by Ryk Brown
“Are you sleeping?” Devyn’s voice asked over the comms.
“No, just resting after another exciting watch.”
“Am I bothering you?”
“Does it matter?”
“You spend too much time sleeping anyway,” Devyn said. “You should do something constructive with your off-duty time.”
“Like what?” he asked, his hands in the air above him as he lay on the bed. “I’ve watched just about every movie in the video database, even the training videos. You want to know how to properly clean the galley? I mean, if we had one.”
“No thanks,” she said. “You could try reading a book.”
“Reading makes me sleepy.”
“Everything makes you sleepy.”
“Not true,” he said, holding up one finger to emphasize his point even though she couldn’t see him.
“Go for a run, then.”
“The command deck isn’t that big,” Luis said as he sat up on the edge of his bed.
“Walk, then. At least it’s movement.”
“The corridors are narrow, and there’s stuff hanging from the overheads everywhere. It’s like an obstacle course. This deck is far from finished.”
“I thought Mola and Darcy were working on that.”
“They have been, whenever they’re not on watch. There’s a lot of stuff to finish, though. And I don’t think they have all the materials they need. They’ve mostly been tying things up out of the way temporarily, so we won’t have to keep ducking all the time.”
“You could go and help them.”
“I tried once. They kept getting pissed off at me for doing things incorrectly. I’m pretty sure they prefer that I don’t help them.”
“There’s got to be someplace you can stretch your legs a bit.”
“Easy for you to say,” he said as he sat up on the edge of the bed. “You’ve got those nice long corridors to jog down.”
“True, but I’d gladly give it up for quarters and a decent shower. If it wasn’t for the decon showers back here, we wouldn’t have anything at all.”
“Yeah, the quarters are pretty decent,” Luis said. “I just wish we had actual linens. I have a feeling this mattress is going to get a bit rank if we’re out here much longer.”
“At least you have a mattress,” she said. “I’ve been sleeping on a field cot for… How long have we been out here now?”
“Two and a half months,” he said. “Two and a half long-ass months… give or take a day or two.”
There was silence for several seconds.
“Things must not be going well on Earth,” Devyn finally said, her tone more somber.
Luis recognized the change in her tone. It wasn’t the first time the hopelessness of their situation had seeped into their conversations. Luis stood, moved into the next room, and switched on the main view screen, selecting the comm-system as the input source. Devyn’s face appeared on the screen a moment later. “We don’t know that, Devyn,” he said as he sat on the padded chair, looking at her saddened expression.
“Then why haven’t they come for us yet?”
Luis didn’t have an answer. They hadn’t received any messages from Fleet Command since they’d picked up the broadcast of the general surrender order just after they had finished their final acceleration burn during their escape from Earth.
“They haven’t even sent us a message,” she added, her eyes downcast on the video screen. “The Jung have probably taken control of the entire planet. There probably isn’t anyone left alive from the EDF.”
“Our orders still stand, Devyn. We stay hidden until contacted and scuttle the ship if the Jung try to take her.”
“What’s the point?”
“You can’t lose hope, Devyn,” Luis said.
“Too late,” she said, her eyes glancing up to meet his on the screen momentarily.
“As long as this ship survives, there is still hope,” Luis said. “Sooner or later, they’ll find a way to reach us. They wouldn’t have gone to so much trouble to make sure we escaped unseen unless they had a plan that involved this ship. They’re just waiting for an opportunity.”
“Always the optimist.”
“You used to be.”
“That was two and a half months ago,” she reminded him, a small smile briefly appearing at the corners of her mouth.
“We just have to keep this ship and the data cores safe until Fleet comes looking for us.”
“But for how long?”
“As long as it takes,” Luis said. “You know that, Devyn. We’ve been over this before.”
Devyn looked at him across the video monitor. “This would all be so much easier if we were all together, instead of being separated by a vacuum.”
“I didn’t know you cared,” Luis teased.
“I don’t,” she countered, her expression turning devilish. “I just want to sleep in a real bed for once.”
“Nice.” One of the things he liked about Devyn was her ability to pull herself out of a gloomy state of mind.
She sighed. “Up for another game of Hi-Lo?” she asked, trying to change the subject with one of their usual, mindless diversions.
“What do you owe me now, about half a million?” Luis wondered.
“You’re actually keeping track?”
“Hell, yes. If we ever get rescued, I’m gonna own your ass.”
“Oh, baby, I love it when you talk dirty to me.”
* * *
“Captain,” Abby said, standing in the hatch to Nathan’s ready room, “do you have a moment?”
“Of course, Doctor,” Nathan responded as he stood from behind his desk. He gestured for her to sit. “Please.”
Abby stepped through the hatchway, taking care to swing the hatch closed once inside before taking her seat.
“What can I do for you?” Nathan asked, noticing that she had chosen to close the hatch before speaking.
