by Tony Healey
"A different timeline?" Walker couldn't keep up.
"The Defiant of my time got sucked into a black hole, darlin'. I got sucked into the same rift years before, but due to the differential – which I really don't understand – when the Defiant arrived in another galaxy, I'd been there a few days already. Though in reality we were more than fifty years apart. So anyway, I helped her crew return to this timeline, in order to stop an attack on Station six."
Banks's eyes grew wide. "Before our year long mission! The battle with Sepix."
"The same, kiddo," Hawk said. "That ship that was stolen, that ploughed into the Draxx ship? My Captain King was on board and died in the crash. All so that yours could live."
Jessica felt uncomfortable, hearing it all explained that way. It sounded like a lot had happened to keep her alive and that was just the case. "That's the short version. There are files and files on it."
"So anyway, I was given my choice of stuff to do. I decided I wanted to serve on this ship, with the crew I'd grown to know. Obviously you were all different, but not so much. It didn't take me too long to settle back in. Only problem was, I couldn't talk about any of it."
"Until now," Jessica said. "So everyone, meet Hawk. He was a celebrity back in the day."
"Had your poster on my wall as a kid . . ." Eisenhower said, visibly star struck.
"If we're doing this, why continue the charade," Jessica said. "If everyone agrees, when Grimshaw goes, so do we."
"Aye," they all said, one after the other.
*
She thought back to that meeting as she and Dr. Clayton walked the ship, ensuring there were no stragglers left behind. They couldn't afford to have a single one.
They did me proud, all of them, she thought. And they're doing me proud now. We stand together. Family.
"What're you smiling about?" Clayton asked her. "Captain Criminal."
Her smile turned to laughter. "Nothing. Everything."
Clayton shook his head. "Makes a whole damn lotta sense, Jess."
13.
The Defiant was empty, which meant they were at last able to shut off the alarms. Restore the quiet.
"Let's run that sweep one more time. Make sure it's just us on here," King ordered.
"On the case," Chang said. She studied her readout as every sensor inside the Defiant scanned for life forms. Specifically, human organic signatures. She looked back up. "No, nothing. Just us up here on the Command Deck. The Chief and Eisenhower down in the engineering section. Gentry in his quarters. That's it."
Hawk occupied the tactical station. "And we got fellas banging on the door station side."
"They won't be a concern in a moment," Jessica said. "Everyone, this is your last chance to turn back. Get back to the airlock."
There were no takers, much to her relief.
"We have an incoming communication from Admiral Kerrick," Rayne said. "What shall I do?"
"Hold on a second, Ensign," Jessica said. "Banks, fire up the engines. Release the docking clamps. You know the drill. Full departure, just . . . a little quicker than normal."
Banks nodded and set to work.
"Go ahead," she told Rayne.
The Admiral's voice boomed over the speakers. "Captain, what's going on over there?"
"What do you mean, Admiral?"
Banks released the docking clamps. The Defiant vibrated as it disengaged from the station.
"The emergency over there. You've had to evacuate the Defiant," he said. "Have you found the cause?"
"You could say that," she said cryptically. She watched as Banks' hands flew across the controls. The Defiant accelerated at his touch.
"And what is the status of –" the Admiral's voice trailed off to be joined by another, far too muffled to make out. Kerrick came back on the line. Meanwhile, Banks steered them clear of the station, taking them to starboard. "I've just been informed you have undocked. Why?"
"You're an intelligent man, Admiral," Jessica said. "Work it out. We must vent the Defiant's compromised atmospheres into space."
"Nonsense! Captain, you bring that ship back right now!"
She smiled. It shouldn't have given her pleasure, but it did. Now she knew. When she'd told Del that she felt tired. When she confided in him, told him she wanted something else. To do something more.
This was the sensation she'd been missing. Exhilaration.
"Go to hell, Admiral," she said.
"You will regret this, Captain," Kerrick snapped. He cut the line.
Chang looked up from her station. "Captain, the Charlise has undocked."
"She has been told to pursue and disable," Rayne reported, holding her earpiece with one hand. "Kerrick's orders."
"Not a concern."
Banks glanced back at her. "Ma'am, shouldn't we at least charge the hull plating?"
She shook her head. "Nope."
Hawk chuckled. "That's what I like about ya, Cap. Ya got balls!"
"Charlise closing. Hicks class. She's bigger, faster, and more heavily armed," Chang said.
"Good for her," King said. "Banks, how long until we can Jump?"
He checked. "Another thirty seconds."
"The Charlise is hailing. Asking us to stop or they will fire," Rayne said.
"Ignore them," Jessica said. She contacted the engineering section. "Chief, you there?"
"Here."
"Did you get those spare parts from the Charlise we needed? As discussed?"
"As discussed Captain. Got 'em down here in a bucket right in front of me," Gunn said.
"Good work," Jessica said and closed the channel.
"They are locking weapons," Chang said.
Jessica sat calm and quiet in the captain's chair as those around her awaited the inevitable beating from the Charlise. But nothing came. Not a single shot.
"What're they waiting for?" Banks asked. "Just kill us already. Get it over with. Christ."
