by Tony Healey
Dolarhyde looked up. “I have Chief Meryl Gunn on audio.”
The ancient speakers within the Warrior spat and crackled, but they worked, and the Chief’s voice came thundering through.
“Captain! Can you hear me? Am I coming through clear enough?”
Jessica smiled. She watched Greene’s face as it lightened at the sound of Gunn on the speakers. At the reassurance and relief that brought him.
“Yes, Chief. We’re here.”
A pause. Then: “The Defiant . . .”
Jessica swallowed. “Chief, what happened over there?”
“The reactor went critical. We got everyone off the ship, Captain. We’re all here, waiting to get picked up. If it weren’t for Commander Chang we’d all be dead right now, though I tried to stop her.”
“Chang?”
“Yes Captain. She stayed behind, piloted the Defiant clear of us. We owe her our lives.”
The rest of seemed to fall into the background. Her heart ached in her chest, her throat was dry and felt as though it were closing in on itself.
Chang.
Another name to add to the roster of those she’d lost. She shook her head, looked down at the deck. “No . . .”
All was silent on the bridge. The news of Commander Chang’s demise sunk in.
Dolarhyde listened intently still, roving through the many different channels for anything of interest. Mostly the escape pods requesting assistance. He ignored these for the time being. Until backup arrived, there wasn’t much they could do. Besides, all pods were designed to last weeks in the forbidding vacuum of space.
His hand paused on the controls, and he stopped cycling through the different channels when he heard a different kind of message come into his ear piece. Instead of announcing it, he simply put it straight on the overhead speakers.
The sudden explosion of sound made them all jump. At first it didn’t quite register just what it was they were listening to.
“ . . . Commander Chang! Repeat, this is Commander Chang! Is anyone reading me?”
Jessica’s eyes filled with tears, but this time from relief. She looked up at the viewscreen in time to see one of the Defiant‘s shuttles speeding toward them, carrying their saviour, the not-quite-dead Commander Lisa Chang.
13.
A Krinuan task force, headed by Captain Praror and his team, set about gathering the escape pods from space. All pods were designed to operate without power. To simply float where they were. In the event of all-out warfare, they would then be undetectable to enemy sensors due to their lack of propulsion.
Commander Greene had provided them with the Defiant‘s specific distress signature, used by rescue ships to locate a vessel’s escape pods.
As the Krinuans scooped her crew up, Jessica talked with Commander Chang in what had once been Captain Dolarhyde’s quarters. Back up on the bridge, Commander Greene finally made contact with Chief Gunn again. He spoke to her privately, through his ear piece.
“How’re you doing?” he asked her.
“Find, considering. I’m glad you’re still in one piece,” she said. “I’d hate to have to stitch you back together.”
“Would you do that?” Greene asked.
“In a heartbeat. I don’t think I could stand to lose you, your natural stupidity notwithstanding, of course,” Gunn said.
Greene shook his head. “Always the sarcasm. Beneath that is a big heart, girl, you better believe I know it’s there.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“See you soon?”
“Sure,” the Chief said in a lower voice. A husky whisper. “I love you.”
Commander Greene grinned from ear to ear. He couldn’t help it. “Me too, Chief. Me too.”
* * *
“I waited till the last moment, then dashed down to the cargo bay. Luckily there was a shuttle on standby down there. I knew I’d never get clear in a pod. I needed something with an engine behind it,” Chang finished her report of what had taken place. “And that’s how it happened. Got a bit hairy there, though. I thought the shockwave would swallow me right up. Shuttle held together, though.”
Jessica shook Chang’s hand as she said, “You did well today, Lisa. I’m very proud of you.”
She couldn’t keep it going. Couldn’t stop herself from looking away, couldn’t stop the tears spilling down her face in rivers. Lisa Chang laid a reassuring hand on her Captain’s shoulder.
“We’ll be all right,” she said.
King shook her head. “Our home is gone,” Jessica said wistfully.
“We were far from home anyway,” Chang offered with more than enough hope for the both of them. “We’ll find a new one.”
Jessica King looked up, wiped the tears away.
She nodded. Jessica felt a familiar sensation come to life and flutter in her chest. It felt good for it to be there after so long. It felt right.
It was hope. They’d pull through. The family would hold together.
And somehow, she’d get them home. Whatever it took.
14.
Hours later, with Captain Praror’s help, Commander Greene produced a star chart of the surrounding space so that Captain Dolarhyde could pinpoint the locations of other artefacts.
He tapped on one planet in particular, at the north-eastern quadrant of the galaxy. “There. That’s the key. I’m sure of it.”
Greene crossed his arms. “If I’m reading this map correctly…”
“You are,” Praror cut in. “It’s on the outer fringes of Naxor territory.”
“Well, if that’s where we’ve gotta go, then that’s where we’ve gotta go,” Jessica said. “I’m sure that Carn will find it eventually. It would serve us to get to it first. Before he can gain access to a power he can’t control. We must stop him.”
“I brought him here,” Hawk said, his jaw set. “I’ll hunt him down.”
“We all will, Captain Nowlan,” King said. “Together.”
