension.
“Can we talk to him?”
“Sure, if he answers.” The man flicks a switch on the wall, then nods to Cindy.
“Olaf, can you hear me?”
The reply is strong and powerful, not what she was expecting.
“Yes ma’am, getting you more power, you better use it up ‘cause the grid can only store so much.”
“Olaf, you need to get out of there, while the suit is still protecting you.”
“The suit is toast. Hey, I have a request for you.”
Cindy’s thoughts are drawn to the many that have already died on this journey. He was not meant to die, just get them more power.
“What is it you stubborn fool?”
“Name a school or two after me.”
“I will make sure of it my friend.”
Tears build up in her eyes, then flow down her face as Olaf does not reply.
The control room worker nervously paces nearby, obviously agitated. Finally he speaks, his tone subdued yet urgent at the same time.
“We have a lot of power flowing into the grid. If we don’t use it, we will lose it.”
Cindy stares at the man, her sadness turning into a fierce determination. She storms her way to the bridge, where she issues a bold order.
“Maximum speed commander John, put her to the wall.”
She sits heavily in the command chair and thumps the armrests in frustration. Olaf is dead or dying from radiation poisoning, thanks to me. George is unconscious, and we are still a long way from home. She stares at the cascade of colors, but fails to find solace in its beauty this time.
John slides the main drive control higher and higher, until the ship begins to shake and shudder. Then he slides the control a little more. To the wall, yes ma’am! He almost dares the ship to fly apart.
“A hair over factor seven.”
Cindy does not reply, her eyes blazing in anger, thoughts of revenge weighing heavily on her mind. Someone is going to pay dearly for this.
Kord
Having more power than ever before, Commander John pushes the Terran hard. He is able to make two course changes before the surplus power runs out. What should have taken weeks, has turned into hours thanks to Olaf’s sacrifice. The bridge crew has been unable to rest, and simply stays at their posts. As they get closer to Golward’s world he begins pacing again, his apprehension clear. Cindy watches the view transition to the bland white dots as John disengages the main drive.
“Stay alert everyone.”
Her eyes narrow as she stares out into space. Her words of warning unnecessary, everyone is on edge.
“Unidentified vessel, you are approaching restricted space and will be fired upon if you do not immediately alter course.”
Golward’s face lifts up, he performs an odd looking jump.
“Let me speak to them.”
Cindy motions for him to do so, his excitement delightful to watch.
“This is Golward of the science station Theta, do not fire. We have been rescued.”
“Survivors from Theta? Not possible.”
“This is not a Gamin ship, they are,” he pauses as he considers what to say, “these are our friends.”
“Activate visual so that we may greet your friends.”
Joe turns to Cindy and shrugs his shoulders, his eyes involuntarily dart to George’s empty station. She lifts her hands up in exasperation.
“We don’t know how.”
Golward stops his pacing and just stares at them in disbelief. Finally he speaks.
“This ship is badly damaged, many systems no longer work. I will get their leader, Cindy, to stop the ship so that you may escort us in.”
Golward stares at Cindy intently. She gives John a curt nod, he immediately reduces all thrust to zero. The Terran continues on, drifting along on momentum only. Golward then stares at John until he fires up the forward thrusters in an attempt to arrest their motion completely. One bank of thrusters does not respond, he taps his console a couple more times before shaking his head in annoyance.
“Well, we not only shaved off some armor when we collided with the raider’s ship, seems we lost a few thrusters as well. Compensating.”
Cindy squints as she spots a small spacecraft headed toward them. The approaching ship looks to be not much bigger than a Gamin shuttle. The small ship turns as it gets closer. A bright beam of white light radiates from its rear, the light plays over the Terran’s hull. John is surprised to see that they are moving.
“A tractor beam?” He says, quizzically.
Golward looks at John with his head cocked.
“Tractor beam?” He says sounding confused. “That is a tug, it will guide this ship in.”
Cindy raises an eyebrow. In?
“That tiny ship is able to pull us, amazing.”
