“Security, this is Captain Hunter” Jon said.
“Security here Captain. What can we do for you?” a female voice said.
“I need guards dispatched from the closest station to Main Medical and all close by security personnel dispatched there,” Jon said. “The Queen is to be placed under arrest and held until I get there. She is not to be harmed if possible, but use whatever force is needed to restrain her.”
“Yes Sir,” the female on the other end said.
“Hunter out,” Jon said as he turned the com unit off. “Atlantis.”
“Captain?” Atlantis’ voice said.
“Seal off the Medical deck, no one in or out,” Jon said. “Also, I want you in Medical to give me a situation report.”
“Yes Sir,” Atlantis said. “The Medical and the surrounding deck has been locked down. However, I’m unable to access Medical myself, something is keeping me from appearing there or from seeing through the cameras. It’s as if someone has cut the connections to all of Medical.”
“Security to Captain Hunter,” the female voice said.
“Hunter here,” Jon said.
“Sir, we’re unable to contact security personnel on that deck,” the female said. “It’s as if we’ve lost connection to the stations and personnel on that deck.”
“Great, keep trying. In the meantime get personnel in place at the entry points to the deck,” Jon said.
“Yes Sir,” the female said.
“Captain Hunter to Bridge,” Jon said.
“Bridge here, Sir,” Patel said. Patel was a large Invaru, an officer in training to become the second in command of one of the new cruisers coming out of Ghost Station. He was a very bright and dedicated individual, Jon had taken a liking to him and decided to oversee his training himself. He saw great potential in Patel and wanted to make sure he got the tools he needed to succeed.
“We’ve lost all communication with deck six. We need it restored ASAP,” Jon said.
“Engineering is already on it Sir, we’ve been following your communications,” Patel said. Patel never ceased to amaze Jon by how he was always one step ahead.
“How did you know?” Jon said.
“Security call,” Patel said. “All security calls are run through here and logged. It was flagged when it was a call from your com unit and we then just followed what was going on by monitoring all transmissions in your area.”
“Ah, I forgot about that,” Jon said. “Nice work.”
“Thanks Sir. I had a good teacher,” Patel said.
Jon grinned as he spoke, “Thanks. Now is Atlantis ready for lift off?”
“Yes Sir, at your command. Everything is secured and locked down and all stations report ready,” Patel said.
“Good! Lift off and set us for high altitude, for now I want you to keep us above the ocean,” Jon said. Suddenly he was dizzy, which made him run into Terri. Jon shook his head trying to clear it as the dizziness lifted.
“You okay?” Terri said. Several concerned faces looked at him as the whole group stopped as Jon stumbled from his spell.
Jon nodded, “Right as rain, I just got a bit dizzy there for a second.”
“Then let’s just slow our pace a bit; the Queen isn’t going anywhere,” Breq said.
Jon nodded his agreement and took up a slower pace as the group began to moving again toward Main Medical. “Sorry about that, Patel,” Jon said.
“No problem Sir, are you sure you’re okay?” Patel said. You could hear the worry in his voice as he spoke.
“Of course,” Jon said. “Probably the stress of the situation. Anyway, keep us over the ocean and proceed to the other side of the planet. I want Science to run scans and such looking for the same problems with the environment that we have here.”
“Yes Sir,” Patel said. “We’ve already cleared the water and are underway.”
“Try to make it quick. Captain Anders will need our support very soon,” Jon said.
“Once we get our scans done, I’ll take up a low orbit and use an orbital insertion to put us in place,” Patel said. “We should be able to arrive just before or just after Captain Anders arrives.”
“Good, keep up the good work. Hunter out,” Jon said.
“Thank you Sir,” Patel said. “Bridge out.”
The connection was severed, however Jon knew they were still being monitored by the bridge. In a way that made Jon feel better to know that someone was on top of the situation and could respond if the need arrived. However, it also made him feel vulnerable to know that anyone could listen in on his communications. It was something he decide to have Mike look into. Secure communications, even inside the ships, might be needed in certain situations.
The group, led by Jon, had just stepped off the transport tube and onto the deck where Main Medical was located when Jon’s vision swam again and blacked out. Jon stumbled and fell to the deck as his vision began to return. Breq and Terri had each grabbed an arm helping him back to his feet.
“Jon?” Terri said. “Are you OK?”
“I think so,” Jon said. He rubbed his temples as his vision returned and a small headache started. His stomach turned as he started to feel nauseous. “I don’t know, something is wrong. I don’t feel well, it is as if I’m coming down with the flu or something.”
Sa’oliq looked down into Jon’s eyes as she spoke, “What is wrong, exactly?”
“I had a brief loss of sight, as if someone turned off the lights for a second. Now I’m feeling sick to my stomach and have a small headache,” Jon said. As he finished speaking the headache suddenly flared up setting his mind a blaze with pain. It caused his stomach to heave and dizziness to set in. He threw up as the room spun around him, and the world disappeared from his vision.
