by S. H. Jucha
“How long can you protect someone?” Nadine asked.
“Depends,” Sasha answered simply. “If it was against you, maybe I could last a half hour. Against weaker sensitives, I could protect Lindsey all day.”
“Sasha, how would you compare my power to Aurelia’s?” Nadine asked.
“Are you asking about just now or about your whole power?”
“Sasha, you could tell that Nadine wasn’t using her entire capability?” Lindsey asked.
“Sure, can’t we all do that?” Sasha asked, looking up at Lindsey.
“No, we can’t,” Lindsey replied, chuckling. She glanced across at Nadine, who was working hard to control her reactions. “Sasha, if Nadine had used everything she had, how would it compare to Aurelia?”
“She’s much weaker,” Sasha replied. “Sorry,” she added, tweaking her mouth in apology at Nadine, who waved a hand in dismissal. “But that’s not all.”
“What’s not all?” Lindsey prodded gently.
“There’s no … I don’t know … there’s no twisting in her sending?”
“What’s a twisting, Sasha?” Nadine asked.
“Aurelia’s projections can be sneaky, getting behind my shields before I know it. Her power has these funny twists in them, and she can vary them, depending on what she wants to do.”
“Does Aurelia tell you that you can do this?”
“No,” Sasha replied, giggling. “My sister tells me I’m a rock. I smash through everything. Pure power she says.” At the mention of her sister’s name, this time, she thought about her and grew sad. “I miss her,” she said, and then yawned deeply.
“I think its bedtime for one young lady,” Lindsey said.
“Okay,” Sasha replied, too comfortable to move.
“Come, Sasha, I’ll walk you back to your cabin,” Nadine said, offering her a hand up.
Sasha nodded sleepily, accepted the hand, and followed Nadine to the door, where she stopped. “Can I come again? I promise not to be an angry child.”
“Anytime you wish,” Lindsey replied, waving.
* * *
“Am I interrupting anything?” Nadine asked. The door to Harbour’s cabin was open, and she heard Harbour and Yasmin chatting.
“Nothing critical, Nadine. Join us,” Harbour replied.
“I wanted to update you two on an interesting conversation I had with Sasha in the early hours of this morning,” Nadine said.
“Early hours?” Yasmin asked.
“Yes, I’ve felt our disgruntled child passing by my cabin more than once in the midnight hours,” Harbour explained.
“This morning I found Sasha in conversation with Lindsey,” Nadine replied.
“Oh, for the love —” Yasmin started to say, but Nadine interrupted her. “No, no, the two of them were having a nice chat, and Sasha was calm, believe it or not.”
“What were they discussing?” Harbour asked, leaning forward in her chair, suddenly curious about the meeting.
“Apparently, Sasha wanted to help Lindsey, after learning of her disability.”
Yasmin wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the idea, but one look at Nadine’s face told her more had transpired than was yet told.
“And?” Harbour asked, prompting Nadine to continue.
Nadine briefly explained what had happened during Sasha’s demonstration.
“And this was a game she and her sister played?” Yasmin asked.
“Repeatedly, but wait, this gets better,” Nadine replied. “Lindsey asked Sasha to compare the amount of power I used, against what Aurelia applied, and Sasha responded with a question about the power I used or the power I was capable of using.
“The child can sense empath depth,” Harbour said softly, leaning back in her chair to think.
“What did Sasha say?” Yasmin asked.
Nadine’s face reflected her unhappiness having to relay this next point. “Apparently, I fall short of her sister’s power, even at my full capability, plus I’m not twisty.”
“You’re not what?” Yasmin asked.
“By the way, you’re not either,” Nadine replied, with a little satisfaction.
“I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing,” Yasmin said. “Did she explain that?”
“Not in a way I could understand,” Nadine said.
“Did she compare Harbour and me to Aurelia?” Yasmin asked Nadine.
“Oh, yes, she’s a regular chatterbox, once you get her going. You’re similar to me and, as I said, you’re not twisty.”
“And Harbour?”
