by Tony Healey
13.
The dawn of a new day broke over the lip of the planet, and bathed the Defiant in yellow light. There’d been much relief and good feeling on board following their encounter with the great power laying docile on that world. But now another feeling coursed through some of the crew: sadness. It was time for Dana to leave.
“I wish I could talk you out of it,” Captain King said. Dana loaded the last of her cases into the cargo compartment of the transport. She took not only her own belongings but any supplies and equipment she might need.
“I think it’s the best way,” Dana said. “How else will it instruct them?”
“As long as you’re sure about this.”
“More sure than I’ve ever been of anything.”
Jessica grinned. “Well you’re a braver woman than me, Doctor. You do understand we won’t be able to maintain contact once your transmitter is out of range?”
“Yes. But I’m hoping that further study of the mountain will allow me to use it as one big radio,” Dana said. “Maybe I’ll be able to stay in touch somehow.”
“I can’t promise that I’ll ever be back this way …” King said regretfully.
“I understand. Honestly, Captain, I go because I want to. I know the risks.”
Jessica turned to Commander Greene. “Del?”
He strode forward, a big grin on his face and pinned a medal to Dana’s chest.
“This is the medal of excellence in fields of science and humanity. We don’t ever get to give this one out,” he said.
“Thank you,” Dana said. She peered down at it. “And thanks for the loan of the ship. I’ll take good care of it.”
“Sure you can fly it?” Greene said with a smirk.
“It’s been a while since I did a refresher course, but I should be fine, Commander, thank you,” Dana said.
Jessica snapped to attention, made a sharp salute. “Then I suppose it’s time.”
Dana saluted back.
“It’s been an honour, Captain.”
Greene shook her hand. “You’re a brave woman, Doctor.”
Dana beamed. “Thanks.”
They stood back to let her get on board and watched as the ramp slid inside and the hatch lowered. Then they cleared the hangar.
* * *
Master At Arms Eisenhower moved aside so they could file into the hangar control centre. On a big screen they watched as Dana’s shuttle disembarked, flanked on either side by fighters. They escorted her as far as the upper atmosphere of the planet, then veered off to leave her to make entry. It was a tradition that went back further than any of them could remember.
“In minutes she’ll be down there,” Jessica said, “building a better world.”
“And what sort of world will it be, do you wonder?” Greene asked.
She shook her head. On the screen the transport disappeared from view. “Who knows?”
14.
“Lieutenant, let’s break orbit. I believe we have several systems that look promising?” King asked as she took the captain’s chair.
“Yes Captain. The star charts Chang took from the memory of that device were quite detailed. Ensign Rayne has some of the nearby systems mapped for us, ma’am.”
“Ensign?”
Olivia turned around. “I’ve fed them through to the helm, Captain.”
Despite the loneliness of their situation, Jessica couldn’t help but feel a stir in her belly. The same feeling she’d got on her first orbital dive. Her first time running a shift on a command deck. Her first kiss. It was the unknown. The fear - and promise - of whatever awaited them.
“Pick one, Banks,” she said. “And push the engines. Open her up. We have a whole galaxy to explore.”
* * *
Sometimes being a living legend was good for something. Such as getting your hands on vintage champagne. The real deal; not the type of synthetic stuff they peddled on Articus VI.
“It’s going to my head,” Selena said.
“That’s cause yuh can’t handle yuh drink,” Hawk said.
Selena slapped him playfully. “Such a wind-up merchant, you really are.”
“Awww …”
“I’m very proud of you, d’you know that?” Selena sipped more of the champagne.
“Why?”
“For the way you gave Dr. Oriz advice. I heard about it. Because of you she did what she did. Those people down there will move on now, and in a way it’s all thanks to you,” she said.
Hawk thought for a moment, his brain foggy from the champagne. He shrugged.
“God works in mysterious ways …” he said with a grin.
“Such an ego-maniac!”
They both broke into laughter, then refilled their glasses.
“I do love you,” she said.
Hawk stopped. “What?”
“I said I love you.”
“But yuh …”
Selena pulled him in toward her by the collar of his shirt. “Shut up and kiss me. Right here,” she said and rested a fingertip against her pursed lips.
Hawk didn’t hesitate to oblige.
15.
In her quarters, Jessica sipped from a glass of single malt as she watched the planet recede through the viewport. It was now no bigger than a marble. She sighed.
On the table, the giant red flower from the surface stood in a vase. She reached forward, felt one of the petals between her fingers. Soft as silk.
Something from an alien world. A world tarnished by mystery, by the stamp humanity had left on it. A man made in humanity’s own image had then set about making a safe society, one that his creators would have been proud of. A world without pain, without wars, without suffering.
They had lived their lives in peace and harmony. But they’d grown stilted. They’d not changed since the Sophie crashed there, thousands of years before. Now Dana had started the ball rolling. The natives would evolve. Would develop. Would hopefully turn out all right, given the right guidance.
The flower was beautiful. How many more beautiful things would they come across? Would it be the last?