"Nothing," Chang said. She kept looking down at the readouts, as if they showed her false data. "It doesn't make sense."
"Admiral Kerrick is on the line again," Rayne said.
"Put him on," she said.
"Captain, I will see to it that you are hunted down and apprehended. Add sabotage to the list of crimes you're currently guilty of."
"I'm sorry, but I simply do not know what you mean."
"The Charlise has had her weapons and Jump Drive disabled. They are reporting the parts were stolen. I want them back, Captain! They do not belong to you!"
"Cut him off, Olivia," Jessica said.
"With pleasure," Rayne said and ended the transmission.
*
Eisenhower laughed at the top of his lungs as the Chief explained what had happened. Hours before she'd gone aboard the Charlise under the guise of borrowing a few parts. Instead she'd removed crucial parts of both their firing boards and Jump Drive.
"I can't believe it!"
"Well, in all fairness, I never said which parts I was borrowing," Gunn said. "And in my defence, they never asked."
"Jesus . . ."
"While I was there, I reversed their intermix polarity," the Chief said, a grin on her face. "They'll be lucky if they get a fart out the back end. Let alone enough to get them to Jump speed."
The old man shook his head, laughing all the while. "What'll you do with the parts anyway?"
Now it was the Chief's turn to smirk. "Keep 'em for spares."
*
"Jump Drive ready," Banks said. "Awaiting your command."
"You have it, Mister Banks. Get us the hell out of here," Jessica ordered.
Behind them, the Charlise hung uselessly in space as the Defiant Jumped away. The old ship vanished within an instant.
14.
The security officer turned to face him. "Admiral, they have successfully Jumped away."
"Their success comes at our expense," Kerrick fumed. "Track them. I want every ship to pursue."
The man stuttered. "Y-y-yes sir!"
"Get to i
t!" Kerrick dismissed the officer with a wave of his hand.
He turned back to the holodisplay of the space surrounding Station 6 and watched the Charlise limp back to dock.
Pathetic, he thought. She has made fools of us all.
Several other officers stood by, waiting for orders. "Her crew – those who are here on the station – are to be rounded up and questioned immediately. Get to it. Do not return without answers."
*
"Jump achieved," Banks said, audibly relieved. He slumped back in the chair. "I thought we were going to be shot down there, for sure."
"You underestimate the Chief's many talents, Lieutenant," King said.
"Sabotage . . ." Chang said in almost disbelief.
Jessica laughed. "And there you were, thinking Meryl didn't have it in her."
"I don't think you could ever say that, Captain," Chang said.
"No, indeed," she said. "Miss Rayne, observe complete silence from now on. We receive but we do not transmit. Mister Banks, best possible speed to Zac'u IX."
"Aye Ma'am. We’re on our way."
And soon, so too will the rest of the fleet, hot on our tail . . . Jessica thought.
15.
Admiral Robert Kerrick ran a hand over his bald pate as he waited for the comm. system to make the connection.
Earth was a long way away, and his voice would bounce from one communication relay to the next till it reached its target. Despite humanity's technological advancement in other areas, there would still be a time delay of several seconds during the conversation he was about to have.
A hindrance inherited from mankind's first forays into space.
Though, back then there was a time delay talking to capsules orbiting the moon, Kerrick mused. As if the gulf of space separating Earth and its sole natural satellite were impassable. The delay they experienced now, centuries later, was caused by the distance of entire star systems.
SECURE CONNECTION flashed up on the screen. Kerrick shifted in his seat. The screen went blank, then changed to show a face familiar to billions.
"Bob," the man said in greeting. "You just pulled me away from a very delicate conference. I hope this is worth it."
"Apologies Mr. Vice President, but we have a situation I felt you should be made aware of."
"Oh?" Vice President Herbert asked.
"Yes. Without warning one of the captain's under my purview has just . . . stolen a starship."
"Excuse me?"
Kerrick swallowed. He couldn't help it.
I hope he didn't see.
"Thirty minutes ago. When one of the other vessels attempted to pursue, it found itself unable to do so. Sabotage, apparently."
"Is that so? Well, that is most unfortunate."
"Yes. But I wouldn't ordinarily contact you for something such as this, Mr. Vice President. The reason I call has to do with the identity of the person responsible."
VP Herbert waited.
"It's Captain King, sir," Kerrick said.
The VP's face grew stern. "Listen to me, Admiral. You will put a stop to that woman's meddling. Do what you have to. Whatever it takes to stop her. I want her under arrest and in your custody within twelve hours."
"Yes sir."
"We can't afford to have a loose cannon like that running around, let alone with a starship at her disposal."
"I agree."
"I'm so glad you do, Admiral. It's a real weight off my mind," VP Herbert snapped. "Do your job. Alert me the minute you have her in custody."
The screen died in front of him. Kerrick sat there a moment longer, deciding his next course of action.
Of course, the VP was right. Dammit, was the man ever wrong about anything?
We have to stop her. That one woman can undo everything. This is an eventuality none of us foresaw . . .
Kerrick got up and left the office. There was a starship to catch, and the trail grew colder every second.
PART III
"We orbit the past . . ."
16.