“This I found curious. Sasha said she couldn’t tell. She said that Harbour’s protection was too strong, and that she couldn’t get a full read on her power.”
“How did the meeting end with Lindsay?” Harbour asked, with concern.
“Sasha nicely asked if she could return, and Lindsey was all too happy to say yes. You should have seen Lindsey’s face when Sasha protected her. It was euphoric, and the two of them were giddy afterwards.”
When Nadine’s audience appeared lost in their thoughts, she excused herself, citing that she had work to do, and quietly left, closing the cabin door behind her.
* * *
The time to launch the Belle was down to the final two days. Danny, working with a crew of spacers, started transferring the residents who wished to leave to the JOS. As predicted, the going was slow. The passengers, mostly artisans, had significant amounts of baggage and equipment. The spacers helped the work to go smoothly, as they fetched carts at the JOS, offloaded the gear, and wrestled the loaded carts through the transition capsules of the lower ring.
Harbour kept busy aboard the Belle, but she decided to collect Sasha and accompany Danny on one of his trips and make a final journey to the JOS to fulfill a list of personal items requested by the empaths and the spacers. Once aboard the space station, Harbour hustled Sasha from vendor to vendor, ordering supplies and requesting they be promptly delivered to the Belle’s shuttle. When she finished with her list, she decided to check on how the artisans, whom Danny had delivered that morning, were settling into their cabins, despite knowing she probably wouldn’t be welcomed.
Following the guide directions on her comm unit, Harbour took a series of corridors to reach the lower-rent cabins, far off the main promenade, unaware that Sasha had stopped to peer into a shop display.
“Well, well, well, just the person I wanted to see,” Corporal McKenzie said, stepping around a corner and confronting Harbour.
“Somehow, I doubt this is a chance meeting, Corporal. What do you want?”
“Some of your time, Harbour. I have questions for you that you’re required to answer.”
“I don’t have the time today, Corporal. Have your superiors call me and make an appointment.”
“I’m afraid that won’t work. This is a formal security request for you to immediately accompany me to security administration.”
“You’re overstepping your authority, Corporal. I’m the lawfully elected captain of the Belle, as you undoubtedly know.”
“Actually, you’re not. I checked you out, Celia O’Riley, and you haven’t been registered in the commandant’s records as captain of anything.”
“Out of my way, Corporal, I haven’t time for your nonsense,” Harbour said, stepping past him. She thought she’d left sufficient room to clear him, but, before she knew it, his shoulder was there, and she bumped into it.
Terrell grinned savagely, having created his provocation. He slammed Harbour against the corridor wall and shoved his shock stick tightly against her throat, cutting off her air.
“Celia O’Riley, a supposed captain, resisting a security officer’s lawful order. That’s bad form,” Terrell hissed, spittle spraying Harbour’s chin. “I’m arresting you for interfering with a security officer’s duty.”
There was nothing Harbour could say. The shock stick was depressing her windpipe, and she was becoming dizzy from lack of air.
“And don’t try any mind tr
icks either. If I feel anything, you’ll get the business end of this stick, and I’ll be happy to drag you to security confinement.”
As was his style, Corporal McKenzie in his zealousness went too far. Harbour’s eyes turned up in her head, and she slid to the floor. He reached for his comm unit to call for backup, but he never got that far.
Slowly, Harbour returned to consciousness, feeling taps on her cheeks and a flood of anxieties. As quickly as she could, she closed off her sensitivity. She focused on Danny’s anxious face. “What happened?” she attempted to ask, but she only managed to cough, and Danny offered her a water flask. She sipped at it, and the pain of swallowing had her gingerly touching her throat.
“You need to be careful, Captain, “Danny said. “You’ve got an awful bruise on your neck. Shock stick I take it.”
“Terror’s work,” Harbour managed to choke out. “Thanks for chasing him away.”
“About that, Captain, Terror’s still here.”
Danny, who had been kneeling in front of Harbour, crabbed to the side. He’d been deliberately blocking her view of Terrell. The man was on his rear end, wedged against a corner, his shock stick extended in front of him. He was furtively waving it at Sasha, his eyes wild with fear.