“I was wondering if I might ask a favor of you.” She took a seat across the desk from Nathan.
“Of course. What do you need?” He sat back down.
“I don’t know if it is even possible, but I was hoping that, while Lieutenant Commander Nash is on Earth, she might attempt to make contact with my husband.”
Nathan was unsure how to respond at first. “To what end?” he asked, treading carefully.
“I was hoping to learn if my family…” Abby looked down at her hands in her lap for a moment before looking up again. “I need to know if they are alive… if they are well.”
Nathan leaned forward, his arms folded on his desk. “I don’t know if that’s even possible. Even if it is, it’s likely unwise.”
“I understand that, sir, and I do not ask this without serious consideration. It’s just that ever since we returned to Earth, ever since the Lieutenant Commander’s report, I have been terribly distracted… unfocused. I can’t work. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. My mother died when I was young. Since my father passed, my husband and our children are all I have left. Without them…”
“Abby,” Nathan interrupted, seeing how upset she was, “I understand how you feel. None of us know about our loved ones.”
“I know, but still…”
“Have you considered the possibility that attempting to locate them might raise undue suspicion?” Nathan said. “It could even put your family at risk.” He could tell by the look in her eyes that she had not considered such risk. “And what of the others on board?” Nathan continued. “Shall I have Lieutenant Commander Nash track down all of their families as well?”
“Of course,” she conceded, her eyes downcast. “You’re quite right, sir. I’m terribly sorry to have asked.”
“It’s quite all right, Abby. Really, it is
. Unfortunately, there is so much more at stake now. We’re no longer just trying to get home. We now have the fate of our own world on our shoulders. We can no longer afford the luxury of our own personal needs, and we can’t afford mistakes. Everything we do now must be with good reason, with the risks balanced against the gains.” Nathan looked at her, noticing that she was barely holding herself together. He chose not to continue presenting his argument, fearing that doing so might be more than she could handle at the moment and convinced that she had understood the impossible nature of her request even before she had entered the room. He suspected that she had only asked to ease her own conscience and possibly with the slim hope that it might somehow be possible after all.
She forced a smile. “You know, I considered putting on one of those absurd suits and jumping out alongside the lieutenant commander,” she said, “without permission.”
Nathan tried not to laugh at the idea. “From what I understand, you would not have enjoyed the experience.”
“I won’t bother you any longer, Captain.” She began to rise.
“Perhaps you should consider taking some time off from your duties. Maybe ask Doctor Chen for something to help you sleep.”
“I don’t know if that would be a good idea,” she said, seeming embarrassed by the admission of her sleeping disorder.
“You know, I haven’t slept well for months now,” Nathan told her, hoping to ease her embarrassment. “I only get three or four hours of sleep a day,” he continued as he leaned back in his chair. “At least once a week, I have to take something to knock myself out for nine or ten hours. If I didn’t, I’d be speaking gibberish on the bridge.”
“Really?” She settled back down into her seat as the captain continued.
The look on her face and her tone suggested surprise at his revelation.
“Seriously,” he said. “Before I started taking the doctor’s knock-out nuggets, every so often I’d find myself walking down a corridor without knowing where I was trying to go. Trust me; you’ll feel much better if you let yourself get a good night’s sleep every few days.”
“Perhaps I will speak with Doctor Chen.”
“Tell her I sent you,” Nathan said, smiling. “Maybe you’ll get a discount,” he added with a wink.
“Thank you, Captain,” she said as she rose again.
“Abby.” Nathan leaned forward once more. “I should have told you this long ago, but everything that we’ve accomplished thus far—escaping the anti-matter explosion, surviving our adventures in the Pentaurus cluster and defeating the Ta’Akar, and finally making it back home by leap-frogging across a thousand light years—none of that would have been possible without you.” Nathan looked her squarely in the eyes, trying to appear as confident as possible. “When we drive the Jung from our world and free our people, it will be because of the efforts of you and your father. It will be because of the sacrifices of you and your family, as much as it will be because of the sacrifices of the rest of our crew. Someday, you will tell your children of your adventures. You will tell them how you helped save their world, and they will be proud of their mother. Incredibly proud.”
Abby smiled, this time more genuinely than before. “Thank you, Captain.” She began to turn toward the hatch, then paused. “I suspect your father will be equally proud of his son.”
Nathan watched as she turned and opened the hatch to exit, wondering if she was correct. Would my father be proud? he wondered. Assuming he is still alive.
* * *
Jessica looked at the city skyline approaching from ahead of her as she rolled along in the old truck. She figured she was no more than a kilometer or two from the edge of the city proper. Farm houses were increasingly common on the back road she had been following. Up ahead, the road curved to the left again, taking it farther away from the river on her right.
