by Jon Gerrard
Chapter Sixteen
I smashed into the bulkhead and rebounded with such force that I was momentarily stunned. Fortunately, I had been able to get my hands up in time to protect my head from most of the shock or I would have suffered a concussion at least. As it was the left side of my face felt like a cheese grater had been used on it and my left shoulder ached like someone had tried to yank it out of the socket.
As my body floated limply away from the bulkhead I caught scattered images of different parts of the bridge as various control consoles continued to short out in bursts of brilliant electrical fireworks, freezing different areas in brief, surrealistic snapshots. After a few moments the shorting stopped, leaving the room in an inky silence. The harsh glare of the bright electrical bursts were still visible to my eyes as negative images on my retinas, but that was all I could see. The bridge was pitch black. With the ship having been caught in the EM wash of the antimatter explosion even auxiliary power was out.
I shook my head in an attempt to clear it and spread my arms and legs out as much as possible to slow my uncontrolled, weightless tumbling. It was the standard response to sudden gravity failure. I’d have to wait until one of my limbs touched something solid then pull myself down. As I spun slowly across the room I began to hear groans and muted curses coming from the rest of the bridge crew. Then my hand brushed against something and I felt about until I managed to find a secure hand hold.
“Find something to grab onto and report your status,” I called into the darkness. One by one the crew answered, their voices coming to me from different parts of the darkness.
“Okay, everybody, we’re going to need to get our systems up and running as soon as possible,” I said. I had no idea how badly we’d been damaged but I knew I needed to get my people focused on something. “Does anyone know where they are?”
“I ... I can’t feel anything!” Patty said, panic creeping into her voice. “I’m free floating!”
“Remember your emergency training,” I said. “Spread your arms and legs and tumble until you can grab something. Every surface has handholds. You’ll be able to stop yourself soon.”
As I spoke I was pulling myself along by my hands, feeling the surface I had latched onto. It took me some time but I finally recognized the auxiliary systems monitor station. That would put me behind the command seat and off to the left. A mental image of the bridge snapped into focus in my mind. I knew where I was. As the rest of the bridge crew reported their status I worked to pull myself toward the command seat.
“Chris?” I called into the pervasive blackness.
“Here,” his voice called back. “I’m okay, but I’m not sure where I am.”
“Well, I’m at the auxiliary control station and you’re off to my left. That would put you near environmental control or maybe engineering sub-systems monitoring.”
“Right.”
I heard him starting to work his way around the room.
I was searching along the front edge of the console I was holding onto for the emergency compartment and the portable flashlight that should be there when the dim amber glow of emergency lighting came on. The dim light cast deep shadows throughout the room but at least we could see. I reoriented myself and pushed off toward the command chair. Grabbing the seat as I sailed over it, I pulled myself down and buckled the restraint harness.
“Bridge!” Ian’s voice was faint and filled with static over the intercom.
“This is the bridge. What’s your status?”
“I’ve got us running on batteries for now. Every circuit breaker on the ship seems to have been tripped. What the hell happened?”
“We were caught in the wake of the antimatter warhead detonation. How long before we have main power back on-line?”
“You need to give me a few minutes, Captain. It’s a mess down here. When the blast hit us everything shut down cold–the engines, the reactor, everything. We’re going to start resetting the breakers and then we’ll try bringing the reactor on-line. After that we can start bringing the systems back up one at a time, at least those systems that didn’t get completely fried from the overload.”
“I need eyes, Ian. I need to see what’s going on out there as soon as possible.”
“I’ll do the best I can. Engine room out.”
“Captain!” It was Patty. She had managed to grab onto an overhead support stanchion and was floating near the ceiling over her station. “I need to go check on Jeremy!”
Damn. “Okay. Try to get to me and I’ll pull you down.”
She managed to pull herself along the shadowy recesses of the ceiling until I could reach her ankle. I tugged her down to me and she latched onto the arm of my chair.