Jon’s eyes opened to see Atlantis, Terri, Breq and a Med Tech kneeling over him. They all had a concerned looked on their face as the tech took his vitals. The pain in his head was more pronounced and his stomach still felt upset. The room around him seemed to shift slightly as if someone was turning it. It made his stomach lurch a bit as if he was going to be sick again.
“What happened?” Jon said.
“You passed out Sir,” the tech said. “How do you feel?”
“Worse,” Jon said. Jon started to sit up and the room spun around him as the pain began to thump in his head.
The tech pushed him back down as he spoke, “Please lay still Sir.”
Breq looked at Terri and Sa’oliq as he spoke, “You think it was the man in the Brig? Did he infect him with something?”
“It’s not an infection,” the tech said. “At least not one the nanites have ever seen. They’re not reading anything wrong with him at all.”
“I concur,” Atlantis said. “I’ve went over their scans in detail and can find no anomalies.”
“Yes, but it could be something we’ve never seen,” Sa’oliq said. “Something engineered to be hidden from the nanites.”
“Then why are we all not sick?” Terri said. “We were all there. Besides that, I do not think the man in the Brig is responsible. I know his race and a lot about their agenda and if anything they would protect Jon.”
Everyone including Jon looked at Terri, as she revealed she knew more than she let on.
“You know who he is?” Breq said.
“Yes,” Terri said.
“And you didn’t say anything?” Breq said. His anger was not well hidden on his face.
“It isn’t my place to reveal what I know about them,” Terri said. “It is their place to reveal themselves. All races have secrets.” Terri looked directly at Breq. “Some more than others.”
Breq paled slightly and just nodded. “I guess you’re right,” he said.
Jon got a questioning look on his face as he turned his attention between his sister and Breq. He now wondered what secrets the Invaru could be possibly hiding. For that matter what secrets could any race be hiding. He didn’t hide anything, at least not for very long, and then only if it w
as completely necessary.
Jon felt the muscles in his arms spasm and his body suddenly started to convulse. The world around him began to darken again as pain took over his mind. He felt something pressed into his mouth that held his tongue in place and locked his jaws slightly open. Jon let out a muffled groan of agony and passed out from the pain.
Jon awoke to catch the end of a conversation. His shirt was soaked in sweat and he felt like he was burning up. Jon tried to gain his bearings, but he had a hard time remembering where he was or what was going on. He could only grasp bits and pieces from his memories as he tried to assemble what he knew.
“…whatever it is it's killing him,” the tech said. “Those convulsions dropped his vitals very low. If they had gone any lower he might have died. Now he has a fever that is steadily climbing and will soon be at a dangerous level.”
“He’s awake,” Atlantis said. She had her hands on his forehead as she kept track of his vitals. She looked up at the tech. “The fever I can do something about.” She closed her eyes as she concentrated for a few seconds.
Jon felt his body start to cool and at the same time his stomach settled and headache seemed to lift to a dull ache. He looked up at Atlantis and said, “What did you do?”
“I had the nanites restrict some of your brain activity,” Atlantis said. “It won’t last long as it can be damaging to you but it should give you some relief.”
Jon sat up and shook his head as people started to reach for him. “I’m fine for now. Whatever Atlantis did has cured most of the symptoms I was having,” Jon said as he stood up. He allowed his sister to grab his arm to make sure he was steady. Jon smiled at Terri and her concern for him. He reached up and pulled her forehead down and gave her a kiss on it. “I’m fine really.”
Sa’oliq tilted her head as she said, “Strange, just a bit ago we thought you were going to die and now you’re fine.”
“Yes, strange indeed,” Breq said.
“Trust me, I’m not fine,” Jon said. “Whatever Atlantis did with the nanites has just lessened the problems. I don’t think the man in the Brig had anything to do with this attack but we can ask him about it later. Right now we need to get to Main Medical.” Jon started off down the corridor as everyone scrambled to follow him and his swift pace.
The group came to some closed bulkhead doors with a small Marine squad guarding it. They saluted when they saw Jon and spread out, taking positions on either side of the door.
Jon returned the salute as he spoke, “Report.”
A Marine Corporal stepped forward as he spoke, “The doors are sealed Sir. No one has entered or exited through them and we can’t access the system to open them.”
Before Jon could speak Atlantis frowned and stepped forward and looked around the door. Then placed her hand on the access panel and shook her head. She turned back to Jon as she spoke, “This area is a dark spot in my sensors. I can’t see beyond this point and I can’t access any systems past this door. Including the system that controls this door. It’s as if someone has yanked all my connections from this point forward.”
“How? The ship is you,” Breq said. “How could someone do this and you not know?”
“There was a routine maintenance check ran in this section in the past two days,” Atlantis said. “It could have been done while that was happening as I’m disconnected from most systems when they’re checked to prevent any feedback or inadvertent usage while the checks are run.”
Jon arched an eyebrow. “Who was in charge of the check on this section?” he asked .
Atlantis opened her mouth to speak and then said, “That’s strange the records have been erased. However, I remember there was a check run in this section. Give me a second to dig a bit deeper.”
“Corporal get a Marine Engineer Tech down here to open these doors,” Jon said.
