by Britt Ringel
Chapter 6
“I’m going,” Heskan insisted as he turned the corner of the corridor near Kite’s shuttle bay.
Vernay shook her head in frustration and glared. “With all due respect, Captain, you’re out of your freaking mind.”
Heskan shot Vernay an irritated look before swiping his datapad over the shuttle bay’s access controls. The portal opened quietly. Inside the large bay, one of Kite’s shuttles made characteristic whining noises as the pilot worked his way through the startup sequence. The shuttle’s double doors were open and a medical team was loading a portable “med-bed” housing the comatose Selvaggio into the tiny shuttle’s passenger compartment. The seats inside the shuttle had been folded and stowed to create enough room for her.
“I have to go, Stacy. If not for Diane, then to meet Lombardi face-to-face and see if this truce will hold,” Heskan explained. As Selvaggio’s medical bed disappeared into the shuttle, Chief Brown emerged from inside and walked down the craft’s boarding ramp.
Vernay sighed. “Captain, the CortRon needs you. What if you don’t come back?”
Heskan rolled his eyes dismissively. “The Hollies wouldn’t be so stupid as to kidnap me, Stacy. You’ve seen too many holo-vids.” He nodded a quick acknowledgment to Brown as he approached. “Like I said, we need to talk with Lombardi. We need to look into her eyes and see if we can trust her.”
“Then let me go, Captain,” Vernay implored. “Kite’s captain should stay on the ship. We need you here.”
Heskan smiled appreciatively at Vernay’s attempt to stop him but Heskan slowly shook his head.
“Capt’n,” Brown said while placing his hand on Heskan’s shoulder, “with all due respect, yer crazy if you think yer goin’.”
Heskan saw Vernay take an obvious step to stand next to the senior chief petty officer and cross her arms defiantly. Feeling anger beginning to well up inside him, Heskan thought, Why is it that “with all due respect” usually means anything but that?
“You saw what almost happened when you were stuck in Medical,” Brown cautioned. “If you want this truce to last, you need to be here to hold it.” Brown looked down and kicked at the deck with a boot. “I’ve seen my share of capt’ns, sir, some good, an’ some bad. The difference was whether they trusted their crew.”
Heskan’s tone was incredulous. “I trust my crew, Chief—”
“Then trust yer first officer enough to let her do her job,” Brown continued.
“I do!” Heskan protested. “She can take care of Kite while I—”
Brown interrupted again. “That’s yer job, sir. Her job is to do the stuff you can’t because yer busy runnin’ Kite.” Vernay nodded emphatically. She was smart enough to know when to let thirty years of service do the talking for her.
Heskan bit down hard and looked away. “Dammit, Chief…” He’s right, Heskan told himself. He stared a long time at the shuttle doors before turning to Vernay. He pointed firmly at her while he said, “You be careful. Your missions are to ensure Selvaggio is better off on Phoenix than on Kite, assess Lombardi as to whether she can be trusted and make it back to Kite in one piece.”
Vernay tried, but failed, to hide her grin. She bobbed up and down excitedly as she said, “You got it, Captain. You know I—”
“Shut up and listen!” Heskan scolded. “We need you back safe and sound. You keep your temper and your mouth in check while you’re over there. Lombardi will be evaluating you too; don’t forget that. You’re my ambassador, Stacy. This CortRon is running on empty and we’re going to need the Hollies if we want to make it back to Brevic space.” He glared at her. “Understood?”
Vernay tamped down her enthusiasm and nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“I’ll attend your meeting with Lombardi virtually. The first words out of my mouth will be asking you how things are going. If you’re under duress of any kind, tell me they’re going well. If you’re okay, answer in the negative.” Heskan stared hard into Vernay’s blue eyes. “Come home, Lieutenant,” he ordered.
“I will, sir.” Vernay saluted quickly and bounded for the shuttle.
* * *
The shuttle ride lasted twenty minutes. The majority of the time was consumed by the necessity of slowing the combined fleet’s speed below .05c to allow Vernay’s shuttle to rendezvous with Phoenix. As soon as the shuttle landed, the fleet quickly accelerated back to .2c to continue their flight from the alien fleet. Curiously, the aliens had yet to resume their pursuit and seemed content to rest near the Kale tunnel point.
