by Tony Healey
“I hope so,” she said.
“You can expect this. Loss of sensation. Aches and pains. All these types of things,” Clayton said.
He walked to the door.
“I’ll go and fetch you some medication now, and I’ll bring it straight back. You did the right thing to tell me straight away.”
He left.
Alone in her quarters Jessica broke down. She sobbed into her hands.
It’s one thing to be out here, so far away from everything, she thought. But it’s something else to go through this and not be able to tell anyone. I just can’t take the risk.
The loss of sensation in her feet was maddening. It made her want to writhe around on the floor, screaming for it to come back.
He’ll come back in a minute. Better pull yourself together.
She went to the bathroom and splashed her face with cold water. Looked in the mirror.
“Dad …” she whispered and closed her eyes. It all flooded back.
* * *
Her voice cracked as she spoke. “Please don’t go, please.”
Captain Singh shook his head slowly. Smiled. “Jess … We each have our time. My own is at an end …”
“No …” she managed to say.
Singh reached up, stroked the side of her face. “Now it is your turn to do as much as you can with the time you have …”
He smiled again, then his eyes seemed focus on something far away. The light in them faded. Singh’s hand fell away from hers and the sound of his last breath issued from between his lips.
“No …”
She cradled him in her arms.
* * *
Now she wondered what he really meant by time you have. He’d known that she was his daughter, and he’d known that he had MS.
* * *
Jessica searched Clayton’s face for what was to come next. For the truth that lurked behind his sad eyes.
“He told me he had a daughter. But it was a secret. She didn’t know. He asked me to run a check on her, see if she might be susceptible to contracting the disease at some stage. I told him I needed a name,” Clayton said. He squeezed her hands. “He told me it was you, Jessica. You were his daughter.”
She looked away, suddenly unable to process what he was telling her.
We can be your family …
I don’t have what it takes …
With my help you will have. If you’ll trust me …
Now she understood. He wasn’t trying to be her Father - he was her Father. And that was why it had pained him so to see her careening off into chaos. That was why he’d pulled her back. Her own singularity, making sure she didn’t stray too far so that he could keep a close and careful watch on her.
* * *
She fought the memory away. Thinking about it burned like driving a red hot poker into a still-open wound. The door to her quarters opened. Clayton stood in the shaft of light from the corridor outside with a box in his hand.
“I’ll, uh, leave these here on the table. Follow the instructions. Take them right away. And come see me in the morning when you’ve had some sleep,” he said. “I want to run further tests.”
“Sure, Doctor.”
“Captain, you’re sure you don’t want to at least tell the Commander about your situation?” Clayton asked her.
“There is no situation. We’re dealing with it. Good night, Doctor,” King said sternly.
Clayton turned and left. The door closed again. Jessica looked back at the mirror, at the scared woman in the reflection. She drew a beaker of water, went to the table and quickly read the instructions. Then she down two tablets with a mouthful of water.
The memory came back to her, like the wake from a passing ship.
Now it is your turn to do as much as you can with the time you have.
“I will …” she said aloud.
10.
“Yo, Chief,” Greene said as the door to her quarters opened. It was dark inside. “Chief?”
He could hardly see anything inside the quarters. Then a shape stirred on the sofa. “Right here, Del.”
“What’re you doing on the sofa?”
The Chief sat up and switched on a dim little light over the rear wall. “I nodded off. You know, I was trying to sleep,” she said.
“Don’t be a misog,” Greene said and took a seat opposite.
Gunn rubbed her eye. Her hair was dishevelled and wild, and she still had her overalls on. A half glass of scotch sat on the coffee table.
The Commander sniffed the glass, then wrinkled his nose. “Rough.”
Gunn smirked. “That’s what I like.”
He rolled his eyes. “Listen, I came here to tell you something.”
“Huh?”
“I didn’t tell you last night because you were really drunk. And obviously you’re not much better now. But I’m going away for a while,” Greene told her.
“What do you mean?” she asked him.
“A Krinuan ship needs a helping hand. Four of us are going to do a little tour of duty, get to grips with their technology, etcetera, etcetera,” Greene told her. “I won’t see you.”
Gunn went to take the glass. “Maybe I do need this.”
The Commander stopped her, his hand over hers. “Don’t be a silly girl.”
Gunn leaned in close. “I’ve not been a girl for a long time, Del.”
“You’re a girl to me,” he said and kissed her. Her mouth tasted of old scotch, sleep, but it was warm and sweet and the kiss lasted a long time. He moved to sit next to her, and she cuddled into him.
“What’s brought all this on?”
Greene shrugged. “Do I need a reason? I think I’m falling for you Chief.”
“You know you’re an old charmer, right?” Gunn asked. She planted another kiss on his lips.
“Don’t have to tell me, Chief,” he said as they parted. “It’s my natural born talent.”
She pushed him away. “Get away with you. I bet you’ve got things to sort already. You don’t need to be here, making me weak at the knees!”
