Swede laughed as hard as he had laughed in weeks. “Mags you are a formidable opponent in combat, but I’ll take my chances with you before angering Dr. Ruger.” He smiled down at the doctor as she stopped at his side. “Good afternoon, Doctor.”
Cassie returned his smile. “Good afternoon to you, Swede. I was wondering if you would stand guard over my inmate here.” She deliberately glared at Maggie. “I have to go report to the chancellor, and I fear she’ll escape if left unsupervised.”
“Er,” he glanced at Maggie and back at the doctor. “That is a rather unusual request. That is, to say, I suppose I could stay here if—” He broke off as both women burst into giggles. Realizing the joke was on him, he gave a short, mocking, bow. “Commander, I see your mood is much improved. With your permission, I will return to my duties.”
Maggie waved her hand as she gasped for air. “Yes, yes, Swede. Thank you for the visit.” She and Dr. Ruger were still giggling as he walked away.
Cassie sobered abruptly. “As soon as Mangoda is conscious, I’ll need to transfer down to the surface. Most of my patients are down there now.”
Maggie nodded.
“I worry, though, about leaving you here alone. You are still recovering.”
“Worry about the civilians. Peterson and Mangoda, once he’s feeling better, can look after us. You won’t be that far away.”
“I am,” Cassie admitted with a soft smile, “looking forward to seeing Ben again.”
Maggie stilled. “Oh?” She cautiously asked, “Why’s that?”
“He’s a mystery. His metabolism and cellular health indicate a man closer to the age of fifty than seventy.”
God, please be careful, Cass. Don’t stir up that hornet’s nest. Out-loud, Maggie said, “I’m sure the fact that he flirts with anything having two x chromosomes makes him seem far younger, even to your microscope.”
***
Having confronted Dwax over the acts of sabotage, and despite the lack of a satisfying resolution to that particular crisis, Captain Hill decided it was high time he stop running from another confrontation. Ryan Hill was already living on Dremiks, running the day-to-day activities of the engineers, biologists, physicists and geologists. Fortunas would be moving his base of operations to the bio-dome within the week. Dr. Ruger remained on the Hudson for the time being simply because her two most important patients were both still on the ship. Mangoda’s internal injuries were healing nicely enough that she was ready to bring him out of his coma. Her other patient actually counted as two separate patients and twice the headaches.
“Marissa, please.”
She smiled at him with a complete lack of sincerity. “Oh Brett, are you going to beg?” Her smile turned into a cold little giggle when his jaw clenched. “No, you won’t ever do that again, will you?” She returned to packing.
He took several deep breaths, manfully swallowing his pride and his temper. “If you won’t think of your own health and safety, think of the child. Dremiks is hardly safe for adult habitation. How can you think of taking an infant there? She’s not used to the atmosphere, the relative gravity, or anything else associated with the planet. It is completely irresponsible to subject your child to that.”
Seemingly ignoring anything he said, Marissa smiled again. “Do you know we’ve picked out a name? Virginia Dare Hill. It’s perfect, don’t you think?”
“Marissa! Virginia Dare and her entire family disappeared. Are you trying to curse the child?”
A strange look took over his sister-in-law’s face. “Think of the opportunity I’m giving her. She’ll be the first human born on another planet. She’ll be famous from the day she is born, Brett!” Seeing his look of horror, Marissa shrugged. “Besides, all of your reasons are ridiculous. Children born on Earth are not used to the air, the soil, the germs, or the relative gravity. I’m the foremost expert on sociological interactions in alien environments. Who better to raise this child?”
“Marissa,” he reached forward and gently clasped her hand. He didn’t relinquish it even when she looked coldly down at her hand in his and then back up at his face. “I know that you never had any true love for me, but please, for the love I had for you, please don’t do this.”
She shook off his grasp. “Get out.” Flinging her arm in the direction of the door, her voice rising to a shrill note, she shrieked again: “Get out! I never want to see you again!”
Brett left, defeat weighing heavy on his heart. Behind him, Marissa suddenly grabbed her right temple and moaned. Her headaches were getting worse.