Jessica looked at her watch. It was almost noon. The old man had mentioned that the Jung patrolled this road around this time. Of course, there was no reason to believe him. There was also no reason not to believe him. Just the same, she was beginning to feel like she had followed this road about as far as was safe. She doubted she could simply drive into the city. The transmissions the Aurora had monitored during her recon cruise toward Earth had shown that there was an active underground resistance cell in the greater Winnipeg area. That meant the Jung would have roadblocks and checkpoints. They would be checking IDs and searching vehicles, both of which were complications she wanted to avoid. If she was going to get inside the city unnoticed by the Jung, more discreet tactics would be in order.
Jessica scanned the area as she slowed the old truck and pulled as far onto the shoulder as possible. She continued scanning the area long after she came to a complete stop, waiting for the dust kicked up by her tires to settle. Satisfied that no one was watching her, she shut the vehicle off and removed the keys. She grabbed her jacket from the seat next to her and vigorously wiped down the steering wheel, control surfaces, door handles, and the dashboard. She looked at the inside of the vehicle, thinking about the places she might have touched, then reached up and wiped the handle above the passenger door as well.
Jessica got out of the old truck, pulling her knapsack and jacket out with her. She closed the door and wiped off the handle, then went around to the passenger door and wiped down that handle as well. She paused once more, carefully looking around for anyone that might be looking her way, but there was no one in sight. She resisted the temptation to look upward, wondering if the Jung might be using satellites to monitor ground activity.
She walked around the back end of the truck and squatted down to look underneath. After finding no spare tire, she moved around to the rear driver’s side tire and pulled out the knife she had liberated from the owner of the truck. Using the tip of the knife, she depressed the valve stem and let all the air out of the tire.
After one last look around, she moved quickly into the forest along the side of the road and headed toward the river. This particular section of the forest was only ten or fifteen meters wide. Minutes later, she reached the river’s edge. She looked up and down the river, again checking for onlookers. There was a small bit of smoke wafting up from what appeared to be a small encampment along the opposite bank far to her right, but she could not see anyone nearby. She pulled the keys from her pocket and tossed them into the river with a sweeping underhand motion. She then turned to her left and headed toward the city, moving back under the cover of the forest canopy as she considered the possibility of overhead surveillance once more.
* * *
“Captain,” Commander Taylor said as she entered the captain’s ready room and closed the hatch behind her.
“Yes, Commander?”
“We’ll be fully charged and ready for the last jump in about an hour.”
“You came in to tell me that?” Nathan asked, knowing full well that there was more on the commander’s mind.
Cameron moved closer to Nathan’s desk. “I was wondering if you’d given any thought as to what we’re going to do.”
“I thought we were going to 72 Herculis.”
“I didn’t mean right now. I meant over the next few months.”
“It’s difficult to plan that far ahead,” Nathan said, “especially since we have so little information. Perhaps after we’ve figured out how to replenish our propellant reserves and have established contact with Earth’s resistance, we’ll be in a better position to make such plans. As for now, I’m taking it one day at a time.”
“Surely you’ve considered various strategies to liberate Earth.”
“Actually, I have not.” Nathan leaned back in his chair.
“Nathan, don’t you think that…”
“No, I don’t, Cam,” Nathan interrupted. “Planning ahead and working out a solution for every possible contingency is your way of d
oing things, not mine.”
“I still think it would be best to have at least some sort of long-term plan in mind.”
“Eventually, yes. That much I would agree with. For the time being, however, I think it best we concentrate on the acquisition of usable propellant, the establishment of communications with the resistance on Earth, and a rendezvous with the Celestia. Honestly, Cameron, can you think of a long-term scenario that doesn’t require us to first accomplish those three goals?”
“Of course not, Nathan,” Cameron said. “But it wouldn’t hurt to give it some thought. That’s all I’m saying.”
“I understand. I just believe it’s better to concentrate on the tasks at hand for now. By the time we accomplish them, we’ll not only have a better understanding of the situation, but we’ll also be better prepared to take whatever actions we deem necessary. Right now, without propellant, there is very little we actually can do. Until that problem is solved, everything else is just daydreaming.”
“Daydreaming?” Cameron asked, frowning slightly. “Without an end goal, how are you going to recognize opportunities as they present themselves along the way?”
“The end goal is an Earth that is free of the Jung and is safe from reinvasion. That much is obvious. It’s the idea of preparing a strategy without first understanding the broader picture that I object to. Honestly, Cameron, I suspect this is going to be one of those situations where we’ll just have to agree to disagree.”
“No, it’s not. You are the captain, Nathan, and I’ll follow your orders. You already know that. You also know that, as your executive officer, I’ll tell you when I think you’re full of it.”
“Is this one of those times?”
“Close. Very close, but not yet. Don’t worry; I’ll let you know.”
“I’m sure you will.”
“Meanwhile, I assume you have no objections if I continue to plan ahead and work out a solution for every possible contingency.”