“Nathan,” Gray called out, “What’s the big priority?”
“Hello to you too, Gray. Yes, of course, I’ve missed you. No, no don’t beg me to come back sooner, I’ve got my own ship.”
He allowed a grin to surface. “Sorry to be so abrupt. It’s been a grueling trip. I don’t miss you though, and trust me when I tell you that I’ll never beg you for anything.”
“Funny.” Nathan cracked his legendary half grin, and added, “I need you to come and fetch me. Soon. Now.”
“That will be problematic. You’re supposed to be there for another two weeks. Why do I need to fetch you so early?”
“The negotiation party we are supposed to be escorting on to the Rycan System in two weeks is also the primary team they use on their home planet for peace negotiations. They just got word of some trouble on Rycan. They want to leave early. As a matter of fact they’ve been quite vocal about wanting to depart as soon as possible.”
“So what? Tell them no. We have a signed agreement. Reassure the delegates we’ll be delighted to escort them per the contract. We’ll be there in two weeks.”
Nathan shook his head. “Unfortunately, their home planet issued a distress call a few hours ago. There has been some sort of incident on their planet. An attacking party is plundering their planet or threatening to plunder the planet. I’m not sure. The details are fuzzy. They think they need to be there to talk the offenders out of it. And they demand to go home. Now.”
“Well, I’m sorry, but I currently have a medical emergency. I’m on my way to the Parsec Colony and I don’t have time to stop. Besides why can’t you take them on the Mirage if it’s such a big, hot emergency?”
“Because the Dalton is the only ship cleared to go to the Rycan System or enter the Rycan atmosphere. A paperwork shuffle for the Mirage would take time.”
“My medical emergency takes priority over their planetary squabble.” Gray broke out in a cold sweat because he knew what was coming next. Something dreadful. Nathan was about to verbalize terrible news and he didn’t want to hear it.
“They called the Galactic Federation of Planets and made an official request. The Mirage doesn’t have sufficient tactical safeguards in place to enter Rycan space or the planet’s atmosphere without being considered hostile. Since the Dalton is the only authorized ship able to enter Rycan space, you have to come and fetch us and take us there. Oh and, if you could hurry up get here yesterday, that would be great. Seriously, you need to come and get me before I kill someone.”
Damn it. An official request made his decision for him. Gray had to comply or face a punitive council with the federated planets on why he didn’t respond to a peace delegation while he was in the vicinity and the only authorized vessel to transport them.
Damn it all to hell.
“Try not to kill anyone before I get there.”
“I’ll do my best. No promises. I’m sorry my planet emergency trumps your medical emergency. If there were another way, I’d be willing to discuss it.”
“It can’t be helped. Now get along with the others and play nice or else.”
“It’s not me. On day one they had a test of the emergency quarantine system, we were locked inside deep in the tunnels behind several sets of blast doors for fifteen hours because they couldn’t figure out how to turn it off. Have you ever been trapped with Seriillial Warriors? They stink like death on a cracker and I discovered that fact before the quarantine started. When will you get here again?”
Cahill caught his eye and responded, “If we shift course immediately, we’ll be there in two days and back on the way to the Parsec Colony with only four total days lost in detour time. But will the delegation agree to go to the Parsec Colony first before we drop them off elsewhere?”
Gray’s entire body stiffened at the thought of telling Penelope that there was a delay. “They’ll have to, I don’t have time to go to the Rycan system before it’s too late for Dr. Drake.”
Cahill nodded. Angelica’s visceral hostility continued, but thankfully she remained silent.
“Nathan, we’ll be there in two days. Hang in there.”
“Roger that. Sorry to change your plans. Tyndall out.”
“Cahill, put in the course change and kick it into high gear.”
“Yes, sir. Are you taking the command deck back?”
Gray had intended to take back his shift, but paused to consider Penelope. He decided quickly that he didn’t want to break this latest tidbit of bad news to her on the heels of what had happened in the medical lab. Glancing at Angelica and then at Cahill, he pondered the merits of confiding Penelope’s secret.