The Commander got up and walked to the door. He turned back at the last moment. “I’ll be thinking of you, Chief.”
“You ever gonna call me by my actual name?” Gunn asked him.
Greene shook his head. “I like calling you Chief. It’s … dominant.”
He left. The door slid shut behind him. The Chief drained the glass of scotch, laid back on the sofa. But she didn’t go back to sleep.
11.
Days later the Defiant started to look like her old self again. The Krinuan technology had been fitted and tested, and the Chief was visibly happier with the state of things.
“Looking good, Chief,” King said. She inspected the new technology. There were still Krinuans aboard, helping where they could.
“I’ve done preliminary tests on all of the new systems. They check out. But the real test will be when we take her out for a test cruise,” Gunn said. “Though our furry friends tell me we’ll be fine.”
King laughed. “You seem to have gotten on well with them,” she said.
“I love ‘em. Completely. I tell ya, if I could replace all my crew -“
An engineer in overalls walked past and threw the Chief a funny look.
“- I’d be in much better shape down here, you know what I’m saying?” Gunn whispered.
“I think so …”
The comm. system crackled into life.
“Captain, I have a direct line from the station,” Rayne reported over the speaker. Jessica walked to a nearby panel and hit a button.
“Yes?”
“A private message, sir,” Rayne said.
She frowned. “I’ll take it in my quarters Ensign.”
King closed the channel.
“Never a quiet moment, huh?” Gunn remarked.
“Story of my life, Chief,” King said as she left the engineering section. “Story of my life.”
* * *
“I apologise Captain Ki
ng. It was quicker to contact you this way,” Praror said.
“That’s no problem Captain, how can I help you?” Jessica asked.
“The ship that your crew were on … it seems it’s encountered some trouble. We’ve received a distress signal, and a partial message,” Praror said.
That had her attention. “What kind of trouble?”
“A battle in a nearby system. The Naxor have started an invasion of our sector.”
King swallowed. “And the crew … they’re still alive?”
“Yes. From what we can tell. I’ll play you the message now,” there was a pause before the message played. “ … help. We were attacked by … a Naxor ship … The Commander was hurt but he’s okay … now attempting to fix our weapons … Help … Losing power … Don’t know how much longer we can hold them off … the Naxor are out there … waiting for us …”
King stood. “We’ll leave immediately.”
“And we will go with you. We’re launching a counteroffensive,” Praror said. “I’m heading a team to see the Naxor off.”
“Then you’ll find us right by your side,” Jessica told him and closed the channel.
* * *
“Report,” she said as she took the command chair.
“All mooring retracted. Air locks sealed. We’re good to go, Captain,” Chang said. “There are over thirty crew still on the station.”
“They’ll have to wait until we come back,” Jessica said. She noted Lieutenant Rogers at Banks’s station.
If we come back, she thought. They’re probably in the safest place …
“Bringing the engines online, Ma’am,” Lieutenant Rogers said.
“Take us out,” King ordered.
The helmsman backed them away from the massive superstructure, then eased them forward. Swarms of Krinuan vessel streamed away from the station around them. Once they had a ship’s length of distance Rogers brought the engines up to full strength, and they burst free into space.
“Coordinates are locked in,” Rayne reported.
“Red alert. Proceed to the coordinates at maximum velocity, but hold formation with the Krinuan ships. Rogers, I want you to ease her in,” King said. “Slowly open her up. Keep in mind we’re testing a lot of these systems.”
“Aye,” he said.
The stars tore past as Rogers brought them up to full speed. The Defiant surged forward.
“All systems operating within tolerances,” Chang reported.
“Engines at maximum,” Rogers said.
She’s doing fine now, she thought. But she’s going to get a rougher test than I counted on.
“Good. Steady as she goes, Lieutenant,” she said. “Steady as she goes.”
PART SIX
FOES
1.
“Chief, how’re we doing down there?” King asked through the comm. system.
“Better than I hoped,” Chief Gunn reported over the speakers. “Our furry friends did a swell job of patching it all together. Can’t fault any of it.”
Jessica nodded. “And the energy shield?”
“Ready for a test run when you are, Ma’am,” Gunn said.
“Standby Chief,” King said and closed the channel. “Chang, how long until we reach the Commander?”
The Lieutenant checked her monitors. “At our current speed, around thirty minutes.”
“Good. We’ll need someone for the weapons station,” King said. She thought it over for a minute. “Put a call out for Lieutenant Jackson.”
Moments later Jackson bounded onto the bridge. He gave Jessica a stiff salute.
“Easy, Lieutenant. Please take the weapons station. Liaise with Lieutenant Chang and have every weapon available ready to go at a moment’s notice.”
“Yes sir!” Jackson said and set about getting his station in order. Jessica watched him with mild curiosity. He’d always had good reports from the night shift. None of them had said anything of him that gave her the impression of an overly-formal Officer.
“Lieutenant Jackson?” King asked.
He spun about. “Yes sir?” he asked, back straight, chest puffed out.
