“What is it?”
“We’re not sure, Captain. It may be that the materials are overexcited. They are unable to cool off. It could be the Tark Effect.”
“That shouldn’t be too dangerous, right?”
“If we keep it shut down it shouldn’t, but…”
I frowned.
“But what?”
He waved his head, obviously worried.
“It interfered with our communications. And I’m betting it’s sending transmissions into space. They’re random, innocent transmissions, but still…”
I must have gone pale with what he was saying. He stopped talking, and I didn’t respond for a while.
“You mean it’s possible we’re giving in our position?”
“Yes, sir. If the enemy happens to find the waves and understands what they are. It could happen.”
Oh, shit…
“Okay.” I said. “I’ll talk to Mr Jilton and find out if there’s anything we can do.”
But it was hopeless, and we both knew it. Not even Jilton would be able to get us out of this one.
*
DAY 3
In the middle of all this, Mirany was worrying me. She wasn’t stopping. She was completely focused on solving problems. And she was so good at it pretty soon everyone would go to her first, before coming to me. There she was. Solving problems left and right. But there was something about her. On the third day, she had slept maybe two or three hours in total. Barely ate. I didn’t know what was happening in her head, but it was worrying me more and more.
“Mira…” I said, finally.
“What?”
“You need to rest.”
“Not right now, Byl.” She wasn’t even looking at me. I picked her up by the arm and pushed her to a corner.
“If you don’t rest, you’ll start making mistakes. If you start making mistakes, I’ll pull you out of the front altogether.” I told her.
She shivered. I’m not kidding: she shivered as if, for a moment, she was afraid of me. So I let go of her arm and backed away. She stayed there for a minute, looking at me. And then she nodded. For a moment I thought she was going to cry. But she didn’t. She went back to the table and passed on the tasks to several of the officers. Then she went and sat on a mattress by the corner. Restless. Like a worried cat. For a while. It came to a point where I had to find an excuse to go to the infirmary and talk to the doctor. He didn’t even flinch. He gave me a small bag of powder.
“Dissolve it in water and give it to her. She’ll sleep.”
And then he turned his back and went about his job, all the injured in his care. I went back and did what he said. She drank the water without a word. After a few minutes, she was out, sleeping like a log.
As I saw her there, with a measure of peace in her face, something clear and still surprising came into my mind: «I want to live.»
*
On the third day after the battle with the five Silent, things had gone from bad to worst. The team on the bridge had been on duty for more than 40 hours already. But there was nowhere else for them to go. Ojoe took a break and came to the over crowded office in H1. I took him aside and whispered to him.
“Ned, I need you to do something for me.”
“Anything, sir.”
“Start making a list of everything we have to destroy just in case.”
“Just in case we are boarded?”
“Yes.”
“No problem, sir.”
Ojoe would have to be on duty on the bridge for a few more hours. I had a lot to do down in the belly.
*
Mira kept sleeping. Erbay came to talk to me, and I took him and Jilton aside, and we whispered between ourselves.
“Mr Jilton?” I asked.
“Yes, sir. It’s going to take all day to evacuate H4 to H1 and 2. Thanks to Captain Cavo, we now have solved many of the problems. We sorted the food and water situations; we solved the sewer problem…”
“How are we doing it?”
“We managed to pressurise an empty water pipe to H2 and dump it from there.”
“Well done.”
“We also plan to bring about 20% of the crew in H6 to H1 and 2.”
“It’s going to be crowded here.”
He frowned.
“Very crowded, sir. We have about 90% of the personnel in H1 and 2 at this point. And that’s a real problem, sir.”
“What’s your main worry, Mr Jilton?”
“The O2, sir. The air recyclers are already in overcapacity. They’re not made to sort out these levels of CO2. And we’re consuming a lot more oxygen than we can handle. We’re bringing it in from everywhere we can think of, but it’s not going to last. We lost several tanks in the battle, sir.”
I sighed.
“Very well, Mr Jilton.” I said. “Give me a no-bullshit assessment. What are we looking at?”
He frowned some more.
“Well, sir… I’d say three days worth of O2.”
Erbay and I exchanged glances.
“Shit… So little?” I whispered. “Tell me about the engines.”
“Port engine is dead. The starboard engine… It’s what you expected, sir.”
“The Tark Effect?”
“Yes, sir.”
“What’s the Tark Effect?” Asked Erbay.
Jilton looked at me, for permission, and then answered.
“The engine was damaged, and the core material became unstable. That initiated the Tark Effect. It’s a quantum phenomenon. It means the engine is emitting Z-ray waves. As one of the shell plates was shattered in the battle, they’re going into Space and are interfering with our communications and… well…”
“And what?” Asked Erbay.
“And compromising our position.” I answered. “If the enemy finds out what these emissions are, they’ll know where we are. We have no choice, Mr Jilton. We need to fire up the engine.”
Jilton didn’t like the suggestion. He twisted his body and tilted his head.