“Yes. But I’d like you both to work on something for me.”
Cahill handed him the command communication device and slid out of the captain’s chair. “What do you need?”
Angelica remained silent.
“I need to know what is causing these blackouts and how to stop them.”
“Is that really the biggest concern we have at the moment?” Angelica’s attitude bordered on dissident and Gray wondered if Cahill had shared something about what happened in the medical lab with Penelope. Then again, why was she here alone with Cahill in the first place and not on her time off doing whatever she did on her time off?
Gray’s next epiphany took a second or two and the imperceptible changes in Angelica plus her presence on the command deck with Cahill finally snapped into place. Maybe what she was “doing” on her time off was Ensign Cahill.
“It’s my biggest concern.” Gray paused a moment to gather his bearings, then asked, “Tell me, Lieutenant Brice, why are you currently on the bridge?” Using her rank and surname formally usually got her rapt attention.
“What?” Angelica’s mouth opened in shock. She glanced at Cahill and then back at Gray.
Gray raised his eyebrows, waiting for an answer. Her lips slammed shut and formed a thin line as her eyes narrowed as if in accusation.
Cahill responded slowly without taking his eyes off of Angelica, “I met her in the corridor outside of the med lab after you’d gone. I asked her to come with me to the command deck.”
Narrowing his eyes on Angelica’s fidgeting stance, he murmured, “Is that so?”
“Yes, sir.” Cahill didn’t elaborate further, but added, “I’ll look into the blackout problem with the engineer.”
“Good. Thank you. Dismissed.” Gray wasn’t usually so curt with his crew, but he was moved by Penelope’s plight. Unfortunately, he didn’t want to explain her private problem. Not yet.
“Sir, before we go, I’d like to discuss something else.” Angelica hadn’t moved, but her restlessness had abated.
Gray seated himself in the captain’s chair before he turned to his two first officers. “What’s on your mind, Lieutenant?”
“I think we need to talk about what happened in the med lab earlier.”
He sent an angry gaze to Cahill’s stony expression. “What do you know about that, Lieutenant Brice?”
“Cahill didn’t tell me anything, sir. I saw you dragging Dr. Drake to her room. She was…altered, troubled.” Angelica pushed out a breath, leaned closer and whispered, “As a matter of fact, I saw her licking the side of your face with her hand attached below your belt, sir. What is really wrong with her?”
Fuck. Gray didn’t want to have this conversation. “Did anyone else see me exit the medical lab with Dr. Drake?”
“Not to my knowledge, sir.”
Gray pierced his first in command with a stern look. He didn’t want to explain if he didn’t have to. Given Angelica’s attitude, he likely needed to. “Dr. Drake suffers from an illness. One I decline to express the details in this current venue. Besides, I don’t know that it’s any of your business, Lieutenant Brice.”
“It’s our business if her illness makes her contagious to all of the rest of us.”
“It doesn’t.”
“How do you know?”
“She told me.”
“And you b
elieve her.”
“Yes. I believe her. I don’t have any reason not to.” Gray crossed his arms. “Do you have some knowledge that I’m unaware of, Lieutenant? Something you’d like to share? Or are you just trying to get me to reveal detailed private information of our only passenger?”
Angelica’s eyes widened a bit, she glanced at Cahill and then at the floor. “None of the above, sir. My sole concern is for this ship and its crew, as always.”
Damn it. Gray knew he was being defensive where he shouldn’t be. Of course her concern would be for the ship and crew. She practically bled Dalton fuel she was so loyal. Time to back down and regroup his misdirected feelings.
“I’m sorry, Angelica. I didn’t mean to imply you were out of line. You’re right to be cautious about this phenomenon. However, it is a delicate matter and one I don’t wish to discuss here on the bridge of the ship.” He sent his gaze to Cahill, whose stance was more rigid than if he’d been at attention.