When the shuttle pilot announced it was safe to open the doors, Vernay paused and held out a hand toward the three-man medical team next to her. She looked at Doctor Franklin Carter and asked, “Are you sure you want to stay on Phoenix?”
Heskan’s discussion with Doctor Thomas regarding the Hollaran offer to help Selvaggio had been surprisingly practical. Initially, Vernay was concerned the chief medical officer would take the offer as a critique of his medical skills; however, Thomas had jumped at the suggestion. He had unequivocally stated, “I’d rather have my pride wounded but my patient alive than the opposite.” He had insisted, though, that one of his medical staff remain with Selvaggio and although he had not offered himself, Thomas sent one of his four board-certified doctors. Thomas’ willingness to put his ego behind his Hippocratic Oath impressed Vernay.
Doctor Carter nodded to Vernay. “We can’t leave her alone. Plus,” he smiled, “maybe I can teach these Hollies modern medicine while I’m here.”
Vernay opened the shuttle doors to spy twelve elaborately dressed Hollaran marines pointing weapons directly at her. Seriously? A trap? Vernay’s heart raced but she calmed her mind almost immediately. No, they’re dressed too elaborately and standing in nice, neat rows.
“Platoon, Tench-Hut!” The loud command echoed through the entire bay. The marines looked stunning in their green and red dress uniforms and moved as one while coming to the position of attention. Their multi-rifles veered away from Vernay to rest smartly by their sides, rifle stocks resting on the deck. As Vernay took a tentative step down the shuttle’s ramp, she heard the daunting voice ring out again. “Present, Harms!”
In unison, the Hollaran marines raised their rifles to the vertical, muzzle up, in front of the center of their chests with the trigger facing away from their bodies. Their green-gloved hands held the stocks close. Gooseflesh broke out on Vernay’s arms at the display of precision. Her eyes wandered to the gleaming tip of the nearest marine’s multi-rifle. My God, their rifles have bayonets, she thought as she shivered slightly at the menacing sight.
Beyond the marines, the shuttle bay was equally impressive. Easily twice as large as Kite’s, six sleek Hollaran shuttles lined the bay in orderly rows. The markings on the shuttles displayed the highly stylized green sea serpent symbolic of the Hollaran navy. The deck of the bay was marked with the customary trappings of any shuttle bay; landing zones, parking spots, and taxiways, but the colors were all wrong. Taxiways, which should have been blue, were green; parking T’s were white instead of the Brevic yellow. Even the layout of the bay itself was off.
Yet nothing was more disturbing than standing within three meters of the smartly dressed marines. Vernay’s attention returned to the intimidating honor guard and thought crazily, What would it take for them to turn those weapons on me? Her eyes scanned their dazzling uniforms and she realized the narrow patches below the Hollaran Commonwealth flag on each right arm contained the name of a Hollaran star system. Most read: “Helike.” Probably not much, Vernay thought, answering her own question. Shame flooded through Vernay. Do these marines know most of us were against the fusion bombing of Salus? How could they?
Two Hollaran officers in duty uniforms approached the base of the shuttle’s ramp. Vernay shook herself and thought, Stop sightseeing and act like a professional. She forced herself to focus on the officers walking toward her, a full komandor displaying the trappings of a medical doctor and Komandor Podporucznik Lombardi herself.
“Are you coming down, Lieutenant?” Lombardi asked quizzically as she looked at the Brevic officer standing halfway up the shuttle ramp.
Vernay quickly descended to stand within three feet of Lombardi. She’s tall. I can’t believe I’m this close to her, Vernay thought. It was surreal. She came to attention, saluted and said, “Lieutenant Stacy Vernay. First Officer, BRS Kite.”
Lombardi returned the courtesy with the standard Hollaran salute. The komandor standing next to Lombardi did not bother, and instead asked unceremoniously, “Where is the patient, Kapitan Vernay?” Without waiting for an answer, he pushed past her and climbed the shuttle ramp.
Lombardi grimaced slightly. “Please forgive Doctor Timoleon. Military courtesy has never been his priority.”