“Well, sir. I wouldn’t recommend it. We can’t get more than 50% out of it and even then, I don’t know for how long.”
I waved my head.
“We have no choice, Mr Jilton. We have to get as near as we can to the Mirox, as close as we can to the convoy routes. We only have three days. We have to do it. We’re sitting ducks, here. And right now we don’t have O2 to get home. If we don’t find help soon…”
He sighed.
“Yes, sir. But I have to tell you, if another one of the shell plates comes off, that engine… It could blow, sir. It could blow us all to pieces.”
I nodded.
“We have to risk it, Mr Jilton. Just do your best. In three days, we will be taking some radical decisions. And I don’t want to do that.”
This time it was Erbay who showed discomfort.
“Radical decisions? What do you mean, Byl?”
I frowned.
“I mean expelling the prisoners, for one.”
“Expelling?”
“Executing them.”
“You’re kidding…”
I waved my head.
“Do I look like I’m kidding? We will all be dying. Do you think I’m sacrificing the crew first?”
Erbay looked into my eyes. I knew what he was thinking. For him, in his cold logical heart, the crew was expendable, while the prisoners could be valuable enough to bring the war to an end.
“Byl…”
I looked at Jilton and dismissed him with my head. He left.
“Listen, Kary…” I then whispered. “I think we’ll all be dead anyway. If you want to interrogate the prisoners…”
“We’re doing that already.”
“Then any intelligence you gather, let’s send it out in a probe. Because we only have three days. And if we find an enemy ship… If we find a ship, Kary, I’m surrendering the Arrabat. Because we don’t have a chance in hell of fighting off anybody. Do you understand?”
He kept looking at me.
I saw in his eyes, he was beginning to understand me. He finally nodded.
“Okay, Byl. But let’s hold out for as long as we can, alright?”
“Of course, Kary. That goes without saying.”
*
That night we fired up the starboard engine. Many people started praying, that night.
*
DAY 4
On the fourth day, we started feeling the effects of the O2 rationing. Many people slept in the corridors, leaning against one another. Many were writing or recording messages to their loved ones. I had told a few people that the messages could be sent out in an orphan probe and soon the whole ship had heard of it. I was lying, of course. They had said their goodbyes before they boarded in Webbur, as far as I was concerned. And the probe that we would maybe launch would have no room for anything but Erbay’s intelligence. Still, it gave everyone a sense of purpose in those hours when they had nothing else to do.
Mira woke up and went right back to work. I almost had to force-feed her combat ration. At least food wasn’t a problem. We now had relocated all the food we needed to the appropriate places. And she had figured out an efficient way to heat ice, so water wasn’t a problem either.
The problem was still the O2. Jilton came to me in the middle of the day.
“Sir, H6 won’t hold.”
I looked at him.
“It won’t hold?”
“No, sir. Their O2 supply is almost over.”
I was taken aback.
“What do you mean? I thought they had enough for a couple of more days at least!”
“I know, sir. They had a lot of it coming from H4. The problem is, sir, we took much of it to H2, and we suspect there’s a leak somewhere in the pipes. They’ll run out of O2 in a few hours. We have to start evacuating them.”
I looked around. There were people everywhere.
“Where to, Mr Jilton? Where are we going to put them?”
“Put them in the shuttles.”
I looked at Mira. What was she trying to say?
“Put them in the shuttles and the escape pods.” She said.
“To go where?” I asked. “You want me to send them out there already?”
She waved her head.
“To go nowhere. There are shuttles in H3 and H4, and even H5 has pods. They’re self-sufficient. We took oxygen from some of the shuttles, but they still have enough for a bit, and the recyclers should work. Just get a few dozen people from H6 and put them in shuttles and pods. That should buy them some time.”
And she was right. The next few hours were spent getting shuttles and pods filled with people.
*
“We just lost some space in H2.”
I raised my eyes to meet Jilton’s.
“What space?”
“We finally found the breach we were looking for. We tried to fix it but we would need an ODA, we can’t fix it from this side. So we sealed a storage room. Everyone there had to be put somewhere else.”
“Where?”
“Packed in the corridors, sir. Couldn’t think of any alternative.”
“Shit.”
“We also need more medical supplies from the other hulls.”
“So get them.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jilton went to work, and Mira whispered in my ear.
“All the extra activity will consume more oxygen.”
I sighed.
“I know. But what can we do?”
She waved her head.
“Nothing. Just prepare.”
I knew what she meant. Prepare for catastrophe. Prepare to abandon ship. I shivered with just the thought. We didn’t have pods for everyone. I looked into her eyes. She was cold as ice.
And I knew she wasn’t just saying that so I would prepare the crew or the ship. I could tell she was saying it so I would prepare myself. Because I wanted to live. Deep down. And she knew it.
