by Francis, Ron
He put his arm around her to comfort her. “This was in no way your fault.” He began. “The plan was my idea. Telling Reece was my idea, and not having the crew watching him more closely after he did know was my mistake. Reece should have known better, too. There’s plenty of blame to go around, Cass, but none of it will change what happened, and none of it will be of any use to Reece.”
“You don’t understand, Jess. She has been a member of my crew for eight years. She’s been with me and Enso since the beginning. She was the first person I hired when I bought the Catamaran, and I thought we were friends. I didn’t lose one friend today, I lost two.”
He rubbed her shoulder as he answered, “We haven’t lost Reece yet, Cassie. Suzy is the best doctor I have ever seen. If anyone can save Reece, she can. And you can’t blame yourself for Kora. I’m sure she was your friend most of the time you guys were together. She just fell for the wrong guy and let it change her. These things happen, and it doesn’t change the fact that you are a great captain.”
She looked at him and smiled through the tears. He was once again struck by how beautiful she was. He lowered his head, not wanting his thoughts to go in that direction while she was so obviously upset.
She leaned on him for comfort and replied. “But I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to trust my instincts again. Even after you played the transmission for me, I didn’t want to believe it. I still never thought she’d be capable of ….” Before she could finish her thought, her breath caught and she was once again fighting back tears. He just held her and comforted her while they sat in silence.
“I don’t know how you can be so kind to me. I’ve brought misery to this ship, this… family. From the moment you met me, I caused you pain, and now your friend is in there, hanging onto life by a thread, and you are here comforting me. Why?”
“First of all, Suzy won’t let me in the med-bay when she’s operating,” He joked, hoping to brighten Cassie’s spirits. “And even though our beginning was a little rocky, I have still enjoyed getting to know you."
As he finished speaking, she put her hand on his cheek and looked in his eyes. Then she leaned in and kissed him. As she touched his face, she kissed him with a passion he had not felt in a long time. She kissed him and he let her, knowing a new season had begun in their relationship. Then he began to kiss her back. It had been so long since he had felt this way. He gave in to the moment. For that one moment, everything else melted away, and they were the only two people in the galaxy. The moment was interrupted when Suzy’s voice over the ship speaker brought him back to the present. “Jesse, report to med-bay, please.”
Cassie continued to hold his hand and she simply said, “Thank you, Jesse.”
He was trying to figure out his feelings over what had just happened while he slowly stood to leave.
He looked into Cassie’s eyes as he stood and asked, “Are you coming with me?”
“Not just yet. I’d like a little more time alone, if that’s okay?”
“Take all the time you need. I’ll find you later and let you know what’s going on.” As he turned to leave, she stood and kissed him again before saying goodbye and sitting back down on the table.
As he made his way to med-bay, his head was spinning. That was incredible. He only hoped it had meant as much to her as it had to him. He wished their first kiss could have been in a moment of happiness. It wasn’t what he intended when he went in to comfort her. He knew the attraction had been there for weeks and he felt like they were getting closer, but that was a complete surprise.
As he rushed into the med-bay, he forced his mind to focus on Reece's condition. “How is he, Suzy?”
“I’ve managed to stabilize him. The next twenty-four hours are critical. If he makes it through that, he should survive.”
He looked at his friend as he asked, “So what aren’t you telling me?”
She took a deep breath, “Aside from the obvious chest trauma, he hit his head hard on the deck. His brain is swollen, which is not conducive to ten hours of surgery. I had to place him in a medically-induced coma, and he’ll probably remain that way for a week or so. The problem is, due to the intense trauma and the following surgery, he may not wake up when I release him from the coma.”
Jesse knew this was bad, but he put on his best poker face and said. “He’s gonna make it, Suzy, and you’re the one that saved him. Remember that! What can you tell me about his surgery?”