From inside the shuttle, Vernay heard the reply. “And while we waste time with archaic gestures, Komandor, my patient languishes with subpar medical attention. Yes, yes, it is nice to meet you, Doctor Carter. We must transfer the patient to my medical bay immediately. How long has the patient been unconscious? How long have her vitals been so low? Why is there no running electroencephalography?” Vernay heard the motors inside the portable medical unit begin to spin up over the Hollaran doctor’s rapid-fire interrogation.
I don’t know what he’s asking but he does sound sincere, Vernay thought. “Captain Heskan wishes to extend his appreciation for the use of your medical facilities, Komandor.” Vernay extended her right hand.
Lombardi recoiled as if Vernay had offered her a poisonous viper instead of a handshake. The Hollaran komandor visibly took a fortifying breath and then reached out to take Vernay’s hand. While they shook, a marine bearing the Hollaran rank of starzy sierzant stepped next to Vernay, waved a sniffer device over her, and then nodded to Lombardi. She jerked her head toward the shuttle and the marine began to climb the ramp. As the man moved away, Lombardi’s attention refocused on Vernay. “Lieutenant, would you please accompany me to my main briefing room? We have important matters to discuss and not much time. Surely your medical team can assess the quality of care your shipmate will receive without your presence.”
Vernay looked back and saw Doctor Carter guiding Selvaggio’s bed out of the shuttle. He looked briefly at Vernay and gestured affirmatively before returning his attention to his two corpsmen at the back of the medical unit. All the while, Timoleon was offering instruction on how best to navigate the med-bed down the ramp in between more medical critiques. “Why is the patient without respiration with such a low blood-oxygen level?” Aghast, Timoleon quickly barked orders into his Hollaran datapad.
Vernay turned away and replied, “Certainly, Komandor. Captain Heskan has requested that he attend the meeting virtually, of course.”
The pair wheeled from the shadow of the shuttle and walked toward the bay’s exit, a two-man marine guard following several meters behind them. Lombardi smiled perversely. “Naturally. Although he will be very unhappy as he is forced to watch as we torture you.”
Vernay stopped in her tracks and shot Lombardi a startled look, who simply smirked in return. “It was a joke, Lieutenant. Perhaps a poor one, but be honest; you would be disappointed if a ‘Hollie’ komandor did not threaten you, yes? Brevic propaganda transmissions do not stop at your border, you know.”
Vernay tried to smile casually back at the komandor but thought incredulously, “Perhaps it was a poor joke?” Is she crazy, saying something like that? After all the hatred she demonstrated toward us in Sponde and Helike, how could I not take her seriously? “You’re wrong, Komandor,” Vernay lied. “Brevic officers don’t think that.”
Lombardi ignored the denial. “I am half-surprised you did not think our marine honor guard would shoot you on sight. That is what Hollarans do, is it not?”
Vernay winced inwardly, recalling her initial thoughts about the marines in the shuttle bay. Of course I was concerned, the Hollarans have done far worse things than lay traps for us. “You must admit, Komandor, Brevic officers have good reasons to question Hollaran offers of parlay.”
Lombardi waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “You refer to the Thyone system in Nine Seventy-Four, obviously.” Lombardi stopped walking and looked directly at Vernay. Her dark eyes swept up and down the young officer. “Even after all these years, you still do not know the truth, do you?” Shaking her head in mild disgust, she added, “You probably believe we have annihilated Euanthe and Kore.”
Vernay quickly thought of the two Brevic star systems, now behind enemy lines and rumored to have been fusion-bombed from existence by their Hollaran captors. “Have you?” she asked.
“Oh, yes,” Lombardi answered in a matter-of-fact tone. “Of course we did. I read about it in the same ‘Vic reports as you.” They resumed their journey deeper into Phoenix. Turning a corner, they walked in silence until Lombardi mused, “I just wonder how your masters will account for those systems’ conditions if they are returned to you after this war.”
The pair traveled down a long, wide corridor. Vernay noted the lighting came from near the tops of the bulkheads instead of directly from the ceiling. It diffused the shadows more so than in Kite. “So you’re saying you haven’t glassed our star systems?” she probed suspiciously.