I need to get as far from Brett Hill as I possibly can, and as quickly as possible.
The child in her belly kicked sharply.
Be still, little one. It won’t be long now. A few more weeks and your golden future will be secure.
***
In the movies, Maggie thought, she would have been beside Mangoda’s bed the exact moment he regained consciousness. They would have a friendly conversation full of sentences like “I’m so sorry” and “It’s not your fault at all”.
The movies, she thought, were full of shit.
Mangoda came out of his coma in the middle of the commander’s bridge watch. The medical specialist couldn’t speak; his throat was too dry from the ventilator tubes. Dr. Ruger, re-called to sick bay from her ship-wide rounds, ran a number of tests, conferred with two of her assistants and decided to sedate him. By the time Maggie finished her shift and made it to sick bay, her ill-fated co-pilot was sound asleep. She made Cassie swear to notify her the moment he woke back up. Unbeknownst to O’Connell, the captain had extracted a similar vow from the exasperated doctor.
When O’Connell returned to Cassie’s lair several hours later, Mangoda was awake and speaking softly with the captain. His once handsome Hispanic face was too thin and far paler than it had been the day he climbed into the co-pilot’s seat beside her. Whatever he was saying to the captain, Marty appeared to be sternly serious about. His dark eyes flitted toward the door and spotted her. The captain’s blue eyes locked on her a second later. He frowned even more ferociously than usual.
“Specialist, how are you feeling?”
“I’m afraid the doc has me on too many meds to feel much of anything, ma’am.”
“You should be in quarters, Commander.”
Maggie ignored her captain. “Too bad you can’t be your own doctor, Marty. You could discharge yourself today. Maybe I can spring you from this joint.”
He chuckled, but it was a hollow, dry, sound. “I think I’ll hold off on any more joy-rides, at least for another twenty-four hours, ma’am.”
“Proving that he’s far more intelligent about his injuries than you are, Commander.”
Green eyes narrowed in anger focused on the captain. “I’m fine, sir. Bridge watch is not a physically demanding task.”
“As a physician, ma’am, I will have to side with the captain on this. You should be resting. Your injuries were extensive and—” He left off the end of the sentence when O’Connell turned sharply on her heel and stormed out. Mangoda turned his serious gaze back to Hill. “She really doesn’t know, does she?”
“She really doesn’t, and I want to keep it that way. You will kindly keep that in mind when giving your official account of the incident to the flight review board. Which board will likely consist of just the Commander and Lieutenant Price. The civilian pilots are too busy learning how to fly in that damned atmosphere.” The captain laid a hand gently on the specialist’s shoulder. “Get some rest, Mangoda. I’ll have need of you soon.”
***
In the newly established agricultural research center on Dremiks, an odd tension reigned. Thoroughly exasperated by her superior’s constant chivying, Clara turned around and planted her small fists into the soft flesh of her hips.
“You great love-sick ox! Stop yer bleatin’ and call the woman! I’ve too much work t’ do t’ have ye followin’ me `round!”
Ben Fortunas blinked. “Oxen don’t bleat.” He quic
kly stepped back three large steps when Clara stalked toward him, murder in her eyes.
“They do when ye cut their knackers off! Get out of here, now!”
“You cannot order me around, woman. I’m the boss, here.”
Clara whipped around, obviously looking for something sharp. “Where did I leave those shears?”
Beating a hasty, strategic, retreat, Ben closed the door to the small Quonset hut that served as his office. He queued up the video link to the Hudson and waited for a response. He didn’t have to wait long.
“Aren’t you supposed to be out in a rover today?” Cassie Ruger pushed her hair back into its braid.
“We had a rather large meteorite fall. We’re under mandatory lock-down until Hudson confirms the danger is past. I was trying to work on my dwarf corn transplants, but Clara is quite obviously suffering from atmospheric dementia.”