“Well, the blaster was at a close enough range that it did significant damage. She must not have had the blaster set to full power. It missed his heart by a little less than half a centimeter, which is the only reason he survived. It did massive damage to his pectoral muscle, burned through two ribs, and severely damaged his lung. I was able to repair his damaged lung. I rebuilt his two ribs with synthetic bone, which, when done bonding, is stronger than the actual bone it replaced. I repaired the muscle to the best of my ability. After that, I sewed him back up and injected some muscle regeneration chemicals into his repaired pectoral. Eventually, he will be good as new, but it’s going to be a long road back. And that’s not counting the broken heart.” She looked to be on the verge of tears. Everyone had been given the opportunity to run the gamut of emotions, everyone except her. She was busy for ten hours saving her friend's life.
"I can't believe this happened on our ship, to our friend. I don't want to have to keep sowing up my friends Jesse."
He looked at his friend, nothing but respect in his eyes, and said. “You did good work here today, Suzy. Now go get some rest.” She started to protest, but he waved her off and continued. “That's an order if you need it to be. Sleep here if you have to, leave the medbots to monitor Reece and wake you if there is any change, but get some sleep.” She didn’t argue, and as he left the med-bay, he dimmed lights and quietly began down the hall.
He was met in the hall by the crew, all wanting to know the condition of their friend, so he repeated everything that Suzy had told him. His summary of everything Suzy had told him did little to relieve their worries, but they knew Suzy had done everything she could. It was up to fate now whether Reece Gavin lived or died.
______
The next morning, Cassie came into Jesse’s room, waking him up with a gentle kiss on the lips. “You have to come see this,” She said. He forced himself out of bed, noticing his ribs still hurt and walked with her to the common room. He was still not completely awake, but vaguely aware that she was holding his hand as they walked. As they entered the common room, everyone was there except Suzy, who was still passed out. She deserved the rest after the grueling surgery she performed. Everyone was staring at the vid screen.
“What are we watching?” He asked to no one in particular.
“History,” Wennagal replied.
As Jesse came around to the screen, he noticed Eliphaz Topanar being led out of the Mayoral tower with his arms bound behind his body. The words “assassination scandal” were scrawled across the screen. A fairly pretty news reporter was detailing the list of crimes the Sub-Mayor was accused of. The reports showed thousands of people filling the streets to get a look. The reporter was going on about this being the biggest political scandal since a former Chairman had several mistresses over two hundred years ago. Wow, he thought, Mayor Valinor wasn’t exaggerating when he said this would be the biggest news in Kaldor in over a century. Everyone was focused on the screen, but he was trying to steal a glance at Cassie, who had stopped holding his hand when they entered the common area.
After discussing Kaldorian politics for a while, he decided he needed to have a shower. He stopped on his way out to talk to Josiah and see how he was doing. He was encouraged to hear Josiah say he would be ready for action in about a week. He was sure Suzy would disagree, but he trusted Josiah’s judgment when it came to taking care of himself. Josiah wasn’t nearly as reckless as he was. Josiah was eager to join Kimi and Cassie in figuring out where the treasure was, even though he knew he might not be on the team to pr
ocure it. He already had a promising lead. Jesse told him of Topanar’s map and their plan to steal it, and Josiah was even more excited. The one thing that had him completely stumped was what the artifacts were for. If Jesse and Kimi were able to procure that map, the treasure would be theirs.
As Jesse was getting out of the shower, a longer one than usual, he heard a commotion from the common room. He quickly threw on some sweatpants and a tee shirt and ran into the common room expecting trouble. Instead, he was met with celebration.
“What was all the yelling about?” he asked, wanting to know what was going on.
Josiah answered him, “Mayor Valinor just announced his candidacy for Governor.”
Jesse smiled as he replied, “I knew he was holding something back when we were talking a couple days ago. That old dog. Good for him. He’s been through a lot, and he should capitalize on it.” He was genuinely happy for Tarrick as he went back to his room to finish getting ready.