Sasha faced Terrell, arms extended to her sides, and her small fists balled in fury.
Harbour eased her mental blocks, and a massive wall of loathing and fear struck her. She clamped the blocks down to an absolute minimum. Danny was experiencing the onslaught and was having difficulty coping. Fortunately, Sasha had focused her attentions toward the corporal, as best she could.
“Sasha, enough,” Harbour coughed out. “Come here.” She felt Sasha’s anger dissipate, replaced by a burst of relief.
Sasha ran to Harbour, knelt, and clung to her, sobbing. “I didn’t mean to hit him that hard, Harbour,” She cried out. “Honest I didn’t, but I got scared when I saw you drop to the floor. I thought he killed you, and I was mad.”
“He’s been like that since I arrived a few minutes ago, Captain,” Danny said. “It’s fortunate that I was on my way to the artisans’ quarters too. I noticed your comm location was fixed in this corridor and decided to come this way, in case you needed any help. Do you want to get Terror some assistance before we go?”
“I’d rather kick him in his private parts.”
“Maybe we should just leave, Captain.”
“Agreed, help me up, Danny,” Harbour said, untangling Sasha, and struggling to stand. She tried to take a deep breath, but her throat tightened in rebellion. She leaned against the wall, waiting for her airway to ease. Danny offered her more water, and she sipped slowly.
“I think no talking is best until we get you to medical, Captain.”
“No medical,” Harbour whispered. “To the shuttle … that’s an order.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.”
Harbour threw an arm over Danny’s shoulder to steady her steps, and Sasha ducked under the other arm, offering what assistance she could. The three of them made their way to the main concourse, but, before entering, Harbour halted. She released their support and straightened her posture.
“Um, Captain,” Danny said, gesturing toward Harbour’s head.
“Men,” Sasha said, with disgust, as if she was a mature woman. She stepped behind Harbour, removed the hair clip, smoothed Harbour’s luxurious ponytail, and reattached it.
Harbour nodded her approval to Sasha and stepped out into the main corridor, as steadily as she could manage. Danny and Sasha fell in beside her. Harbour made it the entire way to the shuttle without aid. But her progress was punctuated by stationers who stared at her throat. Harbour could imagine the bruise that must be forming. In that respect, she was wrong. A glance in a mirror, once aboard the shuttle, showed the damage to be more extensive than she had thought.
“He could have killed you, Captain,” Danny commented, when he saw Harbour checking her throat in the hand mirror.
“Everyone aboard, Danny?”
“The crew is accounted for, Captain. All passengers and their freight have been offloaded. A few things on your list haven’t arrived yet. Here’s your comm unit that you dropped.”
“Launch the shuttle, Danny. We’ve got to get back to the Belle.”
Harbour waited until she felt the shuttle detach from the JOS terminal arm, before she picked up her comm unit and called Major Finian.
“Captain Harbour, you have to speak up. I can’t understand you. Are you in trouble?”
Dingles, who’d been keeping a worried eye on Harbour, released his seat belt and smoothly floated over the top of his seat to sit beside her. He reached out his hand for the comm unit, which Harbour gratefully handed over.
“Major Finian, this is First Mate Mitch Bassiter. The captain’s been injured. A shock stick from Corporal McKenzie nearly crushed her throat.”
“What actions on the captain’s part instigated the corporal’s reaction?” Liam asked. He hated asking the question, especially of Harbour, but he knew that was the first thing Emerson would demand of him.
Dingles saw Harbour’s eyes blaze, and he gently blocked her hand from reaching for the comm unit. “For the record, Major Finian, I’ll be advising the captain to register a complaint with the Review Board against Corporal McKenzie for violating the Captain’s Articles.”
Liam smiled to himself. The commandant’s darling might have crossed a line, for once, that he couldn’t defend. “That would be the captain’s right. However, I must have the captain file a report with me. Where are you now?”
