by Allen Stroud
Shann is collapsed in a heap near the wall. I wonder if she has anything left.
I still can’t see Chase. He must be travelling across the hull toward us. I lean out of the doorway to get a better look and—
A change in the light makes me instinctively duck inside. A moment later, a huge piece of debris tumbles past where my head had been and crashes into the side of the ship.
Shit, that was close!
“Chase to airlock control. We’re three metres out.”
I take a deep breath and get a hold of myself. “Ready for you.”
“Confirmed.”
They appear from below me, to the left. Johansson is clinging to Chase, her arms wrapped around his waist as he guides them in at an angle. I grab their loose tethers and do my best to slow them down, but they still crash into the far wall of the chamber.
“Okay, all aboard, I’m closing it.”
For a moment, the manual control resists me, but then the lever grinds its way down to the locked position and the hatch slides shut. Pressurisation begins immediately. We made it!
I glance at the group of survivors. Everyone in here outranks me. Does that say something about me or the priorities of people escaping a spaceship? I don’t know.
Shut up, Sellis. We’re alive, we lucky few. At least for now.
The red light on the wall turns green. Repressurisation is complete. I press the release levers on the sides of my helmet and pull it off. That first breath feels wonderful.
Chase is standing next to me. He’s removed his helmet too. Johansson is helping unclip his thruster from his back. I stare at the dents and scars across the casing. How the fuck did he make it? “That thing has no right to be functional,” I say.
Chase grins at me, holding his stomach, where Johansson had been hanging on to him. Thin tendrils of blood are leaking out from between his fingers. “I think we all got poked full of holes out there,” he says. “Besides, you can’t tell how bad the damage is when you can’t look around.”
Arkov joins us. He’s managed to remove his thruster and his helmet. He grabs my hand firmly and shakes it. “Thank you…” he says, then struggles to find any other words before repeating himself. “Thank you, so much.”
I flinch away from his gaze, feeling awkward in the face of that naked gratitude. For a moment, the three of us share something, some kind of comradeship. I guess this is what it’s like for soldiers who see action. You might not like the people you end up with, but life-or-death adversity creates a bond stronger than friendship. I feel what these two are feeling.
Maybe things will turn out okay after all.
Chapter Fifty-Four
Shann
Get up, Ellisa…
Get up!
That voice is my mother’s voice. I open my eyes and look around. I’m in the airlock of a spaceship, surrounded by other people. The oxygen warning in my helmet is shrieking at me.
It sounds like my mother.
I wasn’t particularly pressured as a child, but there were times when I wanted the world to go away. Getting out of bed was hard work on those days. I’d start to feel sorry for myself and make comparisons, wondering what in the divine scheme of things had singled me out to be different from everyone else.
In hindsight, I guess all teenagers go through those feelings, but mine had a physical focus every time I looked down at myself.
In those low moments, Mother learned how to deliver some tough love. She didn’t want to be nagging me and pushing me, but she did. As I got older, I could see the pain in her eyes each time she felt she had to say something. She knew I could push back if I wanted and make it about having no legs, but I don’t think I ever did. I understood why she was poking and prodding me.
My mother isn’t really here. I know that. But I hear her voice and I feel her with me.
I reach up to the clips on my helmet and release the seals. Immediately, the alarm stops, and the voice is gone. I miss it. The link to my childhood is severed. I have to focus on the here and now.
Hands grab me. Le Garre is right in front of me, her face pinched with concern. “Merde! Captain, I’m sorry, we forgot you were only on one canister.”
I wave my left hand dismissively, awakening a stabbing pain in my shoulder. That helps me focus. “It’s okay, Major. I’m alive. How is Chiu?”
“Not good.”
“How about the rest?”
“We’re battered, but intact. Eight of us here. Me, you, Travers and Chiu brought in by Sellis and Arkov. Chase went back for Johansson.”
Eight survivors from a crew of twenty-five. Twenty-six if you count Shah, who we rescued.
Eighteen people dead because of my choices.
I push myself up from the corner. There’s gravity, not much, but a little bit that’s trying to keep me down. I fight back, biting back a groan of pain. I look at my people. I can smell the damage and effort in here. Travers and Johansson are removing Chiu’s emergency suit. There’s blood in the air. Arkov and Sam are both injured as well. Not the perfect boarding party.
Sellis…yeah…I need to rely on him some more. I’m not entirely comfortable with that.
“Major, we need to get an idea of our situation. I don’t fancy this room turning into our prison or tomb. Have you seen any activity in airlock control?”
“Not so far, Captain.”
“We have to be sure before we move forward. Once we’re into the ship, we have to take control and secure it quickly. Those who can’t help will need to be left in a defensible place.”
Le Garre nods. “We have the schematic plans for the ship. I remember some of the details. She glances around. “You want me to take a look through the door?”
“You, Sellis and Johansson.” I glance over to where my communications officer is hunched over Chiu. I see her react to the sound of her name, half turning toward me, but then trying to pretend she hasn’t heard me. I know what’s going on. She’s the best trained medic we have and feels guilty for not being around when Chiu got injured. But she’s also the reason we’re alive and inside this ship.