“Thanks, Cordass, I’ll only be a couple of–”
“Patty. There’s something I need to tell you.” As she met my eyes I could see the fear rising in hers. There was no easy way to do this. I took both of her hands in mine. “Patty, that torpedo we took opened sections five and six to space.” Her eyes grew wide as the implications became clear.
“The galley ... isn’t it in ...?”
“Section five. We think Momma was in there ... with Jeremy. Right now they’re both listed as missing. We’ll know more as soon as we can get a crew into that area of the ship to search.”
Her face screwed up into a look of tortured anguish as fat, tear globules floated away from the corners of her eyes.
“I’m so sorry.”
Her mouth fell open and I could feel her hands beginning to tremble in mine. I grabbed her, hugging her to me as sobs wracked her body. We stayed that way for some time with me cradling her head against my shoulder as she wept and clung to me. There were a hundred things I should be doing right now to get the ship up and running, but at this moment this is what Patty needed. Simple, human contact. If we couldn’t be there for each other then what were we fighting so hard to live for?
After a while her sobbing softened.
“I’m sorry,” she said into my shoulder, trying to bring herself back under control.
“There is nothing to be sorry about, Patty.” I wanted to say more, to tell her it would be okay, but I didn’t lie to my people. Her son was gone and all the wishing in the universe wouldn’t change that.
She timidly pulled away from me, wiping her eyes. Looking at the shoulder of my uniform where she’d been crying, she reached out and tried to brush the damp spot away.
“Sorry.”
“If you don’t stop apologizing I’m going to put you on regen tank maintenance duty for a month.”
She managed a faint smile.
“Why don’t you go to your cabin? I can have someone else cover your station.”
“If it’s alright with you, I’d rather stay here. I don’t want to be alone in our cabin … with his things.” She screwed her eyes closed as tears started flowing again.
“Excuse me, Captain Pell.” Captain Saha had made his way to the other side of my chair. “Why don’t I have your comm officer come and sit with me in the conference alcove for a while.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
Captain Saha gently guided her toward the alcove, moving gracefully from handhold to handhold as he spoke softly to her. I could see that she was in good hands. Now to see to the rest of the crew.
“Okay, people, let’s give our systems a quick once over so that when Ian gets the power back on we can get our stations up and running again as quickly as possible.”
For the next several minutes everyone was busy checking over their consoles. Aside from the primary breaker boards in the engine room, each bridge console had its own circuit breakers which had to be reset. After that it was a matter of opening access panels and searching for any visible signs of damage. Without power to the consoles there was little that we could do besides an eyeball inspection but a number of suspect components were identified and replacements slotted into place.
It see
med like hours, although I knew it couldn’t have been more than ten minutes, before main lighting finally came back on. A few moments later the gravity warning chime warbled and weight gradually increased to a standard G. One by one the bridge systems came back up. Alex’s security board was the one exception. When she tried to power up her console several breakers popped open. Dropping to her knees she pulled off the main access panel and started tracing the circuits again. Now that the power was back on she would be able to find the problem quickly.
Around the bridge the various consoles and displays glowed back to life and soon the room was alive with the soft humming and electronic pings of the different control systems. On the far wall the main screen snapped on, its default setting showing us a normal forward view. We weren’t alone. Directly in front of us were two Fleet ships, but not the frigates I was expecting. These were destroyers.
“Give me a slow one hundred and eighty degree pan around the ship,” I said to Bobby.
As the view swung through its arc I could see the rest of the battle group. We were surrounded.
“We’re being hailed, Captain,” said Reese Lassen who had been called to the bridge to take over at communications.
“On speaker.”
“–sors show that you have reestablished at least partial main power aboard your ship. I repeat, you are ordered to heave to and prepare to be boarded. Acknowledge.”
“Not very friendly of them,” I commented to no one in particular. “Open my mike on the same frequency, Reese.” The microphone indicator on my board glowed on. “Fleet vessel, this is Captain Pell of the independent trade ship Prometheus. We appreciate your offer of assistance, but the last time we checked this was interstellar space. You don’t have any authority out here.”