* * *
Though no one in orbit would realise for another hour, the monolith had already vanished from the planet’s surface, leaving behind only a vacant square of land to show it was ever really there.
But there were others scattered throughout that galaxy, just waiting for someone to find them. And one in particular, the pyramid with the power to unlock the secrets of the others.
The one to open Pandora’s box. And for whomever held the key, control of the universe and more…
PART TEN
EMISSARY
1.
Commander Del Greene twisted the wrench as far as it would go, the bolt refusing to budge any further.
“Bloody thing!”
He heard footsteps behind him and turned in time to see Chief Meryl Gunn walk in. “Here, let a real woman have a go.”
She took the wrench out of his hands, set the end against the bolt and twisted. With a metal on metal squeal, the bolt turned.
She slapped the wrench back into his hand with a smirk. “There you go, sonny.”
Greene looked at her, eyes wide and mouth open. “How did you do that? I put everything behind it, and still couldn’t get it to move. What are you, super human?”
Chief Gunn tapped the end of her nose. “Secret of the trade. And muscles. Real ones, not these puny things.” She grabbed at his upper arm and gave it a squeeze.
“Hey! Leave my flappers alone!”
Gunn laughed. “Flappers! Where did that one come from?”
The Commander shrugged. “Comedy genius. Just like –”
Meryl shut him up by pressing her lips against his in a firm kiss. Her arms encircled his neck as the Commander took her in for a full, passionate snog. It was impromptu; it was sloppy, like two school kids making out for the first time. And still, it was good. Very good.
He held her around the waist, any trace of what he’d been about to say blown away like vapour. Forgotten.
They parted. “Wow,” he said. “Strong as a man, but still kisses like a lad
y.”
“How was it?” she asked in a husky voice.
The Commander looked at her big, beautiful eyes. Her naturally good looks. The look of pure love she gave him. He hoped she got the same impression from him, that his affection for her showed through his jokes and innuendo.
He thought of all they’d been through. All they’d endured. The heavy losses. And now the Defiant . . .
Through it all, though, they had remained strong. In fact, their bond had only grown stronger.
The Chief gazed into his eyes, her hands at the back of his neck, waiting for his answer. The only thing he could say again was “Wow.”
She smiled, leaned up and kissed him again. With her free hand she reached over and slammed the door to the engineering section shut. Gunn broke the kiss, put her lips to his ear and in a tickly whisper she said, “That’s my boy . . .”
* * *
The Krinuan’s home world came into view, a blue green gemstone of a planet. A veritable paradise, the likes of which they’d been fortunate to call home for a short time.
But it’s not our home, Jessica thought. It never will be, no matter how much the Krinuans make us feel welcome. It won’t ever be right.
“Enter standard orbit, Captain Nowlan,” King said. She turned around, expected to see Commander Greene there at his post. But it was empty.
Dolarhyde took up the mantel in his stead. “I’m on it.”
“Where’s Commander Greene?” she asked.
Dolarhyde shot a look at Hawk. King looked from one to the other, her eyebrows raised.
“Well, gentlemen?” she asked. “Either of you know?”
Hawk cleared his throat, swivelled about in the helm chair. “He’s… uh… below decks. With the Chief.”
“Oh,” Jessica said. She relaxed as what Hawk was saying set in. “Oh. Well, I didn’t know Meryl was aboard.”
“Gal insisted, far as I can tell, Cap,” Hawk said. His hands flittered over the helm controls as he performed a standard orbital insertion with expert control and poise. “The Commander was fixin’ up the engine room. Guess he needed a woman’s touch.”
Dolarhyde choked back a hearty laugh. Jessica shook her head. “Come on boys, let’s keep it clean. We’ve been in space a long time. I don’t deny the Commander a little . . . celebratory… Oh, whatever. Let’s keep our eyes on the prize here and focus on what we’re doing.”
But secretly she thought. Hope they don’t break anything down there…
“Aye,” Hawk said.
“Yes Ma’am,” Dolarhyde said, still chuckling behind his beard.
I don’t know what you’re laughing at old man, King thought. If it’s been long for us, how long has it been for you?
“Krinuan ships following,” Hawk said.
They would round the planet and dock at the space station, where the escape pods from the Defiant would be opened in the safety of the station’s hangar. There hadn’t been enough room on the little Krinuan ships to take all of the Defiant‘s survivors at once. Some had to be towed, a fairly painless matter of the occupants waiting a few hours.
She wasn’t sure what was going on down there in engineering between the Commander and the Chief (nor did she wish to know), but the pair of them deserved a little release after all that had happened.
Release.
Jessica shook her head to rid it of any further words carrying implicit connotations, and left for the mess to grab a coffee. Or the closest thing to it.
***
The Warrior bumped against the docking ports of the station, and seconds later Jessica heard the familiar hiss of atmospheres equalizing.
She sipped her tea – there had been no coffee, just as she’d feared – alone with her thoughts. The image of the Defiant blowing apart still burned like a flame in her mind. Her first command, and her Father’s last.
It made her heart feel heavy as lead in her chest. In a major way, she felt as though she’d failed them all. How would they continue from here? How would she manage to move them all at once without a ship large enough to take the whole crew? How would they continue to search for a way home?