A short time later, he received a transmission form the Mayor. “Hello, Mister Governor,” he greeted.
“It may be a bit early for that, but I appreciate the sentiment,” Tarrick warmly responded. “I understand you had a conversation with Agent Sandstorm about his past last night.”
“Indeed we did. It couldn’t have come at a more awkward time, but we were glad for his honesty,” he smiled as he spoke. “What did you want him to team up with us for?”
“Now that I know it was the younger Topanar helping me, I want to know his game. He’s not a good man, as you are well aware, and I know his kind of help has a price tag. I would like you to work with Sandstorm to trip him up and take him down, if possible.”
“I’m fairly certain Kimi will take the first available opportunity to kill him.” Jesse only half joked.
Tarrick didn’t seem to notice as he continued. “I can’t have him out there causing problems for my campaign.”
“I understand, Tarrick, and believe me; we need him out of the way as well. We’ll work with Agent Sandstorm and see what we can do. I only wish I could vote for you when the election comes.”
Tarrick smiled, “Thank you, Jesse. You’re a good friend. I look forward to talking with you soon.” As the transmission ended, he thought about Tarrick Valinor as the Governor of Kaldor City’s District. He thought about how it would pretty much make him the second most powerful man on the planet and that thought made him smile.
______
Kimi, Collin and Wennagal had gone out for supplies, and Cassie and Josiah were in treasure-hunting central, trying to figure out where the planet with the treasure was. Jesse couldn’t believe they had gotten this far, but he was ready for it to be over so they could go about the business of gathering intel on the other three sectors of the Kalephi galaxy.
“I’m going to take Suzy out for lunch. Cassie, would you like to come with us?” He asked as he approached the table.
She looked up at him and smiled a smile that took his breath away. “No thanks, I’m going to stay here with Josiah and work on the clues.”
“Okay, I’ll see you guys when I get back.” He replied, feeling a little dejected.
As he turned to leave, she came up to him, held his face in her hands and kissed him gently for a moment and replied. “I certainly hope so.”
He was enjoying this new relationship with Cassie, he looked her in the eyes and asked, “Do you want me to bring you back something?”
Before she could answer, Josiah waved one of his crutches and shouted. “Hello, injured guy in the room would like to eat, too.” He had a big smile on his face.
“We’ll bring you both something back to eat, then.” He laughed.
When Jesse had left the room, Josiah looked at Cassie, raised an eyebrow, and asked, “What was that all about?”
“What?” She tried to hide her smile, “I was just saying goodbye.”
“On Earth, that is considered more than goodbye,” he laughed as he went back to checking his maps. If Cassie and Jesse were becoming more than friends, he was happy for them. Although he knew it was going to hurt Kimi. He thought it was sad that Jesse really had no idea how she felt. He was always telling her to let Jesse know, but she hadn’t. Now, it appeared as though she might be too late. He hadn’t seen his friend that happy since Rebecca.
As Jesse walked with Suzy, he couldn’t stop thinking about that last kiss. Even though it only lasted a moment, it was electric, and he knew he was in trouble. His smiled lasted until they entered the restaurant.
______
As Jesse and Suzy were leaving the restaurant after a nice meal, he had takeout meals for Cassie and Josiah. While they were walking, a man approached them, and his cruel features instantly marked him as Joldas Topanar. As he was trying to figure out if he should drop the food and grab his blaster, he noticed three other law enforcement officials coming up alongside of him. They circled Jesse in a slow arc meant to intimidate him. One of the men grabbed Suzy by the arm and began, "We have it on good authority that you have been practicing medicine here on Kaldor without a license. That is a crime on Kaldor, you are going to have to come with us."
Jesse shoved the man with one hand and moved Suzy behind him with the other while still holding onto his bag. “If you touch my friend again, you will wake up in a hospital, if you wake up at all.” Jesse had his hand on his blaster and a look in his eye that made the guard back off.