Gray realized in that second that he needed to confide in someone else. If he couldn’t trust his executive staff, they wouldn’t be working for him. Penelope wouldn’t suffer any more or less if Angelica and Cahill had the pertinent information about her condition.
“Call the senior engineer to the bridge to take a six hour shift and meet me in the private conference room on deck three in an hour. I’ll explain everything then.”
“Yes, sir,” they both said in unison.
* * * *
Once ensconced in a private room, Gray seated himself and prepared to explain about Dr. Drake’s condition. Hoping to elicit two more advocates for her cause, Gray hadn’t called Penelope. She had enough on her plate currently and Gray planned to ask his two top crew officers not to divulge any information regarding this matter.
“Dr. Drake contracted the Dalton for a quick as possible journey to the Parsec Colony so she can obtain a cure for an illness she harbors. It’s a horrible virus, however it’s not contagious. Penelope explained to me—”
“Penelope?” Angelica interrupted to ask. “You two are on a first name basis now?”
“Yes. Much like you and Ensign Cahill, I’d imagine. Let me explain and all will be made clear to you.”
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“The virus she has is like getting radiation poisoning, but she is the only one who’s been exposed. She can’t give it to anyone else.”
“What kind of virus makes her do what she was doing to you?” Cahill asked.
“It’s called the Sex or Suffer virus. It’s a little known, manufactured bio-weapon which attacks only humanoid females. It causes great burning pain internally until the woman afflicted basically…well…she has to have sex with a man. Quickly.”
Angelica’s mouth dropped open. “What?”
“I’m not repeating it.”
She shook her head and squinted as if she either didn’t believe it or didn’t want to. “She has a virus that makes her have pain until she has sex.”
Gray nodded. A whole host of expressions ranging from anger to disbelief to fury crossed Angelica’s face. “That is absolutely barbaric,” she spat out.
“Yes, it is. The virus is triggered by scent and attraction. Statistically, according to Dr. Drake, any given female is attracted to one in four men she meets. Once Penelope comes within range enough to smell a male that she’s attracted to, or say her sealed quarters link with the cabin next door and begin sharing air, the virus is triggered and the pain escalates until her symptoms are temporarily alleviated.”
“What if she isn’t temporarily alleviated?”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to find out. However, I believe her pain increases to unbearable levels.”
Cahill placed his hand down on the table. “I get it now. She told me to stay away from her in the med lab after the last blackout. Her mask was beeping, the last filter was smashed on the floor, and she backed away from me and held her breath.”
“You were in there with her while she had an attack?” Angelica snapped her head and glared at Cahill. “Is that why you were getting dressed on your way out?”
“No. I was getting my quarterly physical. Like I told you.” Angelica stopped talking as if she just realized where she was and who sat in the room with her. Gray didn’t stop to analyze the sparks volleying between them. Given their body language, he suspected they had something going on.
“Dr. Drake is not attracted to Ensign Cahill.” Gray fixed his gaze on Angelica. “She is, however, attracted to me. Every time the power drops and we have a blackout, the quarantine quarters for both her room and mine revert back to the original programming, begin sharing air and she…seeks me out to relieve her pain. It’s a pain which escalates until she’s temporarily treated…by sex.”
“That must be absolutely agonizing for her,” Angelica whispered.
“Being forced to have sex with me or just having the virus?” Gray grimaced as he realized what he’d said. The stress of this trip wore on him and made his personality angrier.
Angelica blushed to her roots. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“No,” Gray broke in. “That was uncalled for and I apologize. It’s been a difficult journey and I’m worried about Penelope. Since she’s been here, her virus is getting worse.”
“How in the blue blazes could it be any worse?”
“Her pain is increasing with each incident. And I can’t stand to see her suffer so unbearably.”
“What do you need from us?” Cahill asked.
“I need to find out what is causing the blackouts. Barring that, I need to find new quarters so she won’t be impacted if the power continues to cut out. I desperately need to get her to the Parsec Colony so she can get cured.”