"We have not discussed this as yet, but should we be apprehended before finding definite proof . . ." King started to say. She looked from one to the other. "I will be the one to take the blame."
"No!" Chang exclaimed. "No, Captain. We stand together."
Jessica shook her head. "I'm sorry Commander, but I can't expect you all to take the rap for this. I expect everyone to have long careers, much longer than my own will be when this is done. But I must be the one to do it."
"Why?" Clayton asked. He sat perched on an empty seat at the back of the room, arms folded. "What is it, exactly, that compels you to do this?"
"Doctor, not only do I owe it to Del, to Jackson, to Munoz . . . I owe it to myself. To the duty I undertook in the beginning as Captain of this vessel. To my Father. All of that, and more. It's my responsibility to take the heat for this when it comes around the corner. My duty," Jessica said. "Besides, I have made preparations."
"What kind of preparations?" Chang asked.
Jessica licked her top lip. "Well, this will be the story here on in. I told you it was a top secret mission, told you I operated under Admiral Kerrick's direct orders. Orders which you will find manufactured by myself, sealed in my quarters when the time comes for my arrest. None of you had any part in this."
"What about the Chief?" Banks asked. He studiously monitored the helm console as they Jumped, watching for anything not on the charts that might throw a roadblock in their way. "She sabotaged the Charlise, right?"
"The Chief and I knew the Charlise was the only ship available to station security. The only tub they could send after us. Meryl did what she had to do, at our mutual agreement," Jessica admitted. "I don't like it, but it was the Chief's decision."
It sank in. When they were eventually arrested, taken in for questioning, the Chief would be joining Jessica in the cells.
"Neither of you should face that fate," Walker said.
Jessica shrugged. "We have our reasons. Meryl's aren't much different to my own, believe me."
Banks turned. "Ready to decelerate and begin cross vector manoeuvring."
"Okay, lieutenant. Drop out of Jump as discussed."
"What's cross vector manoeuvring?" Rayne asked.
Chang smiled. "It's used to give a false trail to anyone following us. We drop from the Jump, head off in a new direction. Stop, come back here, Jump somewhere else . . . and so on. Eventually we get back to where we were headed in the first place, leaving behind us a confusing criss-cross of expended exhaust."
"Ah, right," Rayne said. "And how long does that take?"
"Several hours. Hawk, if you could assist Kyle with whatever he needs?"
"Sure thing, Cap," the Texan said.
Jessica got up. "I suggest everyone take the opportunity to get something to eat, grab a shower, have a nap . . . whatever. We have a few hours to kill and luckily for us, the ship will more or less fly itself. She only needs Banks' guidance."
She hit a comm. button.
"Chief here. What's up?"
"Nothing Meryl. We're going to wind down for a bit. I suggest you and Eisenhower do the same. When we're back on course, we'll cover for Hawk and Banks."
"Understood. Meryl out."
Jessica headed for the door. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in Doctor Gentry's quarters. At least, I'm assuming he's still in there."
As she left, she heard Banks say: "If not he'll be hanging upside down from a rafter some place . . ."
17.
Chief Gunn looked over the unmanned stations in the engineering section. It seemed bare with only herself and the Master At Arms working in there. No life to the place. Just the sounds of machinery working, computers chattering away, the thrum of the ship's reactor core.
Luckily for all of them, the Defiant could operate for a time with only a handful of crew. She had every function routed through the automated control. Not ideal, but there was no other choice. For the time being, they'd be able to run the Defiant in such a way, wit
h minimal fuss. However, it wouldn't last forever. They would encounter issues that the computer simply couldn't resolve on its own, lacking, as it was, the capability of counteracting or intuiting issues. Eventually the Defiant would require human Tender Loving Care.
But, much to the Chief's satisfaction, everything had proceeded as planned. There was still plenty to do down there, but at least it was only work for two people.
Lucky that, cause that's all I've got, the Chief thought as she slapped Eisenhower on the shoulder. "Come on, let's go see if there's any coffee on offer. Eh?"
The Master At Arms looked relieved. "Ah. Yes."
She steered him out of the engineering section. "Tell me, did you not even have an inkling Dollar was really Hawk? Nothing at all?"
The old man shook his head. "Nope. Sorry, but no. I see it now, though. It's not such a great jump, to be fair. I accepted it the moment the Captain said it."
"Me too," Gunn said.
The corridor outside engineering was deathly silent, eerily deserted. "I don't like the ship like this," Eisenhower whispered.
"I know what you mean," Gunn said. "It reminds you what an empty environment space really is."
They walked on. Eisenhower looked across at her. "You know, Chief, that's a truism of life in general."
"What's that?" she asked.
The old man cocked an eyebrow as he glanced sideways at her. "The dark is always a lonely place to be . . ."
18.
"So you are alive then, Doctor," Jessica said as she stepped into his quarters. Gentry looked as though he'd been pulled through a bush backwards.
"I have taken a mild sedative," he said. "You know, for the nerves."
She had to laugh. "Are you always this nervous when bending the rules?"
"I would say it's a little bit more than that!" Gentry yelped, his face ashen, eyes bulging.
He's a wreck, Jessica thought. "Doctor . . ."