There was a brief pause before a new voice came over the system. It was a voice that I had not heard in many years. “This is Rear Admiral Ulysses Magnus commanding the Gilead battle group Venture. I don’t know who you the hell are, mister, but I’m not going to sit out here and debate legalities with someone who in all likelihood is a pirate! Your ship is running without an ID beacon on the border of our capital system and in the immediate vicinity of the detonation of a powerful antimatter device. You had damned well better comply or we’ll blow your ship right out of space! This is your only warning.”
“I’ve got power for shields, Captain,” Mark said, reaching for a control stud. “Should I put them up?”
I placed my hand over the pick-up. “No! Stand down. No shields and no power to any of the weapon systems.”
I knew Magnus and I knew that he wouldn’t open fire on a ship that was not directly threatening his people, no matter what he was saying. But that didn’t mean he was a fool. I also knew he would have every weapon in his battle group trained on us. If it looked like we were going to put up a fight he wouldn’t hesitate to order his ships to open fire. The hell they could rain down on us with their combined might would blast through our shields like they weren’t even there.
I uncovered the pick-up. “Since you put it that way, I’ll be happy to consider your request, but may I at least see who it is I’m talking to?”
“We’re getting a visual signal, Captain,” Reese reported a moment later.
“Put it on the main screen.”
The wall sized screen changed to show the bridge of the Fleet carrier, a space many times the size of our bridge. Admiral Magnus looked very much like I remembered him. There was a touch more grey in his hair but the familiar, unwavering steel was still reflected in his eyes as he leaned forward, resting his palms on the edge of his board.
“Well, Captain? You have your face to face. Now I expect you to prepare to receive the boarding party we’ll be sending over to you.”
“Ah, Admiral, it’s a pleasure to meet you. We can discuss your request to send a team aboard our ship in a moment. But first there’s someone here I want you to see.” Glancing back over my shoulder I motioned Captain Saha forward. As he stepped up beside my command chair I saw the surprise register in Magnus’ eyes. “You see, Admiral, the reason we’re here in the first place is because we’re bringing some of your people home. We rescued Captain Saha and his crew after they were attacked by pirates. In fact, I suspect that the ship which attacked the Pathfinder was the same ship that followed us here and tried to blow us just before the arrival of your battle group. I’m afraid, however, that we were forced to destroy them so there’s not much left for you to inspect.”
“Admiral,” Saha said to the screen, “Captain Pell is telling the truth. His people did indeed rescue us following an unprovoked attack on our ship and he was in the process of returning us to Fleet headquarters when his ship was attacked.”
“I see,” Magnus said, giving Saha a piercing look. I knew he had a thousand questions for his officer, but both he and Captain Saha were far too disciplined to hold an open discussion on an unsecured comm channel. Instead he turned back to me. “The Fleet is of course grateful for any assistance you and your crew may have rendered to our people, Captain.”
“Quite unnecessary, Admiral. You don’t ignore an SOS in deep space. Anyone else would have done the same thing.”
“I’m not so sure about that, Captain,” the Admiral said as he tried to size me up in light of what he had just heard.
“Well, in any event, you’re welcome. Now, about your people coming aboard our ship, I have a counter proposal. I’d like to escort Captain Saha to your ship myself. My security officer and I can run him over to you in our skiff. It will give us a chance to speak in person.” And there are several things I need to talk to you about, I thought to myself.
“Very well, Captain. We’ll receive you in starboard docking bay seven. Magnus out.”
I unbuckled my harness and the straps retracted themselves into the chair. “Chris, I’m leaving you in command. Unless you actually come under attack I want you to keep the shields down and all weapons systems off-line. Your first priority is this ship. Get those repairs under way and find out the status of everyone aboard.”
“Yes, sir. When do you expect to be back?”
