by David Byrd
“Any information we can get off that one ping?” I don’t want to compromise our position.” Nash asked.
“Already on it…We can’t get much without going full active but comparing the scans this is the same configuration, size and tonnage as one of the ships that attacked us outside Midway Station.” Jevin replied.
“Let’s get comfortable,” Nash said. “They know we’re onto them now so we won’t be so lucky next time. I’m guessing they’ll make a run back to whatever installation exists on the Telvari line and when they do, we’re going to follow them.”
Several hours passed by uneventfully. Jevin had been monitoring the Nix Station general comm traffic and it appeared that the fire in the bio lab had been found as well as Dr. Silvan’s body. Inquiries were being made as the whereabouts of Dr. Danforth from the station as well as from Earth central. Zara was busy entering alternative commands in the nav computer for any eventuality should they be detected. Nash who had been sitting for several hours was finding it harder to stay awake. The fatigue he had been having from not sleeping seemed to be creeping back in now that the excitement and adrenaline had worn off.
“I’m going down to Med Bay to see if Julia has been able to integrate with our systems. Ping me if there are any changes with our friends out there.” Nash said rising from his seat and walking to the lift.
“Roger that Cap,” Jevin replied.
On the way down to Med Bay, Nash felt a moment of disorientation. Just for a second he had vertigo. Must be something I caught on Nix Station he thought. He walked into the bay and found Julia spread out on multiple work surfaces. Some of her analyzing equipment connected to the ships’ consoles on one table, and her data cube connected to another. She was bent over a data terminal that was rolling though data analysis and didn’t hear him come in.
Nash walked over and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Oh damn,” Julia said jumping half a foot.
“I’m sorry, I saw that you were engrossed in your work and didn’t want to scare you. So I guess I should have knocked first,” he said chagrined.
“Oh I’m so glad it’s you,” she said. “I’ve been pulling my hair out over this latest data set. So far I’ve found that the Nix Bio Lab computers were intentionally crippling some of my analysis. I’m not completely sure yet but I believe this organism has been genetically modified. I just need to confer with Dr. Silvan and we can confirm our findings…” Julia stopped talking after noticing Nash’s face. His demeanor was detached and grim. She knew that look. It’s a look doctors have when they need to tell a patient the bad news.
“What is it?” she asked. “What’s happened?”
“Julia…In the confusion and haste to get off the station I’m sorry but I didn’t have time to fill you in.” Nash said.
Nash proceeded to tell her of finding Dr. Silvan’s body, the assault in the Bio Lab and the fire in the containment area.
“Oh my…I didn’t know him well but his reputation was excellent and he was very friendly while we worked together,” she said. With a heavy sigh she looked at the terminal and then back to Nash. “I’m afraid this stops my work. With no live specimen, I can’t complete the analysis. I have raw data but I need a live parasite. The pathogen is a virus of sorts…very unusual but there is no way I can develop a vaccine or any other useful protocol.”
Nash placed his hand on top of hers and looked into her eyes. “Julia, I have confidence in you. If there is any way to move forward, you will find it and we are all with you.”
With a deep breath, Julia smiled back at Nash. “You know…I believe you made one hell of a squad leader. I have some ideas. Let me work on that for a while.” She said.
“One other thing before I need to get back to the bridge…you know Zara and Jevin are probably fighting over something or another. I’ve been having trouble sleeping and having fatigue for the past few days. Just wondering if you have anything that could prop me up until I can get a good 8 hours?” Nash asked.
“Hmmm…Well mister I need to run a full body scan on you but all my equipment is tied into the Med Bay systems. They’re running tests that won’t be complete for at least 12 hours,” she said. “Here…this is a mild stimulant but don’t take too many in one day. They should ease the fatigue for now.” Julia said handing Nash a container of small green pills.
“I’ll leave you to it then. Just use the terminal to reach us on the bridge.”
Nash walked away taking the lift to the crew deck and ducked in to change uniforms. He stripped down and as he was changing into the new uniform he noticed again a spot of fresh blood above his ankle. He wiped it off and made a mental note to grab a self-sealing bandage the next time he was in Med Bay. He then searched through his dresser to find another comm unit. It was about the size of a small fingernail and adhered to skin. It was virtually undetectable without scanning equipment. All three crew members were now wearing one but this one was for Julia. Finding the container, he suddenly had another bought of vertigo and dropped the box on the floor. When it passed he got on his knees feeling by the bed where the box rolled and his hands touched something that seemed wet and gooey.
“Computer…lights full,” he said to the room and the computer complied. Nash found the box and a small spot that looked like he stepped on a bug. He took the time to clean his hands in the refresher and down a couple of the green pills Julia gave him before heading back to the bridge.
“Sit Rep?” Nash asked upon entering the bridge. He was feeling better now and had more energy.
“Nothing Cap,” Jevin replied.
“Alright, let’s keep the stealth field on but scan full active 360 degrees,” Nash said. “If we have trouble, Zara you know what to do.”
“Roger that,” she replied readying her contingency and evasive commands.
“Active scan in 3…2…1,” Jevin announced.