Cassie, missing the joke, quickly pulled up the bio-chip data from Fortunas’ assistant. “She looks fine to me—oh. I suppose her elevated blood pressure has nothing at all to do with your fidgeting?”
“Grown men do not fidget.”
“I will be down there soon enough. Try not to drive the poor girl insane before my lab is set-up.”
A deep frown creased his face. “I don’t like the idea of you leaving O’Connell and Mangoda so soon after their wreck.”
Cassie’s head titled to the side like a curious lizard’s. “It’s not all that soon, almost three weeks now. Marty has regained consciousness. His wounds are healing fantastically. Maggie’s progress was delayed by her stubborn refusal to rest and the captain’s asinine behavior…sorry.” She looked abashed.
“No need to apologize to me. He was being rather foolish, but he’s since remedied that.”
“Oh, yes, and in the process made her spitting mad. I’m not sure a perpetually pissed off Maggie is any better than a pained, near comatose, Maggie.”
“I’m rather impressed that you can differentiate between Margaret’s typical behavior and a fugue state.”
“Years of medical training and nearly a year of close observation.” It was the medical doctor’s turn to frown. “You are feeling ok? No trouble adjusting?”
“I’m fine, liebchen. I just worry about you and your troublesome charges. Marissa Hill is still set on coming down here?”
Cassie sighed. “She is. Not even the captain could talk her out of it. Her blood pressure has been spiking lately, but nothing that I can call a medical reason to keep her on the ship.”
“You could lie.”
She gave him a repressive look. “Am I to take this sudden concern for my safety as a sign that you miss me?”
He waved a large hand dismissively. “I’m trying to restore the ecosystem of an entire planet, woman. I hardly have time for such minute details as human emotion.”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “Fine then. I won’t have dinner with you tomorrow night.”
Hiding the worry that made his stomach lurch, Ben mock-growled at the screen on his tabletop. “You will.”
“Maybe! Bye!” She blew a kiss at the screen and shut down the feed before he could retort. Ben sat staring at the blank device, emotions clawing at his gut.
I was so close to escaping. How did I let a hoyden and a pixie draw me back into this world?
The German stood, put on the face of an old man un-beset by the cares of the universe, and returned to his dwarf-corn experiments, resigned to a tangled fate.
Chapter 25
“I relieve you as officer of the deck, sir.” Ensign Chi saluted Lieutenant Guttmann.
“Aye, aye, Ensign. I’ll make a turn of the decks and record my findings in the log. Have a pleasant watch.” Swede returned the salute and pivoted away.
The ship was quiet; everyone not on duty was asleep. It was just after midnight, and Swede’s favorite time for a deck-by-deck patrol. He could be alone with his thoughts and observe the ship’s workings without constant interruptions from crew and colonists. The soft hum of the carbon dioxide scrubbers and the slightest vibration in the deck from the idling engines resonated in his ears. Despite the turmoil among her crew, the Hudson herself was a happy ship, at present.
The lieutenant stopped at a sensor panel on the engineering deck to check power levels and system parameters before he actually entered the engineering spaces. The engine room watch knew he would be coming by and would be ship-shape in preparation. He wanted to find any issues that had arisen, without their explanations. One reading blinked at him and caused creases around his mouth. Someone was running a system that required fluctuating power levels and computer memory. That someone had been running the same program for the better part of three hours.
Inside engineering, everything was exactly as it should be. Swede stood patiently and received the petty officer’s report. He heard every word she was saying, but his eyes and thoughts were fixed firmly on the corner where the simulator rested. Glancing down at his tablet, Guttmann confirmed receipt of the watch report from the petty officer. He took a deep breath and walked, slowly, to the simulator.
“Ma’am”
O’Connell had the good grace to look guilty when her head snapped up to stare at him. She quickly recovered; her features returned to a frustrated grimace. She still favored her left arm and shoulder, holding them protectively against her with a bare minimum of contact with the flight controls. Her hair was escaping from a ponytail and her uniform was rumpled. She looked frazzled.
“Swede. Your watch is over already?” She glanced down at her wrist to answer her own question.