My eye fell on Alex as she finished securing her station. A strand of hair got in her way and she absently tucked it behind an ear. It was one of those unconscious gestures people develop, one that I was going to miss.
“That’s a good question,” I said as I pushed myself to my feet.
The skiff bay was just forward of the bridge. I led the way with Alex and Captain Saha close behind. We passed quickly through the brief connecting passage and moved into the bay. The skiff sat quietly to one side. Its door was open, revealing the dark interior, and its external umbilicus lines were attached to the receiving junctions near the small craft’s stern. As I disconnected the umbilicus lines, Alex went to the equipment locker and belted on a blaster pistol.
“You realize they’re going to disarm you before they let us come aboard,” I said.
“And I’ll surrender it to them when they ask for it. But as long as I’m in charge of your safety I’m not letting you go anywhere without an armed escort.” Slapping the charge clip home, she holstered the gun and climbed aboard the skiff.
I noticed Captain Saha following our little exchange. “She tastes my food for me, too,” I commented over my shoulder as I climbed in after her. From the look on his face he wasn’t sure if he should take me seriously or not.
Alex powered up the skiff’s systems and ran through a quick pre flight check as the atmosphere was evacuated from the bay. The bridge cleared us and we were ready to launch. As the bay door retracted and we nosed out of the bay, I could see the hole torn into the hull ahead of us. In the wash of the skiff’s running lights I looked down into the wreckage of what had been the galley. No one could have been in there and survived.
The unsettling view disappeared as Alex rolled us and pointed the small ship toward the waiting carrier. It was huge, looming ove
r the closer ships of the battle group, even though it was more than a kilometer away. We accelerated toward the Admiral’s flagship and the Prometheus fell quickly behind us. Our flight path took us past one of the battle group’s destroyers. It hung above us, an ominous grey synthesteel hulk bristling with weapon emplacements, reminding us just how many guns we were under.
The carrier grew as we approached, gradually filling the forward viewport. It was like flying toward a cliff of solid metal. Guided by the docking control officer, Alex brought us quickly to starboard docking port seven. Although the smallest of the starboard docking ports, the bay could easily have accommodated a ship twice the size of our skiff with room to spare. As soon at the bay was pressurized a squad of Marines jogged up to our hatch.
Captain Saha stepped into the bay first, followed by Alex and then me. One of the Marines glanced at the pistol on her hip and stepped smartly in front of Alex, his rifle angled across his chest at port arms, barring her way.
“I’ll need to hold onto your weapon, ma’am,” the soldier said. Alex unbuckled her belt and handed it to him. Her point was made. With a crisp nod the Marine stepped smartly back into line. We proceeded down the center of a double line of very alert soldiers. One by one we were directed through a security archway which scanned us for any concealed weapons. On the other side of the arch we were greeted by one of Admiral Magnus’ officers. He introduced himself as Lieutenant Commander Marsh and had us follow him. Two of the Marines who had met our skiff detatched themselves from the rest of their unit and followed at a polite but no nonsense distance.
It took us quite a few minutes to make our way through the huge ship. The trek through the seemingly endless passageways and up numerous decks via obscure stairwells soon had me appreciating Bobby’s hoverboard. I had never actually been aboard a carrier before, but I had seen specs. We were headed for the flag officer’s quarters midway between the command sail and the forecastle. The carrier’s captain ran the ship, but the admiral coordinated and directed the battle group.
At one point our route brought us past one of the vast hangars which took up much of the ship’s space. We were led through a narrow passageway with wide observations windows on both sides which looked down onto several rows of fighter craft. Decks below I could see work crews scurrying like ants around the sleek and lethal looking craft as they kept them in readiness for quick deployment.
We followed this passageway for perhaps a hundred meters before Commander Marsh led us up yet another set of stairs and turned into a wide passageway. If my memory of the ship’s layout was correct we were now in the part of the ship known as broadway, the main passageway that ran the length of the ship from bow to stern. The passageway was much wider than any of the others we had passed through and had a higher concentration of traffic as well. Although it was fairly crowded we passed easily through the throng as the various crewmen stepped aside to let the Lieutenant Commander pass.