She hoped not. Soon they’d need supplies. Hopefully the star chart taken from the mountain would help them in that regard. And they might need to find a planet to call home, if things went that way.
If they couldn’t get back home, then they’d have to find one. Preferably somewhere lush and green, with bright red flowers. Jessica lifted the vase to her nose and took a deep breath of the scent, sickly sweet. Good. She put it back and relaxed into the sofa again.
“Home …” she said.
Her words echoed in the empty darkness of her quarters. She sipped the scotch and waited for the dry burn inside her chest, next to her heart.
PART FIVE
ALLIES
1.
Ensign Olivia Rayne’s fifth visit to the Observation Deck in a week, and still she didn’t tire of it. With everything else going on, it was a welcome distraction. She accessed the control panel to the main door, then stood back as it opened for her. It was dark inside, with only minimal lighting along the floor itself. The huge bay windows that stretched from floor to ceiling, twenty feet high, gave an astounding view of space. When the door slid shut behind her, cutting out the glow from the corridor outside, Olivia found herself bathed in a thin, silvery light. The Defiant cruised into deep space, and directly ahead lay a huge nebula that glowed silver and gold. It was bordered above and below by the black of space, by star clusters and distant novas.
Only by viewing the vacuum from the observation deck, free of all distractions, could one truly appreciate how full of light and colour the cosmos truly was.
“Here again?” a voice asked her.
Olivia nearly jumped. She looked about and only now did she notice a head of brown hair down at the front of the deck.
“Captain,” Rayne said. “I didn’t think anyone else would be here this hour …”
She sat down a couple of seats away from Captain King. The Captain wore he
r night undershirt and joggers, just as Rayne did. Simple black cotton, comfortable to sleep in, and perfect for when you were woken up in the middle of the night and expected to spring into action.
“I couldn’t sleep,” King said.
“Me neither. I’ve been coming here a lot lately. You know, just to watch,” Rayne said.
“So I heard,” King said. “I thought I might join you on this occasion.”
“It’s beautiful,” Olivia said. The nebula was brighter than a moon, like a cloud of molten pearl.
“We’ll be heading through that soon,” King told her. “In a couple of days. According to the star charts, we should find some habitable planets on the other side.”
Rayne turned to her. “And supplies?”
The Captain’s face was serious, her eyes shadowed by tiredness and worry … but she managed a brief smile.
“We hope so.”
“Do you think she’s all right, Captain?” Olivia asked.
Dana had been on Jessica’s mind too since they’d left her behind on that alien planet. Of her own wish, of course. But still …
“I’m sure she is. There’s been no contact as of yet, but I’m hopeful she will. Maybe it’s taking time working it out,” King said.
“She’s strong,” Rayne said. “Lisa had a great deal of respect for her.”
“You and Lisa get along well, don’t you?” Jessica asked.
Olivia smiled. “Yes. Yes, we do.”
King turned back to the view. She truly did wonder how Dana was faring. She hoped that she’d never have to leave another crew member behind like that again.
* * *
“I don’t think I can get used to drinking tea in the mornin’,” Captain Nowlan said as he sat down at the conference table. He sipped his drink, pulling a disgusted face as he did so. “Ain’t right.”
“It’s not so bad,” Commander Greene said. “Well, this Earl Grey’s not bad.”
King sat. “Wait till that runs out, Del, and you’ll be on the green stuff.”
The Commander shook his head. “That’ll never happen.”
“You do know it’s better for you …” Dr. Clayton said.
Green rolled his eyes. “Yeah doc.”
“Okay, let’s get this underway. We’ve got a lot to do before we enter that nebula. Commander, where are we on the supply issue?” King said.
“Down to our last food stocks Captain,” he lifted his cup. “As you know, some of it’s run out already.”
She nodded. “Understood. Any estimate on how long we can stretch what we do have?”
“Clayton’s been working on it. Doctor?” Greene asked.
“Based on what we have, and the minimum nutritional requirements … I’d say we have a week and half of food left,” Clayton said.
She looked from one to the other. All department heads were present. “Have you told anyone else, Doctor Clayton?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Good. We’ll keep this to ourselves. The last thing we need to do is cause a panic. The crew know things are getting tight, but I don’t need them to know just how tight they are. I’m hopeful that when we get through that nebula -“
“Hopeful?” Chief Gunn asked. She looked tired, stressed.
“At the minute, Chief, I don’t know what else to tell you,” King told her. “We’ve gotta hope. It’s all we have.”
“And what about the Ditaron for the core?” Gunn asked.
“I know as much as you. My gut tells me we can find something on the other side of that nebula. Gut instinct and hope. That’s what we got.”
The Chief lowered her head. “I know.”
The lights changed to red around them. The emergency klaxons blared.
“Captain King to the bridge! Captain King to the bridge!” issued from the speakers.
She walked to the comm. panel. “Bridge this is the Captain. What is it?”
“Unidentified vessel. Closing fast.”
“I’m on my way,” King said and left the room at a run.