“Time flies, ma’am.”
“Time, but not me.”
Having arrived at the topic, Guttmann forged ahead. “Forgive me, ma’am, but are you sure this is a wise course of action? I thought the captain had… Well, that is to say, I understood that he had…”
“Banned me from “even so much as thinking about flight controls, simulators, or the confines of a pilot’s chair,” at least that’s my recollection of his words.”
The lieutenant cleared his throat. “Yes. So, then…well, ma’am, you’ve put me in a rather difficult situation. I can’t imagine the doctor has cleared you for something as rigorous as a three hour simulator test.”
“Two hours and thirty-seven minutes, Lieutenant. And that will be enough. The last thing I need is another damn nursemaid.” She shifted in her seat and winced. “I’ve been replaying the damned crash in my head since the moment it happened.” Her green eyes cut sideways to glare at him. “It hasn’t been a productive use of my time. Price located the lander flight-recorder logs. I thought running the simulation might help.”
The lieutenant waited. He watched emotions of disappointment and vexation flicker across her narrow face. Her right hand clenched spasmodically on the flight controls.
“It hasn’t helped at all. I’ve checked and rechecked the avionics software. The simulator is replicating how the lander is supposed to fly. I’ve reprogrammed the environmental controls.” Her voice rose in volume. “I’ve run this again and again and again. I cannot replicate the crash.”
“If I might speak freely, ma’am?”
She made a gesture that Swede took to mean acquiescence.
“After two hours and thirty-seven minutes,” he ignored her wry glance and continued, “you aren’t going to figure anything else out. You couldn’t possibly fly anything, simulated or otherwise, as tense and cramped as you must be. Go to bed, ma’am. Please.”
Maggie tipped her chin and looked up at the lieutenant. “That sounded like pleading, Swede.”
He smiled. “Consider it a personal plea, for my sake. The captain will have my hide if he hears about this.” The engineer sighed. “Rather, when he hears of this.” He held out a hand and helped pull the commander to her feet.
O’Connell rubbed at her left shoulder before tugging her uniform back into place. “You’re off to finish your rounds?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll power this down and save all
your work to your personal file.”
She considered him for a moment, her features betraying nothing of her thoughts. “Thanks, Swede,” she whispered before walking off.
Guttmann saved all the program permutations and powered off the simulator. He checked a few other stations in engineering before bidding the watch good night and heading to his own bed.
***
A miserably short six hours later, Guttmann flung his pillow across the room at his roommate. “I swear to God, Tony, if you don’t learn to be quiet in the morning I’m going to kick your ass.”
Tony flung the pillow back and missed. He laughed when Swede had to lean out of bed to retrieve it. “Not my fault you were out late. I hope she was worth it.”
Swede, remembering his conversation with Maggie right before bed, sat up and turned to stare open-mouthed at the other man. “What? What do you know about that?’
Tony doubled over with laughter. “Give over, chap. I was only funning. You took forever to get in last night. I was hoping it was because of a woman.” He cast a considering look at his fellow officer. “So, was she worth it?”
Understanding that Tony was just being Tony, and had no idea about his conversation with O’Connell, Swede flopped back down. He covered his head with the pillow, muffling his response. “I was on duty, you ass.”
“Ah, sweet duty. Well, I’m off to the surface. I think the captain might let me salvage Lander 1.”
Something that sounded suspiciously like, “I hope you crash,” came from underneath the pillow covering Guttmann’s head. Price was already out the door.
The captain sat in the officers’ mess eating breakfast and reading logs. O’Connell glared at the back of his head as she walked in. She knew that he could have just as easily, and more comfortably, eaten his breakfast in his office. Captain Hill chose to eat his meals in the mess to watch the comings and goings of his officers and to appear more personable. It was an affection of attitude that Maggie had little patience for at the moment. She swallowed her irritation and walked past him to the sideboard. Proud that she had managed the distance without limping or wincing, and distracted by the choice between a blueberry muffin or wheat toast, she failed to notice the consideration the captain was giving her appearance.
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