by Frank Carey
"Hamish," she said before grabbing her mate around the neck and kissing him. She stopped and composed herself. "What happened."
"You sent the selka to another universe."
"What about the ones off-planet?"
"They returned via other-space. The Cube reports all of their guests are gone. Scanners confirm that no selka exist within range. How do you feel?"
"Exhausted. How is my team doing?"
They all raised their thumbs. "We're fine, ma'am," Mersa replied.
Gabe walked over and knelt next to her. "Nice job, Captain. Feel up to a trip home?"
"Roger that," she said before returning to kissing her bond mate.
"You heard the Captain!" Gabe said. "Move out!" He smiled. "I've always wanted to say that."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
In the squad bay, Kalana and her team waited for Major Williamson to arrive for their debriefing. All of them, including Murph, who'd found a mauler suit to wear, were more than a little confused. "So, we died, Captain?" Marcus asked.
Even though there was no apparent physical trauma on any of them, Kalana remembered being shot in the chest. "I know I did. My energy cells were depleted when I caught that last round. Before that, I watched all of you die, something that I wish I could forget."
"What about you, Murph?" Mersa asked the battle bot. "Did you die? Can you die?"
Murph shrugged. I remember Nova and I returning to the Core Room, then nothing until the captain came to. It was very odd."
"What about you, Trent?" Mersa asked.
"I remember getting stabbed, fighting-off the thing that stabbed me, then throwing the switch. I somehow ended up back in the Core Room with you guys."
The door opened followed by Nova and Glean. "You all look confused," he said as they joined the group.
"Do you remember anything after getting shot?"
"Nope. How about you, Nova?"
She shook her head. "I was with Trent, then nothing until waking up back in my body."
The door opened once more. "Tench-hut!" Mersa barked, "officer on deck!" as Major Williamson walked in.
"At ease. The ship's CMO just finished briefing me. All of you are in A1-perfect shape. In fact, Kalana, Nana, and Marcus's power cells are fully charged. There are no injuries, no scar tissue, nothing, yet Kalana's memory banks contained videos of all the organic members of the team being mortally wounded."
"How is that possible, sir?" Kalana asked.
"The boffins are bouncing around the idea that the field pulse emitted by the device somehow healed you."
"You don't sound convinced, sir," Mersa noted.
"I'm not. Just after the end of the Martok Incident, back when Prince Lucien was going by the name of Harmon Aymar, he encountered a being by the name of Xura. She, and other members of her species, live and work in the dimension between universes--what some call the service corridor. This sounds like something right up her alley. Do any of you remember a dark-haired woman wearing a black cocktail dress and bitching stiletto heels?"
"Sir?" Kalana exclaimed.
"Never mind. It's not important. What is important is that you're all safe."
"What's next for us, sir?" Kalana asked.
"You all have a full plate, so enjoy your time off while you can. Glean, have you and Nova made a decision?"
He looked at his friend and partner. "Yes, sir. We'd like to stay."
"Excellent. Stryker Team One, I would like you to meet your scouts, Glean and Nova. Back in the day, Earth military units had scouts who would gather information about what lay ahead. We've decided to re-implement the practice. Captain, you can decline..."
"No, sir! I would be crazy to pass this up," she said as she and the rest of the team welcomed their newest members.
When they finished, Williamson continued. "A medal ceremony has been scheduled for this afternoon. All of you, including Glean and Nova, will receive medals for meritorious service beyond the call of duty. Losira, Warrior Queen of the Elves, will be presenting the Medal of Life to Kalana. I understand the whole Ventosian royal family will be there including Prince Lucien's quadruplet siblings."
"Aren't they Logash, sir?" Nana asked.
"Yes, they are, Private."
Glean fainted.
###
Kalana looked in the mirror and adjusted her dress uniform for the umpteenth time. She pulled here and tugged there, yet the damn thing still looked wrong. What she wouldn't give for battle fatigues or her own nanorobotic armor. Unfortunately, protocol dictated she wear dress blues when she met the Queen. "The Queen! What the hell am I doing meeting Losira, Warrior Queen of the Elves. I'm just a soldier..."
There was a knock at the door. "Come in!" she said while glaring at the mirror.
"You'll crack the mirror if you keep that up," Gabe said as he handed her a glass of wine.
She sighed. "Did they make this much fuss when you saved the grange universe?"
"Naw. They gave me a coffee cup and a one-year subscription to the Fruit-of-the-Month club. I recommend the pears; they're delicious."
Kalana gaped at him in disbelief.
"I'm kidding. The Mayor of New York gave me the key to the city and a ticker tape parade. It was fun."
"I'm not... I'm not..."
"Special?"
She nodded
"Kiddo, I hate to burst your bubble, but you are now a hero just like Royce Aymar, Shanna Syron, Lucien Irithyl, and the other heroes of the League."
"Like you?"
He nodded. "Yeah, like me, so get used to it because you will be called upon to do it all over again. The people of the League need heroes, and once you become one, you can never go back. I think I read that in a book."
She cuffed him. "Thanks."
"Come along, Captain. They want to give you lots of medals. Tomorrow is a new day and new adventures await you."
"What new adventures?"
He handed her an envelope containing her new orders. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
She cuffed him again for good measure.
<<<<>>>>
About Frank Carey
Frank Carey has been formally writing and publishing works of science fiction since late 2013. Over the years prior, he had dabbled in various forms of writing including haiku poetry, but that all changed when he and his wife, Jo, decided to try their hand at writing and self-publishing. All his work, to date, has been in the science fiction genre.
Most of his stories take place about two centuries in the future when Earth joins the League of Planetary Systems. Many of his protagonists are strong females. He is an inveterate pantser who believes the story will go where the story wants to go.
Frank’s background includes degrees in physics and extensive work as a scientific programmer and technologist.
Frank and his wife produce a podcast—Xtreme Self-Publishing—which details their self-publishing efforts.
Frank can be reached through his podcast at xtremeselfpublishing.podbean.com or via e-mail at [email protected] or [email protected]