“I’ve already had one dispatched,” the Corporal said. “They should be here momentarily.”
“Good,” Jon said as he nodded. “Have additional forces deployed here and keep the other units in their sections. This will be our entry point and I don’t know what we will find beyond this door.”
“Tech Sergeant Mardius is who authorized and oversaw the maintenance in this section,” Atlantis said.
“Eutharan?” Jon said.
Atlantis nodded as she spoke, “Recent recruit from the defecting troops that showed potential and had the background to do the job. That is why he was promoted so fast, he showed aptitude.”
“Locate him and bring him here. I want to speak to him,” Jon said.
“I’ve already notified the Bridge and they’re sending out security to detain him,” Atlantis said.
“Good, run through any other Eutharan recruited at the same time and have them all detained for the time being,” Jon said. “Then start a sweep of all their records both through the Eutharan main frames and our database and flag any anomalies. Then I want a secondary check done on all personnel on Atlantis and any other ADF ship. Again flag anything out of the ordinary for further investigation.”
“That will take some time,” Atlantis said.
“I know, use the other active AI’s to help,” Jon said. “I want you and your sister AIs to handle this. They can link in through my suit and communicate directly with me. Start with the Captains and work your way down. Once the Captains are cleared we can move them into the loop as to what is going on and then they can start dealing with their own ships. But, I want to be apprised of what is going on.”
Brief pain flared in Jon’s head as he finished which made him put his hand on the wall to steady himself. Whatever was going on was getting worse and he was starting to get a little worried. He knew whatever happened to him could affect those women attached to him through the bond and if he died, well he didn’t want to think about that.
Atlantis watched him as she monitored his vitals. Unknown to anyone she was constantly tweaking the nanites in Jon’s bloodstream to help him and to keep his vitals stable. It was however getting harder to do with each passing minute.
Jon was looking down at the floor as he tried to deal with the pain burning through his brain. A cool hand touched his forehead which caused him to look up. Terri was standing there with a look of distress on her face.
“Jon are you okay?” Terri said. “You’re as white as a ghost.”
Jon dropped his hand from the wall and stood upright, giving his sister a smile. “I’m fine, just a bit exhausted and still have a slight headache,” he said.
“Okay, just be careful,” Terri said. “If you need, we can handle things here and you can go back to your room and rest for a bit.”
“No, I need to see this through,” Jon said. “For some reason I feel like I need to be here when we get through this door and into Main Medical.”
“Okay,” Terri said. She glanced over at Breq and Sa’oliq who just nodded their silent acceptance of what Jon said. They might not have liked him pushing himself, but they both understood the need to see something through.
Jon stood up as straight as he could and took a deep breath as he tried to will away the pain that was flowing through his mind. His stomach threatened to force him to his knees as it turned again. Jon closed his eyes and took another deep breath as he focused on calming his stomach.
Just as Jon got most of the pain and nausea under control the Marine Engineering Tech showed up and began working on the door. He hoped it wouldn’t be long before the tech got through the door because he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold out. The strain was starting to wear on Jon and beads of sweat began to form on his brow. He also knew that Andie might be able to help him though she was currently locked on the other side of the door.
Along with his current discomfort he was worried about what they might find on the other side of the door and in Main Medical. Why was the whole section locked off? What reason would there be to do so? It was only a small medical staff and various other personnel. What would who ever had done this gain from
locking it off? Unless this was another attempt on the Queen’s life. However, that doesn’t mesh with what they just learned from the man in the Brig. That is if he was telling the truth about the Queen being behind the whole situation here on Euthara.
Then if the Queen was behind the whole thing how was she manipulating the King into doing her bidding and what was she gaining by doing it? Jon actually had more questions right now than answers and it was making it hard for him to think straight as they kept popping up in his mind and he tried to fit all the pieces together.
Jon was snapped out of his thoughts by his com unit. “This is Captain Hunter go ahead,” Jon said.
“Sir this is Lieutenant Najesta in the Sciences Division,” a female voice said.
“What do you have Lieutenant?” Jon said.
“Well, it’s about the other side of Euthara Sir,” Najesta said.
“Go on,” Jon said. By now everyone present was listening in as Najesta spoke.
“Well Sir, it’s clean,” Najesta said. There’s no signs of the virus program or of anything being affected.”
Jon raised an eyebrow as he looked up at the people arrayed around him. “How is that possible?” Jon said.
“We’re still not completely sure but we passed through some type of electronic disturbance about mid planet,” Najesta said. “If I had to guess, I would say whoever is causing what is happening on the other side of the planet has set up some type of deactivation net that doesn’t allow it to be passed to this side.”
“Is that even possible?” Terri said. “I mean the power consumption needed for a net that big would be huge.”
“It’s the bunkers,” Breq said.
Jon looked at him and said, “What do you mean?”
“We thought the bunkers were causing the problems,” Breq said. “And maybe they are. However, what if they’re the power source for the net too? We found large reactors deep down inside the one that was attacked from space. At the time we didn’t think anything of it, thought they were backup systems or something. But what if they were running and helped power this net?”
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