“We’re aboard our shuttle en route to the Belle. The captain is in no shape to speak with anyone now, Major. She’s listening and indicating that when she can talk, she’ll give you her report. One moment, Major.”
Dingles leaned his ear close to Harbour’s mouth. The bruising was swelling her throat, and he could barely hear her whisper.
“Major Finian, I’m informing you that you need to send a medical team to collect Corporal McKenzie. I’ve just sent you the coordinates from Harbour’s comm unit where the attack took place.”
“How badly is he injured?”
“Physically, not at all, but his mental condition will need some help.”
“Oh … ohhh,” Liam exclaimed, understanding how Harbour had defended herself.
“Shuttle out, Captain,” Dingles said, cutting the call.
Harbour reached for the comm unit, but Dingles frowned at her and kept it. He did make one more call from her device.
In the hiring process, Dingles had sought out two retired spacers, who had received emergency medical training. They were considered too old to compete with the younger personnel aboard the JOS, who were required to traverse the station, the terminal arms, and docked ships, offering their emergency services. However, the thought of serving again, as spacers aboard the colony ship, tickled the two of them pink, and they signed on.
-33-
Launch
By the time the Belle’s shuttle set down in the colony ship’s bay, the swelling in Harbour’s throat had reached a critical stage, cutting off her airway.
Herbert McKinley and Stacey Young, the two, newly hired, medical spacers, were alerted by Dingles and standing by. The moment the bay was equalized, they dashed from the airlock and raced to board the shuttle.
Harbour’s seat was reclined in preparation for the medical team, and, immediately, Stacey sedated Harbour so that they could work on her without Harbour reacting to their services and transmitting her fears. Then Stacey gently tilted Harbour’s head back, and Herbert performed a tracheal intubation.
Placing the medical device between Harbour’s teeth, he activated the mechanism, which extruded a slender tube that wound its way down the restricted airway. When the tube reached the end of its extension, Herbert increased the pressure in the tiny cavity, which existed between the device’s dual walls. In response, the tube unwound, expanding its diameter. He slowly dialed up the tube’s size, monitoring the resistance i
t encountered, until Harbour was breathing easier.
When the medical team was ready, the spacers transported Harbour to the newly updated medical facilities.
Dingles waited outside medical with Nadine, Yasmin, Sasha, and Helena for several hours. Eventually, the two spacers came out and updated them on Harbour’s condition.
“Dingles, I don’t mean to be critical, but you should have taken the captain to JOS medical. They’re better prepared to deal with this type of trauma,” Herbert said.
“Captain’s orders … transport her to the Belle.”
“Still, Dingles, an accident like this …”
“It wasn’t an accident,” Sasha declared, cutting Herbert off. Her anger flared and shot through every mind nearby.
“Sasha, control,” Helena said immediately, directing her daughter to curtail her transmission.
“Sorry, there wasn’t time to update you,” Dingles explained. “The captain was attacked by Corporal McKenzie. That was his shock stick that did the damage.”
“The corporal’s up to his neck in it now,” Stacey declared. “I hope you registered a complaint with Major Finian.”
“I’ll advise the captain to report the corporal to the Review Board for transgressing against the Captain’s Articles.
“Even better,” Herbert said approvingly.
“But was he arrested?” Stacey asked.
“No need for that. According to Danny, the corporal is in no state to do anything. Sasha saw to that.”
While everyone stared at Sasha with expressions ranging from awe to concern, Sasha lifted her chin defiantly. She didn’t regret her actions.
Dingles walked away from the facilities with Harbour’s comm unit. The medical team, following spacer procedures for an incapacitated captain, had used Harbour’s thumb to unlock the device and changed its settings to remain open.
When Harbour’s device chimed, Dingles glanced at the caller ID. It was Commandant Strattleford. With a sigh, Dingles accepted the call.
“First Mate Mitch Bassiter, here, Commandant.”
“I’m calling for Harbour,” Emerson said hotly. Major Finian was in his office, and Emerson was intent on demonstrating to his subordinate how the incident against Corporal McKenzie should have been handled.