“April, we’re going to need your help.”
The use of her first name makes her respond. She turns to meet my gaze. She’s injured, but not bad and there’s an apology crafted into the expression on her face. She’s wearing it like a badge of shame. Right now, I can’t make that go away, or offer her the validation she craves. I need more from her before the healing can start.
“Ensign, we need your knowledge of the Gallowglass’s computer system and the environment controls to take over the ship.”
“Chiu really shouldn’t be left—”
“That’s an order, Ensign.”
She stiffens as if she’s just taken an electric shock. “Yes, Captain, of course.”
“Travers, Chase and Arkov will be staying with Ensign Chiu. You’ll be coming with me, Sellis and Le Garre.” I nod toward the hatch. “I need you to secure airlock control and get into the computer system. We’ll leave the others in there while we head to the bridge.”
“The Gallowglass’s medical room might be more suitable, Captain,” Le Garre says.
I shake my head. “No, we need to maintain control of the airlock. Once people are settled, Travers can sort out getting supplies and equipment from there.”
“Understood.” Le Garre moves toward the inner door, gesturing for Sellis and Johansson to follow her. Sellis hesitates and looks like he wants to say something to me, but thinks better of it and follows the others. I turn to Arkov and Sam. Both of them are out of their EVA suits and making use of a medical kit.
“Thank you both for your efforts on this. Without you, we’d never have gotten here.”
Arkov gestures to the others. “Sellis saved me and that helped us get to you.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“It’s important you take that into consideration when—”
“I said I’m aware of that, Corporal.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Pushing these men and women is hard to do in these circumstances. They don’t deserve being reminded of their rank and mine. They deserve medals, promotions and pampered retirements, but I have to remind them this isn’t over. The crew of this ship, an enemy ship, are still out there, right outside this door.
I glance at Sam. Usually he’d be volunteering himself for the hazard, but now he’s not doing that. He’s let Arkov do the talking and added nothing but a mute nod. I make a mental note to talk to him later when we’re through this.
“Travers, how’s Chiu?”
My XO looks up. “Barely alive, Captain. We need to be careful with moving her.”
“You going to be all right with her in airlock control, once we’ve got into the computers?”
Travers smiles. “Was going to ask if you wanted to swap. You’re not in the best shape. I can see how you’re favouring that shoulder.”
I shake my head. “Thanks, but no. I’ve a burning desire to find out who has been chasing us across the solar system.”
“Okay, but take your own advice. You need to make sure you can keep up. What meds have you taken?”
“None so far. I need to stay focused.”
Travers looks surprised, but then he shrugs. “Okay, but when it gets too much, you need to stop and let your body rest. If you break yourself, we all lose out.”
“Understood. I’ll also tell Le Garre to drop me if I slow them down. What weapons do we have?”
“Six sidearms between us, plus some chemical breaching equipment and two Tasers. I’ve given Chiu’s pistol to Johansson. You need to make a decision about whether Sellis gets anything.”
“No, we use his eyes and his technical know-how; that’s it for now.”
“Better than being locked up, I suppose.”
“Yes.” I nod toward Arkov and Sam. “Once we’re away, get everything set up here to defend yourselves. See if you can access the ship’s external comms too. There might be more of our people left alive on the Khidr.”
“The ships are drifting apart,” Arkov says. “We were really lucky. I can’t see anyone else making it.”
“Doesn’t mean we abandon them, though.”
“Yeah, okay, Captain. I’ll sort it.”
I move back to see how Le Garre, Johansson and Sellis are getting on. My hopes sink when I see they have removed the panel of the locking mechanism. “What’s wrong?” I ask Johansson. “I thought you set up access codes.”
“I did, but they won’t help with a jammed door,” Johansson replies. “Someone’s tampered with this lock on the other side.”
“You mean someone knows we’re aboard?”
“Or considered the possibility and wrecked the door to slow us down.” She flashes me a humourless smile. “Could have been worse if they’d rigged it to stay open. Half the ship would have depressurised, and we’d have suffocated before we could restore a breathable atmosphere.”
“They couldn’t afford to do that. They need to breathe too.” I’m trying to think. Either we’re facing a fight or Johansson’s already taken out the Gallowglass crew. Whether they’re alive or dead remains to be seen. “How long would the crew on the bridge be unconscious if someone on board is awake?”
“Not long. If they noticed my hack into their systems, they could have reset the oxygen system and overridden the door locks from the outside of the bridge. Easy enough if you have a working user ID for the system,” Johansson replies. “I did put a couple of blocks in the way in terms of changing some permissions and access codes. They would need to figure out what I’ve done first and undo it, but after that, getting in waking up their people and retaking control of the bridge shouldn’t take long.”
“That means we could be running out of time.”
“Yes, I guess it does.”