“And you’ll end up in jail,” Topanar countered. “We wouldn’t want that, now would we?” He laughed.
Jesse knew he was being set up, so he just went with it. “Maybe I’ll just beat all four of you within an inch of your pathetic lives. This way, I at least get my money’s worth, and none of you will ever be able to lift a finger to hurt an innocent person again.” The look in his eye let Topanar know he was deadly serious. He had seen Colonel Marcos in action enough to know he could probably do it, so he called the guards off.
One of the guards began to call something out, but Topanar just waved him silent and sent the three of them off about ten meters so he could speak to Jesse privately.
“Colonel Marcos, I have come with a proposition,” he began.
“Well, you’re off to a great start,” Jesse interrupted, still agitated by their treatment of Suzy.
Topanar continued, ignoring the insolence. “Look, I know you don’t like me, and I hate you, but I hate Garrinoras more. We are all after the treasure, so why not pool our resources and split the treasure between us. I get half, you get half.”
Jesse laughed at the thought of letting this man attain that kind of wealth. Instead, he said, “That would be a good idea if I could even trust you a little. The problem is, you have already ruined any chance of trust between us several times over.”
Topanar was annoyed and saw this plan was going nowhere, so he added, “How is Mister Gavin, anyway?”
Jesse had to resist the urge to punch him right in his smug face, but he couldn’t take the chance with Suzy there. He replied, “He’s great, he’s gonna make a full recovery thanks to Suzy. He looks forward to seeing Kora again real soon. We all do.” He let the threat hang in the air while he continued to hold eye contact with Topanar.
Topanar knew his plan wasn't working, and as he was calling his men to come back over, an aircar landed between Jesse and Topanar’s men. Agent Sandstorm got out of the aircar and opened the back door, revealing the mayor. “I was on my way to your ship, and I saw you standing here speaking with the good captain,” He began. “I had Sandstorm pull over to see if I might offer you a ride.”
“Absolutely, Mister Mayor, thank you.” Jesse responded while helping Suzy into the aircar and following her in. “Your kindness is humbling; I am in your debt,” he continued.
“It’s the least I can do for the man that saved my wife and I. Isn’t that right, Captain?” Valinor’s smile could have lit up the city. He really was good at this, Jesse thought.
Jesse waved as the aircar lifted off. “We’ll speak again real soon, To
panar,” he yelled as the aircar sped away. He turned to the Mayor, “Thank you, Sir. He wasn’t gonna let us go, and I couldn’t risk a fight with Suzy there.”
“Don’t thank me, Jesse, thank Sandstorm, he’s the one that spotted you and surmised you were in trouble.”
Jesse looked at Sandstorm and he nodded his thanks. Sandstorm returned the nod and kept flying. As they landed at Endeavor and exited, Mayor Valinor waved his goodbye and Jesse carried Cassie and Josiah's lunch into the ship. He could tell Suzy was upset as she began to speak.
"They were going to use me to get to you, I don't think I should be allowed off the ship anymore. I don't want to put you or anyone else in danger."
"Jesse took his friend's hand and said, "I won't let anything happen to you, Suzy, don't be afraid on my account."
She just smiled as she realized the whole crew would have said the same thing, but she still didn't want to chance anyone getting hurt protecting her. She was grounding herself until the treasure hunt was over.
Jesse let the crew know about the run in with Topanar, and they all agreed that it only meant he was getting desperate. He warned that desperate men could do unspeakable things, and reminded them to be on their guard. He also made sure they knew to look after Suzy's safety. He did allow himself a smile though, knowing they had Topanar on the ropes.
Chapter ten
______
Later that day, as Jesse was sitting on the couch talking with Cassie in the common room, SAMMI’s voice called over the ship’s speaker, “Incoming transmission for you, Colonel Marcos.”
“Who is it, SAMMI?” He replied, not wanting to get up.
“He identified himself as the Mighty Garrinoras.”