But she knew she’d not properly considered the fact that some of them might want to remain with the Krinuans. The idea of home, of returning to their own galaxy, may well be out of the picture. It wasn’t an agreeable situation, but if that’s what they wanted, she could not deny them.
Still, it was a worry for another time. They’d have a few hours layover, re-gather themselves for what was to come, and then head straight back out.
“There’s work to do,” she said aloud to herself. “A madman to stop.”
Jessica sipped the tea, and in the quiet she couldn’t help but contemplate the way starships blossomed into momentary suns, their reactors igniting, an explosion of energy and light. She thought how it had been both awful and beautiful to witness. As if death – even the death of a starship – were a majestic, natural act. And how could such a thing be both of those at the same time?
2.
General Carn walked next to the Naxor High Vizar, hands clasped behind his back. They crossed the long, glass corridor connecting one end of the base to the other. The sky above them was a dirty pink, reflecting the nature of the planet’s volatile atmosphere. Once it had been a prosperous world, with trees and rivers of cool, clean water that flowed from mountain springs. Now it was a dying world, an old world, a rotten home to a race of warmongers.
“General, this will be the last time I allow you to command my forces,” the High Vizar warned him. “The losses have been… extreme, to say the least.”
“I will not fail you again.”
The Vizar glanced across at him. “I do hope so, General. I am handing you one of our most powerful battleships. I don’t think I need to explain to you, the resources expended in constructing such a vessel. If we were to lose it…”
The General peered up through the glass. Even from the surface, one could make out the hazy shape of the battleships in orbit. They were so massive, their blocky white frames could be seen through the pink smog of poisoned ozone. They were clear as white moons in the dusk.
“It is an honour,” Carn said. “And this time I will be victorious.”
Truly, the General could not have cared less for the concerns of the Naxor. They were but tools to be used in the moment. A means to an end.
The two of them walked farther on in silence. Then the Vizar spoke again. “You know where it is?”
Carn shook his head. “No, but I am drawing closer to it. All of the artefacts are capable of performing wonders, but only the master pyramid can do what I need it to do.”
They reached the end of the connecting corridor. “Let us hope you are successful,” the Vizar said. “Remember our deal, General. Everything rests on this.”
Carn nodded slowly, as if in complete compliance. However behind the faceplate, his grin was so wide it would have seemed comedic if anyone had been able to see it.
He watched the Vizar go, then turned back the way they’d come. His next port of call, a shuttle takeoff strip. His destination, one of the behemoths in orbit of the Naxor’s home world. A mighty hammer with which to smite his enemies and finally have in his grasp ultimate power – dominion – over the universe.
3.
“I wish you’d reconsider this plan, dear Captain,” Praror said with regret, his big eyes full of concern. “Though I will, of course, assist you in any way I can.”
Jessica laid a hand on his shoulder. “I can’t ask that of you, my friend.”
Praror smiled. There was the distinct hint of a purr to his voice. “You do not ask. I offer. It’s different. And it is not an offer you can refuse. There is no choice in the matter.”
“I believe that’s so,” King said with a laugh. “When will you be ready to leave?”
“Give me three hours.”
* * *
Commander Chang met Jessica on the station side of the airlock.
“Lisa,”
King said. “I wanted to give you this. It was Singh’s.”
She reached up, removed her own Captain’s pin, and added it to Chang’s uniform. Her Father’s pin had looked worn before, but now it was battered and scratched, more than it had been when Admiral Grimshaw had given it to her. How all of that seemed like a lifetime ago now.
Chang was speechless.
“I am promoting you to the rank of Captain,” King said. “And placing you in charge of everyone until I return.”
If I return, she thought. If.
“Captain . . . I don’t… I don’t know what to say…”
King leaned in, gave Chang a light kiss on the cheek. “You don’t have to say anything. You’ve more than deserved it. I can’t think of anyone I’d trust more with the lives of the crew.”
She remembered Admiral Grimshaw’s words to her that day.
“Just remember where it came from. Remember what it stands for. Always wear it with pride, because you deserve it.”
She stood to attention. Chang snapped a salute and Jessica returned it.
“Good luck, Captain,” Chang said.
“And to you,” King said. “Look after them.”
“I will do,” Chang managed to say. There were tears in her eyes.
Jessica made a stern face. “And stop crying, Lisa. That’s an order.”
“Yes Ma’am.”
* * *
“So, here’s the plan,” King said. Assembled in the tiny briefing room of the Warrior were herself, Commander Greene, Hawk, Captain Dolarhyde and Chief Gunn. “Praror will fly our wing in the Naxor ship. Its familiar signature should allow us to travel without incident through enemy space.”
“And what about our own?” Gunn asked.
“If the cloaking device on board the Warrior works as it should, we will appear as a very small blip on a very large monitor. And the Naxor ship, under Praror’s command, will help mask us,” King said.
“A fair plan. I take it I’ll be in engineering?” Gunn asked.
“Yes. And I’ll have Commander Greene and Captain Dolarhyde assisting you as needed. Unless you have someone in mind you’d like along for the ride? I’m trying to keep all of this to a minimum.”