Sellis has pulled two wires out of the wall. “This should bridge the connection, but if their ship is anything like ours, the security system will detect what I’m doing in approximately two seconds, which triggers a deadlock. You need to get your code inputted by then.” He kicks an empty box by his feet. It drifts toward me. “If it opens, might be worth wedging this in the gap, just in case.”
I grab the box. “Good idea.”
Johansson’s fingers hover over the keypad. “Okay, I’m ready,” she says.
Sellis shifts position, pressing his back to the wall. “Okay, on three. One. Two. Three!”
The wires connect in his hand. The crackle of the closed circuit seems like the loudest sound I’ve ever heard. Johansson taps in her code in a blur, and the door slides open.
“Nicely done,” I say to them both.
Sellis smiles. “Thank you, Captain,” he says.
We get everyone through the door as quickly as we can. Once we’re into airlock control, Le Garre and I take up cover positions in the corridor. Johansson logs in to the terminal with her self-created account. “Crew detectors are offline,” she reports. “Means we can’t track whoever sealed us in.”
“And also that we don’t know how many people we’re facing. Can you pull up a deck plan?”
“Of course.” Johansson taps a few more keys, and a three-dimensional image appears in front of us. Some of the locations are flashing red. “Looks like there’s been some hull breaches. Nothing like the damage to the Khidr, though.”
“That’s why we’re here,” I reply. “Can you plot a path to the bridge?”
A blue line appears on the screen. “There’s a clear route. It’ll take us about ten minutes, Captain, provided we don’t run into anyone.”
I study the path. “I have a feeling we’ll run into someone. If you were defending this ship, where would you pick for an ambush, if you were outnumbered?”
Johansson points to the T-junction close to the bridge. “Probably there. Or I’d depressurise the passageway just before it. We’d have to work on restoring air. Being attacked while we’re doing that would make life difficult.”
“And it would negate a numbers advantage.”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” I know I’m hesitating. This is an unfamiliar ship to us. Our enemy holds the advantage in having been able to plan a defence. More people will get hurt and die, but we have no option but to press ahead. “Patch this terminal into our comms frequency so we can talk to Travers. When you’re done, we move.”
“Yes, Captain.” Johansson hesitates. She looks around, noting where everyone is, then leans in close to me. “Permission to speak freely, Captain?” she asks in a low tone.
“Go on then.”
“You need to leave me here.” Johansson gestures toward the terminal. “I can assist you from the terminal much better than being with you. Also, I’m the most experienced medic you have, and Chiu…she needs supervision, Captain.”
I stare at Johansson. “You looking to disobey more orders, Ensign?” I ask.
Johansson flinches. “Not really,” she replies. “But it’s the right call. You need comms and computer access, as well as emergency aid for the injured crew. Those are my areas. Chiu might die; that’ll be on my conscience if I stay or if I go. At least if I stay, I’ll know I’ve done everything I can.”
“You didn’t like Chiu before.”
“I don’t like her now, but she deserves a chance. We all do.” Johansson nods toward Arkov and Sam. “If you need four, either Vasili or Sam can make up the numbers. Arkov’s leg is bothering him, and he has some cuts, but he’ll be okay. Sam’s taken a stomach wound, which could get serious without proper attention. He’s patched up, but…he’s a risk.”
I gaze at Johansson, trying to measure her. All her points are pragmatic and make sense. Maybe I’m trying to keep her close because she
’s already gone against orders. It’s not that I don’t think she’s capable, but by keeping her with me, I can watch her and give her a chance to win back the trust I placed in her before.
But she’s right. It isn’t the best use of the resources I have to hand.
“Okay, we’ll make a change,” I say, then raise my voice. “Change of plan. Arkov, you’re with the mission team. Johansson is staying here. Make sure you’ve got a sidearm, Arkov.”
“Aye, aye,” Arkov replies.
“I found some emergency override codes in the system,” Johansson says. “They might help you if you run into trouble.”
I nod my thanks. “Okay, let’s go,” Sellis opens the door into the next passageway. Le Garre goes through, sidearm in hand as she checks in both directions.
“Clear,” she announces.
Gritting my teeth, I follow her through the door.
Chapter Fifty-Five
Johansson
I watch Shann leave. When she’s through the door, I start to relax. Deciding to confront and persuade her that her orders were wrong was a harder choice to make than getting welded into a torpedo and fired at this ship. The captain’s approval is something I value, a lot. I damaged our relationship when I went against orders on my first EVA to fix the transmitter and made things worse taking matters into my own hands with the second. This time, I may have broken things beyond repair.
But I know I made the right call.
I’ve changed. The recommendation for promotion I was focused on no longer defines who I am. The validation that would bring doesn’t define me; I see that now.
A good relationship with my captain isn’t about some kind of trade, with me carefully choosing when to bring my A game and when to hide in the crowd. It’s about me speaking up and being honest. If someone makes a bad call, I need to let them know without worrying about the consequences to my career.
Low voices cut through my reflections. There’s an acceleration chair in the airlock control room. Travers and Chase are making sure Chiu is strapped in and secure. I’ve examined her injuries and they are extensive. “She’s lost a lot of blood,” Travers says.