She waved him down. “Just relax will you? You’re making me feel nervous here.”
There was a chuckle from both Rogers and Chang, and Jackson blushed.
“I’ll try … Captain,” he said and went back to what he’d been doing.
King shook her head.
“Ensign Rayne? You will need to be in constant contact with the other Krinuan ships at all times. I don’t want any confusion. No big gaps in knowledge. I want you to ensure that you know what’s going on, and who’s doing it. It’s the only way we’ll be able to work together,” Jessica advised. “Of course, we also need to understand what has happened to the ship Commander Greene and the others are on.”
“Understood, Captain,” Olivia Rayne said. “I’ll make sure there’s no confusion.”
King turned back to Chang. “Advise the Chief that we’re now ready to test the energy shield.”
“Aye sir,” Chang said and contacted the engineering section. She happened to glance over at Rayne and saw Olivia looking at her. They both smiled, a silent reassurance from one another that everything would be all right.
* * *
“I’ll be increasing power to the shield in increments of ten percent,” Chief Gunn said and closed the comm. channel to the bridge.
Gunn walked back through engineering and directed Ensign Stanton to activate the energy shield. She watched from a terminal as the device was brought online, then gradually fed more and more power. Within minutes it was at a steady fifty percent.
“Push it to the top. But watch your manifolds there, Stanton. You don’t want to blow anything,” the Chief advised.
Stanton nodded and eased the power levels toward a hundred percent.
“Chief, how will handle background energy? Stuff coming back at us?” Lieutenant Belcher asked her.
“I got the Krinuans to attach something like a feedback dampener into it. That’ll handle anything that comes flying back. After all, we’re dealing with pure energy here …” Gunn said.
“Yeah that’s what I thought. A substantial amount of energy feedback could blow the whole system,” Belcher said.
“You’re right,” Chief said. “It could put an end to the whole operation, to be honest.”
Stanton turned to look at her and swallowed.
“But of course it’s all conjecture. Everything will be fine. I feel it in my waters,” Gunn assured him. “So don’t poop your pants just yet, Lieutenant.”
2.
“Energy shield holding. Though we don’t know how much damage it will take, or how long it can last under constant bombardment,” Chang advised.
“Do you expect such a bombardment, Lieutenant?” King asked with a smirk.
Chang grinned. “On this ship, anything’s possible.”
Jessica laughed despite herself.
“Closing in on the battlefield,” Rogers reported from the con.
“Krinuan vessels fanning out into a wider formation,” Chang reported.
King turned to Ensign Rayne. “Patch me through to Praror, please.”
Olivia accessed the communication channels via her console, then nodded to the Captain that she was connected.
“Captain Praror?”
“Greetings, Captain. You see we’ve given each other some room to manoeuvre.”
“Yes. The best strategy?”
“Our own sensors show concentrations of Naxor energy signatures … there is a chance the enemy will already be lying in wait, ready to blow us from the sky.”
“A logical assumption,” King agreed. “For our own part, we will try to bring some muscle from the rear. Our energy shield is still untested.”
“I concur.”
“Praror, do we have an exact location of the stricken ship yet?” King asked.
“I will send it through now,” Praror told her. “If you handle the rescue operation, we c
an cover the Defiant until she is done.”
“Understood. Best of luck to you all.”
“And to you, dear Captain …”
Rayne closed the channel. Jessica looked around at them all. Rogers looked calm next to Jackson’s contained anxiety. The man sweated profusely. It didn’t make her nervous. She’d seen it before in men who were eager to get to the task at hand.
Highly trained, and extremely capable men and women who were always best at performing in their role. It was when they left the navy, the army, that they faltered. That the limitation of their stoic personalities was truly revealed.
Jackson was one of these capable men. He’d perform admirably for her, of that King had no doubt.
But he was nervous and she could see it; his fingers itching to pull the trigger.
On the forward viewer she could see a scattering of ships, fields of debris, the ghostly exhaust of spent vessels hung like smoky entrails above a rocky planetoid. Praror’s ship remained front and centre, with the other two Krinuan ships out of view to the left and right.
“Combat zone in thirty seconds,” Chang reported.
“Everybody buckle up,” King said. “Red alert. All hands, prepare for battle.”
3.
The Defiant entered the battlefield - or what remained of it. It was more of a debris field, a starship graveyard.
“Slow to one third,” Jessica ordered. She peered forward. “Watch your step, Rogers. A lot of obstructions here.”
“Aye,” Rogers said. “Noted.”
He handled the helm with confidence as he took the Defiant around the giant chunks of broken ship that blocked their path.
“Looks like they destroyed everything in their path,” Chang said.
Jessica folded her arms. “Scan for the stricken vessel. Jackson, be at the ready. The Naxor could have cleared off … or they could be lying in wait.”
“Aye,” Jackson said without looking away from his terminal.
“Praror reports they’ve detected the emergency beacon. He’s sending me the co-ordinates now,” Rayne said. She relayed them to Rogers.