Eventually we turned into a side corridor and stopped outside the door to the Admiral’s personal cabin. Another pair of Marine guards was posted outside of the Admiral’s door, although these two were only armed with needlers.
Marsh directed us to take a seat on the narrow bench across from the Admiral’s quarters while he showed Captain Saha inside. The Marines who had accompanied us from the docking bay took up positions at either end of the bench. From their postures they seemed ready to wait there indefinitely. And having served with Marines in the past I knew that’s exactly what they were prepared to do. Until they received new orders, or unless we tried something stupid, they would not move from those spots.
Marsh reappeared almost at once and told us that the Admiral would speak to us as soon as he was finished with Captain Saha. He told us to make ourselves comfortable then headed off down the corridor, turning into the bustling activity that was broadway and disappeared.
Having some idea what the Admiral needed to discuss with Captain Saha I knew we would be in for a long wait. I was right. It was more than an hour before the door to the Admiral’s cabin opened again and Captain Saha gestured us in. The pair of Marines I had begun to think of as our personal escort followed us.
The Admiral’s quarters were laid out similarly to mine, although on a grander scale. We entered into a small outer office with a desk behind which the Admiral sat. His actual living space would be through the doorway off to the right. Saha directed us to a pair of chairs facing the desk. We took our seats and waited as the Admiral finished reading something on one of several flat pads spread across the large desk. After a moment he picked up a stylus and began making some handwritten notes on the pad’s screen.
“I’m not sure what I should with you,” Magnus said as he wrote. “According to Captain Saha, your actions led to the rescue of twenty-three Fleet personnel. For that I am personally grateful.” I found myself absently watching his hand move as he spoke, the large academy ring on the middle finger of his right hand bobbled in the light as he scribbled his notes. “He also tells me that you’ve had access to some highly sensitive information regarding our national security.” He glanced up at us briefly, letting me see his displeasure. I could imagine what Saha had told him about that incident. After a moment he looked back down and resumed his writing. “The prudent thing for me to do would be to impound your ship and take you and your crew into custody.”
“Admiral,” Alex said suddenly. “I believe I know your maiden aunt.”
If I hadn’t been looking at his hand at that exact moment I wouldn’t have noticed the momentary hesitation in his writing.
“Oh? And how is dear old Agatha?”
“Not Agatha, sir, her sister, Christie. She’s fine, except for a touch of the flu.”
“She never did like to cover up in bad weather.”
“No, only when it’s sunny.”
I quirked an eyebrow at Alex, but she ignored me.
Magnus continued writing for a few moments then put the stylus down and pushed the pad aside. Looking up he motioned to the Marines behind us.
“You two wait outside,” he ordered. As the Marines left the cabin he fixed Alex with a long, hard look. As soon as the cabin door closed he reached down behind his desk and came up with a blaster pistol which he placed on the edge of his desk.
“Captain, I want you to cover these two. If either of them makes a sudden move you are to shoot them.”
Saha picked up the weapon and took a step aside to have a clear field of fire on both of us.
I was confused. “Just a second, Admiral, we didn’t come here to–”
“Captain Pell, shut up.” Magnus said. He hadn’t taken his eyes off of Alex. He reached for a small control panel on the corner of his desk and pressed a stud. “This room is now shielded. No one can hear what we’re saying. Well, young lady? Would you like to explain yourself?”
“Your ring, sir. You’re wearing it on your middle finger, not your ring finger.”
Magnus nodded. “That’s how you knew to give the recognition code. Go on.”
Alex glanced up at Captain Saha.
“The Captain is one of us,” Magnus said. “I recruited him personally a number of years ago. Anything you have to say to me you can say in front of him.”
Us?
She seemed to be weighing something briefly before she spoke. “Very well, Admiral. We need your help. The man you see sitting before you is actually Jason Raynor, the true King of Gilead.”