“Why would we?” Lombardi responded. “You ‘Vics have fusion weapons too… obviously. A first use of them would only encourage you to use them against our populations.” The ship captain shrugged. “Of course, you can come back with us to Helike to see how well our no-first-use policy has worked for us.”
Vernay flinched again at the thought of Salus and wanted nothing more than to profess her disgust at what Admiral Hayes did to a portion of the planet. Don’t believe her, Stacy, she chastised. She’s lying. She’ll say anything to get an edge over you. Komandor Lombardi is your enemy and she’s even said she wants to kill you on another battlefield. Don’t let her take the high road; these people are the bad guys. She searched for a response, something that would turn the conversation away from the present subject and help her assess Lombardi’s character. “So I guess you’ll launch every fusion warhead you have now. Right, Komandor?”
“Me? Personally?” Lombardi asked, seemingly misunderstanding the subject of Vernay’s question. Lombardi shook her head, causing strands of dark hair to cover the right side of her face. A hand automatically swept them back. “No, I do not need a fusion weapon to bring the butchers of Salus to justice, and I will never debase myself low enough to kill civilians.” Lombardi paused and then added, “Unlike your captain.”
The verbal jab hit home and Vernay instantly saw red. Bitch! “Captain Heskan would never—” Vernay stopped to collect herself. She took several deep breaths before continuing at a more appropriate volume. “Komandor, I urge you to tread lightly when talking about my captain. Please, for the good of this alliance.”
Lombardi laughed melodically before agreeing with Vernay in an exaggerated manner. “Of course Captain Heskan would never.” She stopped in front of a closed portal and muttered, “Just as the Brevics would only use fusion weapons in self-defense.” She snorted a humorless laugh.
Chapter 7
They had reached Briefing Room Z-2. The relatively small room on Zeta Deck normally served as a low-level staff room for the support section of Phoenix. Komandor Lombardi stifled her sarcastic laugh and looked between the Brevic lieutenant and the chamber’s portal as she felt her demeanor sour further. This is sure to be another memorable meeting, she thought. Perhaps I will hate this room as I have come to hate my other briefing room. She lightly chuckled at her bitterness and cast a sideways glance at the young Brevic officer. Oh, come now, Isabella. It is not the meeting rooms themselves but the people in the meetings. The room was not really the “main briefing room” but it was easier to call it that out of convenience in front of the Brevics. There was also the genuine need to withhold the location of the real main briefing room from them. ‘Vic spies probably already have the layout of the Abath class heavy cruiser but I am not going to co
nfirm it for them.
She casually glanced at Vernay as she punched commands into her datapad. Speaking with the young lieutenant had been informative. In fact, Lombardi had actually taken a longer than necessary route to the briefing room to gain more time to assess Kite’s first officer. They are not quite the heartless automatons we were told. She is brave, Lombardi thought. I have to give her that. The ‘Vic did not so much as flinch when my marines greeted her and she quickly analyzed the situation to realize no danger existed despite the adrenaline that must have been rushing through her. Lombardi stowed her datapad and finally waved a hand over the door sensor as she frowned. Brave… able to think quickly on her feet… intensely loyal. I look for each of those qualities when choosing my friends. But, she is a ‘Vic.
Valokov stood as the door opened and Lombardi entered the room with Vernay in tow. She noted the image of Lieutenant Commander Heskan on the wall screen. “As you were, Kapitan,” she said. “I see Commander Heskan has already joined us.”
Valokov bobbed his head. “Yes, ma’am. We have been discussing the latest alien actions and their cutters.”
Lombardi gestured to Vernay and then to a chair beside her own.
“How are things going, Lieutenant?” Heskan asked.
Vernay replied, “Terrible.”
Heskan relaxed and answered, “Glad to hear that.”
What? Lombardi asked herself. Did I push her too hard? Lombardi looked to Vernay and then to Heskan with an openly confused expression, but Heskan waved it away.
“It’s just a private joke, Komandor. I thank you for acting properly during my stricken crewmember’s transfer.”
A strange people, Lombardi thought. “Nonetheless, what is this new alien action?”
“Oh,” Valokov answered, “nothing, ma’am. They are still holding at the Kale tunnel point. Phoenix is beginning to lose visual contact with the cutters but they appear to be staying with their carrier.”