Angelica’s eyes widened with new understanding over the problematic side trip they were about to take. “And now we have to stop off at Echo Province to pick up Nathan and the annoying delegates.”
“Yes. Otherwise they can pull my transport license for failure to respond to an emergency.”
Cahill cleared his throat. “What did Dr. Drake say about the delay?”
“I haven’t told her. I just don’t have the heart to yet. The trip from Bravura to the Parsec Colony is traditionally fourteen days, but I told Dr. Drake we’d try to make it in ten. I’ve been running the engines at over capacity, but with the delay on Echo Province it will revert back to the two week journey at the minimum.”
Cahill nodded. “Plus when the power drops, we lose acceleration and it takes time to get back to full run speed.”
Angelica brightened. “Once we pick Commander Tyndall up, he’ll know why the blackouts are happening. I’ll help him fix it once he’s on board.”
“That’s if we don’t end up being forced to take the Rycan delegation back to their home planet immediately upon landing. The Dalton is the only registered craft able to enter Rycan space currently. And while the Mirage is able to make the trip to the Parsec Colony, it doesn’t have the same heavy duty engine capacity as the Dalton. I’d burn out the engines before we made it in time to get Dr. Drake’s cure in a timely manner. ”
“The Rycan delegation members are self-righteous assholes. They don’t think anyone in the galaxy is as important as they are. They’re completely worthless in military situations. Stupid bastards.” Cahill smacked a hand on the table to punctuate his point. “You know they’ll be waiting with bags packed, ready to board the second the Echo Province planet finishes with the ship wide security sweep.”
Gray nodded. “Plus, they’ll treat us like we’re the crew of a pleasure vessel and demand we meet their every whim all the way back to Rycan.”
Angelica lifted her head and a smile suddenly played over her face. “Unless they think we make our vessel an undesirable option.”
“How?”
“What if the waste tanks accidentally leak into the ventilation system?”
Cahill narrowed his eyes. “That’s nasty.”
She rolled her eyes. “Well,
we don’t really have to do it. We can just pipe a bad smell out of the airlock as we disembark. We can even wear full containment suits and tell them that if they demand this ride, they’ll have to supply their own suits for the duration of the trip to Rycan.”
Gray laughed. “I’d be willing to bet a large sum of credits that if we all show up wearing full containment suits, surrounded by the vile funk of sewer smell as we exit, they won’t press for a ride on the Dalton.”
Angelica sat up straighter in her seat. “Meanwhile, we’ll give them an alternative. The paperwork for the Mirage is already in the works, but it’s likely held up on some bureaucrat’s desk at the Bravura council building with five hundred other requests.”
Cahill grinned at Angelica, “I’ll bet it would be sped through the process in a nanosecond given pressure from the delegation and depending on how badly they ‘really’ need to get to Rycan.”
“And how much they don’t want to use the Dalton to get there.”
“Good point. I guess we can try it.” Gray decided it was a great idea to have confided in his crew. He’d forgotten how smart they were when challenged. “One other thing, I don’t want anyone on Bravura to know we have Dr. Drake on board. Once she discovered she carried the virus, she left rather abruptly.”
“Is that why the co-worker sent the message trying to get her back?” Cahill asked.
Gray was embarrassed to realize he’d completely forgotten about that bogus message in lieu of spending time with Penelope. “I’m not sure why that message was sent. I neglected to mention it to Dr. Drake as unimportant.”
“I guess you’ve had your hands full…no pun intended, sir.”
Gray smiled. “I can ask Penelope about it, but I hate to upset her. I don’t know who Damon Kaslan is, but I recognize his last name as being the same one shared by one of the Bravura government’s highest officials. It’s possible he thought he could swing his weight around. But if he acted alone for some reason, I’m not impressed.”
“Or it was the Bravura science lab trying to get her back quietly using one of their other employees with a well known name to force compliance.”
Sex or Suffer [Dark Colony 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 14