Before anyone can ask what Golward meant when he said ‘in’, the answer swings into view. A magnificent space station hangs in space, its size is incomprehensible. The Terran is guided toward a dock, one of hundreds that dot the many rings of this construct. As they get closer, the design becomes clearer. Joe is beside himself and can’t contain his excitement.
“Look at that core, it’s like a huge upright cylinder. Can you see the spires that radiate out to massive docks and who knows what else? Hey, some of these outer areas are connected to each other.” He whistles, “that whole thing has got to be the size of a small moon.”
Cindy can’t help but find his enthusiasm catchy. She gazes at the space station before them, her thoughts turning to concern as the tiny ship enters a massive artificial cave. The Terran follows, still being towed by the strange technology. She turns to Golward and outwardly smiles, yet inside fear is building up. They had better be friendly, after all we’ve been through, we need a break.
As if reading her thoughts Golward turns to face Cindy.
“You will all stay on this ship. We will take George and heal his injuries. I will get equipment to save Olaf, if we can.”
Everyone exchanges looks, but no one says anything at first, then Cindy pipes up.
“We would appreciate any assistance you may be able to render.”
The dock they have been towed into is a long tube, with the far end closing as they watch. John has been observing their path, and engages the landing struts when it’s clear the ship is being lowered onto a massive landing strip.
“Ahh, readings show an atmosphere building up outside.” He says most surprised.
Andrew and Joe quickly tap a series of instructions into their terminals and laptops. Minutes later they come to a consensus, which Andrew shares.
“The air outside is breathable.”
Golward’s eyes glint as he leaves the bridge.
“Thank you for saving us, we will repair your ship now.”
With that he is gone, along with all the Kord that were rescued. A few minutes later a pair of furry Kord walk back up the open ramp, they carry between them a basic looking stretcher. Cindy is not liking the way these Kord are able to control the ship’s ramp. What else can they control? Her paranoia getting the better of her.
“Hey look!” Says Andrew in surprise.
The front of their ship is illuminated by powerful lights, revealing a massive furrow down the Terran’s right flank. This is not wh
at Andrew is pointing toward. Dozens of tiny robotic arms are extending down from the ceiling. As they contact the ship a bright glow becomes evident.
“What are they doing?” Says Joe with some concern.
The robotic arms move quickly along the damage, leaving behind smooth hull plating. Cindy’s apprehension begins to fade. Her thoughts turn to George, she wonders whether or not they should have taken him out of his body suit. With a deep sigh she gets up and leaves the bridge, her next task a very heart wrenching one.
She is met outside the sealed off reactor eleven by Peter, six Kord, and a dozen or so reactor crew as onlookers. Every department has had casualties, but Olaf’s is the one that drives home their plight. Maybe he is alright, those Gamin body suits are amazing.
The group of Kord set up an odd looking air lock style doorway outside the sealed room. Anxious reactor crews stand by with hand held monitors, three of them dressed in full radiation suits. Once the Kord complete their task, they put on full body outfits themselves. Taking with them some unidentifiable equipment, the nine enter the room where Olaf lays entombed. Cindy waits nervously outside, along with a growing number of bystanders. The minutes tick by and nothing seems to be happening.
Radiation counters suddenly bleep, causing everyone to jump. Cindy quickly glances at the man’s radiation meter next to her, and relaxes. Just a small spike, nothing hazardous. The temporary doorway opens, four Kord exit the room carrying a stretcher. Olaf’s suit is on the stretcher and covered with a foam like substance. One of the men takes off his headpiece then slowly shakes his head from side to side.
“There was nothing they could do.”
The remaining Kord dismantle the specialized airlock. Cindy frowns as she considers their next step. With almost half the crew killed, and the ship down to seventeen reactors, the trip home is going to be long and arduous.
Cindy walks off and heads to the infirmary. She stops in the doorway and watches Henry as he hurries from table to table. Her hopes pick up for a moment, then are dashed. He is documenting each person’s cause of death. She interrupts him reluctantly.
Discovery (Terran Chronicles) Page 26