All the forward scanners now registered every ship, and piece of floating debris around the Nix Station and for nearly a parsec out. Identification symbols appeared next to each blip
“I’ll be damned. She’s gone!” Jevin exclaimed.
“Zara activate the hull plating and then drop the stealth field,” Nash said. “Jev…watch those scanners for any new blips. We may not have much time to maneuver.”
The StarSeeker dropped the stealth field which allowed identification from any other active system that happened to be scanning. Nix Station would only be watching the traffic patterns to and from the docks. Nothing happened for a full minute.
“Contact bearing 219!” Jevin yelled but at the same moment a massive force hit the ship and pushed it to one side. Another hit on the same quarter and this time telltale red icons started to flash on all the screens on the bridge.
“How bad?” Nash yelled.
“Bad enough. We have a small hull rupture in the starboard cargo bay. I have readout on the power content of the beam and they are a match for us. Even with our plating a couple of punches like that and we’ll pop like a balloon.” Jevin said.
“Zara get us out of here!” Nash yelled.
“Hold on to something,” she said. Zara’s fingers flew and the lights dimmed in the ship. At the same time the ship lurched with full engines straight up directly towards Nix Station. It would take only seconds before they crashed into the station. Neither Nash nor Jevin had the time to say anything and it wouldn’t change what was happening. They just had to trust their friend and shipmate to get them out of the situation. Thrust cut suddenly and all the attitude thrusters fired from the forward nose of the ship slowing the forward impact velocity enough for another course correction slightly to the port side of the station. With their momentum they skimmed the port side of the station with barely 10 meters to spare but this took them out of the line of sight of the attacking ship and placing the station between them. Zara once again executed a command and the ship lurched in the direction directly away from the midpoint of the station an activated the FTL engines. The
StarSeeker shuddered and leapt into the void between the stars.
Chapter 14
They emerged into an area of space populated by asteroids. Navigation hazards off the beaten track for anyone who wished to stay alive. But the crew of the StarSeeker knew this area. At one time they worked for a mining company and this little sector of space contained some of the elements the company sought after.
“Zara my goddess come here and let me kiss you,” Jevin said.
“Jev honey you know I love a big strong Viking with red hair like you but it would be like kissing my brother.” Zara said laughing.
“Good work Zara, you truly are the best navigator in the galaxy,” Nash said beaming.
“Arrgh…if you ladies are finished we have work to do,” Zara said turning to her console but not before both Jevin and Nash could see her blushing from the compliments.
“Right…so how much work do we have?” Nash asked.
Jevin read through the damage control systems making notes.
“Rupture in the port cargo hold will take a day in a suit…no atmosphere in that bay. Some electronic systems fried just past that which includes the stealth system on that section from the energy bleed over that the plating couldn’t handle. I think two days will get us near 100 percent until we can dock and repair the outside plating at a shipyard.”
“Let’s get to it then,” Nash said. “I’ll meet you in the cargo bay and we’ll handle the rupture. Zara I want you to find us a nice big stationary asteroid and hide behind it, then go down and give this comm unit to Julia and see if she is alright.”
After settling in behind a large static asteroid, Zara made her way down to the Med Bay while Jevin and Nash suited up and prepared to enter the port hold. As she entered the bay, Julia was pouring over a 3D model hanging in the center of the room of a wormlike creature and a cube of something that looked like a pink cube of flesh.
“Knock Knock,” Zara said from the open doorway. “Am I interrupting anything Doc?”
“Um…hmmm, Zara…come in I was just going over the data from the experiments on Nix Station,” Julia said. “We didn’t have time to study the complete interactions with the Synthflesh before…well before it was destroyed.” Julia said softly remembering that her colleague was dead.
“That is one ugly bug Doc,” Zara said staring at the seemingly huge creature hanging between them. “So if you are ok, Nash wanted you to be plugged in with the rest of us. Just place this behind an ear and it will attach to the skin. It’s a military band dermal transceiver (DT for short) that will conduct sound to your ear bones so you will everything in private but you have to speak normally to transmit. Just touch it to turn it on and off…a single tone for on and two tones for off.”
Julia accepted the thumbnail sized device, pulled up her hair and touched it to the skin behind her ear. The device stuck instantly and was so thin it was almost imperceptible when she ran her fingers over the spot.
“Now go ahead and activate and let’s test it out,” Zara said.
Julia touched the spot and a chime sounded clearly in her ear.
“Boys, you online down there?” Zara asked.
“Party line is open Zara,” Jevin said. “Can you hear us Doc?”
“Yes…Yes I can hear you like we are all in the same room.” She replied.
“Good,” Nash said. “With all the trouble going on we want to all be in contact. These are pretty powerful devices and have a range of a few hundred meters. So we can communicate anywhere on the ship.”
“Um but Julia you REALLY need to remember to turn it off when you go for a…bio break,” Zara said with both eyebrows raised. “Jevin left his on once and let me tell you, no one ever wants to hear that again. You really don’t want to picture that.”
“Ah she loves me,” Jevin said.
“Julia just switch off for now but if you need any of us just tap the device twice. It will turn on and ping the rest of us to answer if we are offline.” Nash said.