*
I think, looking back, that it was very unprofessional of me the kind of relationship I was openly having with Mira on the Arrabat. I also think that it was audacious to let her work inside the chain of command as I did. I think I knew that at the time as well. But I didn’t care. We weren’t a regular unit, a proper military ship. We were a covert op. We were different. And I can say, without any doubt, that Mirany saved our asses back there. Her input was invaluable.
And also, I didn’t care what they saw when we were together. There were even other couples in the ship that became open about their relationships in those last few days of the Arrabat. But we all thought we were dying, so… I just didn’t care about that.
And so, every time we could, we would sleep together. No sex. Just cuddling in the corner of the noisy H1 office. That night, I whispered in her ear:
“I want you in the first escape pod out of here.”
She shivered and didn’t even look at me.
“No way.” She finally said.
“Mira…”
“I’m never setting foot on an escape pod ever again. Negative. Forget about it.”
I sighed.
“Besides…” She added. “I’m not leaving you alone.”
“Your father needs you.”
“He never needed me before.”
“I’m going to be the last man on this ship.”
“And I’m going to be the last woman.”
And that was that.
*
DAY 5
I was awoken by Bertin.
“Captain, you’re needed on the bridge.”
I opened my eyes and nodded. Bertin stepped away. Mira was still sleeping on the floor. The low O2 made us all sleepier. I stood up, pulled a cover up her shoulder and went to the bridge.
*
“The Captain has the bridge.”
I floated to my chair, as Ojoe left it for his.
“Okay.” I said. “Fill me in.”
“Mr Dalto.” Called Ojoe.
“The Libra is showing all kinds of signals, sir.” Said the Signals officer.
“Can you put them on the MID, Mr Dalto?”
“Yes, sir.”
The signals lit up in the void. They were all over the place. One here, one there, and then a whole lot of them concentrated in the direction of the sun.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“I think that’s a fleet, sir.” Answered Dalto.
I looked at Ojoe, surprised.
“The 2nd Vüurkorps?”
Ojoe nodded.
“It must be, Captain.”
“So they’re making a move. Where are they heading?”
“Here sir.”
I blinked several times.
“Here?” I repeated.
“Yes, sir.”
“Shit. How far are they?”
“30, maybe 40 hours away, sir.”
Well, I thought, at least we wouldn’t die. But it meant we would be surrendering.
“And those three dots spread apart should be the Silent Boats, right?”
Ojoe nodded.
“I believe so, sir.” Said Dalto.
“They at least are backing off.”
Not knowing what had happened to the other Silents that we had destroyed was making them timid. The Silents looking for us were being called nearer to the fleet.
“They must know where we are.” Said Ojoe. “They’re all coming this way. It’s not a coincidence.”
“It’s the damn starboard engine showing our position.” I said. “Very well. Nothing we can do. Just stay on course, Mr Ojoe.”
“Yes, sir.”
*
“Mr Jilton, what can be done about communications?”
“Long-range, sir?”
“Long-range.”
“Not much, sir.”
Shit.
>
*
“That’s it, Kary. We have just a few hours before that fleet gets to us.”
“Okay, Byl. What do you want to do?”
“How long do you need to destroy what’s in your list?”
“A couple of hours.”
“I’ll need a couple more. What do you say we set a deadline?”
“We start in 20 hours?”
“I think that’s reasonable.”
“Okay. Deadline in 20, then.”
Erbay presented his hand, and I shook it. It was a death pact, of course.
*
The air was heavy. There was less oxygen coming in. People slept in the corridors and dragged themselves from here to there. I picked up a few protein biscuits and went to find Mira and share them with her. We sat in a corner. And whispered.
“We’re not going to die.” I said.
“How do you know?”
“There’s a fleet coming our way. They’ll help us.”
She stopped eating.
“Friendly?”
I waved my head.
“Enemy. But that’s okay. We’ll be prisoners of war.”
She sat back and waved her head.
“Not me.”
“Mira…”
“I’m prepared to die; I’m not prepared to be a prisoner again.”
I sat back next to her, shoulder to shoulder.
“What do you want to do?”
She thought for a while. Then she bit her biscuit and held my hand.
“I don’t know.”
*
“Captain, sir…”
*
We slept for an hour. Just leaning against each other. Her head on my shoulder, my head over her head. Hand in hand. Resting. Sleeping…
*
“Captain, sir…?”
I opened my eyes. Where was I? The Arrabat. The Dark Sea. A fleet was coming.
“What is it, Mr.Bertin?”
“You’re needed on the bridge, sir.”
I sighed and nodded. I looked. Mira was waking up as well.
“How long did I sleep?”
“About an hour, sir.” Said Bertin. He was a good boy. I would miss him. I felt heavy. It was the oxygen. It was taking me a lot of effort to get up. Mira too.
“Have any idea what they want me for?”
“No, sir. They just said it was urgent. Should I ask?”
“No, Mr.Bertin. That’ll be okay.”
Shark-Killer (The Dark Sea War Chronicles Book 3) Page 9