* * *
“Report,” she said as she took the command chair.
“Closing in off the stern,” Banks said. He changed the front screen from a view of the nebula to the rear of the ship. The unidentified vessel fast approached the back end of the Defiant. It was a wide, angular craft about the same size of the Union ship.
“Readings?” she asked Chang.
“They’re masking all emissions and energy signatures,” Chang said. “I’m getting nothing.”
Commander Greene arrived on the bridge.
“Do you think they’re hostile?” Banks asked.
“Given the fact they’re coming up on us fast, and blocking all attempts to read them? I’d say so,” King said. “Ready all tubes. Target the main batteries and activate the hull plating.”
“You expecting a fight?” Greene asked her.
On the viewscreen, the front of the alien ship flashed bright green. A single ball of sparkling green light shot away from it and hit the Defiant’s aft. The ship shook around them.
“Silly question,” Greene said.
“All hands! Battle stations!” Jessica yelled and buckled up.
2.
Lights flickered. The Defiant reeled from yet another direct hit from the alien vessel.
“Aft quarter taking a hit,” Chang said. She winced as the ship shuddered. “Pressure loss on deck six. Repair crew attending.”
“Keep on it. Put people where you need them,” King said.
“Perhaps I should go and help,” Commander Greene offered.
Jessica’s mind flashed back to Captain Singh lying on the deck of munitions, breathing his last. She pushed it away. “Yeah. Be careful. Ensign Boi, cover the Commander’s station. Rayne, I want you to cover navigation and communications for the minute.”
On the viewscreen, the alien ship swung back around to face them. The nebula before them grew closer and closer, filling every corner of the display.
“Fire tube one,” King ordered.
“Bird away,” Boi said. The warhead spun away from the Defiant, shimmering as it ploughed into the enemy. A flash and then an explosion at the front of the ship. “Direct hit.”
“She’s not slowing,” Chang said.
“Firing all batteries,” Boi said.
“Banks, get us into that nebula,” King said.
The helmsman shook his head. “We’re quite a way off yet, Captain.”
Jessica bit her lip as she weighed her options.
“Rayne, set the Jump Drive for a twenty second burst ahead. That should give us a head start.”
Chang spun about in her seat. “Captain, we don’t know the composition of that nebula. If we miscalculate and jump right into it, we could -“
“I’m aware of the risk,” King snapped. “Just do it.”
Another direct hit from the enemy. An alarm sounded somewhere, then it was silenced. Below decks there was a barely perceptible whine as the Drive charged.
“Ready …” Rayne said.
“Do it.”
The familiar shift sensation pinned her back into the command chair as the space in front of the Defiant shrank back for a second, and the Union vessel Jumped toward the nebula. The guess was just right. They were several minutes away from the edge of the pearlescent cloud.
“It worked,” Chang said, relief in her voice.
Jessica smirked. “You sound surprised, Lieutenant. Banks, get us inside the nebula. Fast.”
“Aye,” Banks said.
“We’re going to hit turbulence when we enter that cloud,” Rayne said.
“Understood,” King said. “Compensate with dampeners and redirect emergency power to the forward plating.”
“Enemy vessel closing,” Chang reported.
“Rear view,” King said.
The screen changed back to the stern. The other ship closed the gap between them.
“Whatever it has for engines, they’re better than anything we
’ve got,” Banks noted.
“Slow and steady wins the race,” King said. “Boi, fire the aft tubes. All of them. Now.”
Several warheads flew away from the back of the Defiant, impacting the alien ship in four explosions, one after another.
“Excellent,” King said. “That’ll give them something to think about. Switch to front view. How long until the nebula?”
Before Banks could answer the Defiant shivered, as if it had sailed into an icy cold sea.
“Captain -” Rayne said.
“Ensign?”
Olivia Rayne strained to hear through the comm. unit on her ear. “They’re contacting us. Audio only. The computer is working to translate.”
“We are now completely enveloped by the nebula,” Chang said. “Minor interference to sensors.”
Captain King crossed her arms. “Helm. Maintain speed and correct our course, five degrees to starboard every minute.”
“Aye,” Banks replied.
“I got it,” Rayne said.
“Go on …”
“They say to surrender … while we still have the chance,” Rayne looked up, her eyes full of worry.
Jessica nodded. “Put this into the computer to translate: Go screw yourself. Then send it. End transmission.”
Everyone chuckled. Despite their hunger, and the fact that Defiant was under attack from a superior vessel commanded by hostile aliens … they couldn’t help but laugh.
“It’s sent,” Rayne said.
An explosion rocked the ship. Jessica gripped the sides of her chair reflexively.
“And there’s our response.”
3.
“Banks, execute corkscrew manoeuvre. Ensign Boi, hold your fire for the moment.”
Lieutenant Banks did as he was told. On the screen the hazy form of the enemy still followed them. An unrelenting shadow in the mist.
“I wonder why they’re doing it. They’re obviously more advanced …” Chang said.
“It’s because we won’t stop, so nor will they,” Jessica said.