Both Zara and Julia left the conversation and talked for a few minutes before Zara headed back to the bridge to engage systems as Nash and Jevin worked on repairs. Before she left though, the model in the air was running through the recorded data from Nix Station when the parasite extended a needle like appendage into the Synthflesh.
“Eeew…that thing gives me the creeps,” she said. “It looks like a giant mosquito had sex with a caterpillar.”
Zara left and went back to the bridge while Julia stared at the hatch that closed…her mind spinning. She looked back at the simulation and restarted at the moment the parasite contacted the Synthflesh. This just couldn’t be she thought. A line of thinking she had previously dismissed sprang into being with full force. With a realization she admitted that it was possible that this parasite was not a natural animal and it might not be completely native to an alien planet. It could have been bio engineered!
Jevin and Nash suited up and entered the airlock between the port cargo hold. Using a handheld scanner Jevin confirmed zero atmosphere inside. They cycled the airlock and stepped into the space. The contents of the bay were jumbled and piled in different areas due to the explosive decompression that occurred when the hull breached. They split up and each headed to the opposite end to find the breach that was probably behind some debris and not readily evident.
Nash made his way over boxes and pallets to one end and started scanning for the breach. He could see Jevin at the other end doing the same and for a moment he experienced another disorienting moment and a sudden pain in his right eye. He blinked to clear it and something caught his eye. Staring at Jevin on the other side of the bay about 20 meters away, he saw a red chevron on the hull moving towards Jevin. Nash felt a moment of confusion and then flashed on what the symbol meant.
“GUN!” He yelled dropping to the floor. Jevin likewise reacted instinctively from long practice and dropped to the floor rolling behind a pallet.
“Where Nash? Jevin said through the dermal transceiver.
“Not sure but I saw a chevron painted on the bulkhead moving in your direction,” Nash replied. “There has to be someone else in here!”
Jevin pulled out a small device and scanned the room for bio signs but found only the two men. “Nash are you sure?”
“Yes dammit,” Nash replied angrily. You stay there and I’ll flank in the direction it was coming from.” Nash crawled along the bulkhead and surveyed the scene. There seemed only one likely spot for a concealed person to hide so he crept slowly towards the location pulling his weapon. When he reached the spot it was empty. Confused again and with a splitting headache he had to concede that his mind was playing tricks on him.
Jevin was watching and got up slowly and moved to his side.
“You OK buddy?” he asked concern written on his face. “You’re not looking too good…maybe you should get some rack time and let me handle this. The breach is at my end about a half meter long between the hull plate overlap. I can use some liquid metal seal on it.”
Nash normally in control was having more and more difficulty processing and making snap decisions. “Maybe you’re right,” he said. “I’ll just go for a bit and then I’ll be back to help.”
Jevin clapped Nash on the back. “No worries.”
Jevin repaired the breach in just under six hours and after Zara re-pressurized the bay, Jevin knocked off for the night. They had all been up and working for over 18 hours and needed some rest. Julia spent the time pouring over the parasite. The method of introduction for the virus was clear but the data on the virus DNA was not complete from Nix Station. There were large gaps. She had to conclude that they were intentionally removed. Without another specimen she was at a dead end to analyze the virus.
As she made her way to the crew deck, she paused before entering her quarters. Jevin mentioned that Nash was not feeling well and had gone to get some rest some 6 or 7 hours ago. They had a wonderful night but Julia was not sure where that left them emotionally. Certainly she was attracte
d to Nash and he was attracted to her, but she was pragmatic enough to know that both of them were quite dedicated to their work.
Deciding quickly that she should check on him she knocked on his door but there was no answer. Palming the control, the door slid open to reveal darkness. She took a few steps inside and the door slid closed. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust but she could hear moaning and thrashing in the bed. Coming closer she could see Nash jerking back and forth on the bed mumbling and sometimes crying out with a word. Activating the lights, she was shocked by what she saw. Nash was covered in sweat. His hair matted and his face pale. He was opening and closing his eyes slightly as if in delirium. She tried to shake him awake but he was not responding.
Panicked, Julia tapped the DT twice and a few seconds later heard the sleepy reply from both Zara and Jevin.
“Nash’s quarters now…we have an emergency!” Julia shouted.
“With quarters just down the same deck, Jevin and Zara bounded out of their quarters nearly knocking each other over in the process.
As they saw Nash they were both instantly wide awake.
“We have to get him to Med Bay,” Julia said.
“I’ve got this,” Jevin said picking up Nash off the bed like a child in a fireman’s carry. As they headed out the door Julia noticed a trail of blood near the ankle of one of his legs.
“I need to go to the bridge and get the remote op gauntlet and I’ll meet you,” Zara said to Julia and Jevin departing the room. Before she left Nash’s quarters though, something caught her eye. With full lights on she saw a curious small box up against a wall by the dresser. She’d seen that same type of box in the storeroom on Nix Station and in fact had taken it with her to study later but in the excitement forgot all about it…
Chapter 15
“Where is my son Burke?” An angry Henry Nash yelled through the vid link with Fenton Burke.
“Well I’m sure I haven’t any idea Henry,” Burke replied seemingly aloof. “You know how your son is always getting into some sort of trouble.”
