by AZ Kelvin
“I’m okay,” CJ’s voice was raspy. “Just a little crispy.”
“How did you—?” Katy asked.
“Armor,” CJ whispered.
“Thank goodness.” She sighed and looked around at the burning chaos. “We need to get you out of here. What about Gina and Cal?” She tried her comms unit, but it was fried.
“I don’t know.”
“Here,” Katy said. CJ’s respirator pack was melted, so she took hers and held it to his face. “Use this, but don’t strap it on over the burns.”
“You think?”
“We have to get you to a med bay before your lungs fill up with fluid.” Katy became truly worried she wouldn’t be able to get CJ back to the shuttle in time, even if the shuttle did manage to escape the bombardment intact. She grabbed a large auto-injector, unsealed CJ’s body armor, and stabbed it into the fleshy part of his hip. The medication would help his body reduce the edema fluid buildup and buy them some time to make it out.
“Katy!” Gina’s voice drifted from a distance. “Captain!”
“Chief! Captain!” Cal’s voice drifted in from a different direction.
“We’re here! We’re here!” Katy yelled out to them, as tears welled and ran uncontrollably down her face. “We’re here!” Her voice cracked and stuck in her throat, so she began to whistle as loud as she could.
“We gotcha! We’re comin’,” Cal yelled back. “Keep whistlin’!”
Katy whistled while Cal and Gina yelled back and soon Cal’s head popped up over a large root above them.
“There they are!” Cal yelled to Gina. He dropped down to where CJ and Katy were while Gina followed close behind. Gina and Cal both had cuts and burned spots everywhere. Cal hugged Katy. “Hey, you guys—” he stopped when he saw CJ, “Oh, shit! Cap?” He knelt down next to CJ.
“Thanks for the armor, Cal. Saved my life.”
“And I’m glad for it, too, Cap.”
Gina turned to Katy and hugged her hard for a full minute before she let go and squeezed her hands. She turned to CJ. “Captain, can you move?”
CJ nodded and whispered, “My stuff.”
Cal rummaged through CJ’s burned pants and jacket to salvage what he could: his K-13, his datpad, his knife, and some pocket items, and stuck it in his own pack. “Sorry, Cap, your batons are toast.”
“Eh? Aw,” CJ moaned.
“Hold still,” Katy said, as she used the burn spray on CJ’s burns. His face relaxed, indicating the pain had deadened as the protective film covered and anesthetized his wounds. “Sorry, I should’ve put that on right away.”
CJ raised partially bald eyebrows. “I—”
Thick smoke from uncountable fires began to flood in around them. The ambient moisture had been burned off by the intense heat.
“Aaaand, that’s probably toxic,” Cal said in a ‘what’s next’ tone of voice.
CJ signaled, ‘Let’s go!’ Cal tucked his shoulder under CJ’s arm and they moved out.
The four of them reached an edge of the burning chaos just a few minutes before they reached the shuttle. The major damage from the direct impacts gave way to patches of debris piles and forest fires. Moonshadow was covered with the light branches, leaves, and dirt that had been carried by the blast wave, but unbelievably there she was, right where they’d left her and looked unaffected by bomb blasts.
“Gina—”
“Aye, sir!” Gina helped CJ into the shuttle while Cal and Katy cleared what debris was necessary. Gina powered up the flight systems and then the engines. Cal and Katy were onboard and the ship was sealed and pressurized. Gina lifted off and ascended quickly up through a fire-lined hole in the smoldering forest canopy. Moonshadow burst up through the hole and Gina gunned the main engines. The shuttle left behind a cloud of smoke and fire swirling in dual vortices behind her, as she climbed into the sky and out into space.
Katy looked out as they climbed to see a majority of the planet once teeming with life, now burned out of control. The globe-wide forest fires clogged the atmosphere with thick, heavy smoke. The line of Kang ships were already at the horizon and still laid waste to the planet surface. Cal ran a short-range scan and said in a flat tone, “I’m picking up dozens of ships, Cap, all Kang. Wreckage and debris fields everywhere. No sign of the Altered Moon. Five Kang ships are turning to intercept.”
The Kang ships were visible off their port bow as they closed in on Moonshadow. A bright pulse of light came from the biggest ship, and then the others, as all the Kang ships set loose their missiles. CJ and the others knew there was no chance the shuttle could outrun the Kang ships, let alone their weapons fire.
“Looks like they’re not taking prisoners today,” Cal said.
“Well—”
The Kang ships and the starfield around them began to fill with the pearly blue bottom of the Rhhkt’tau Aurrinn, as the ship emerged from quantum space directly between Moonshadow and the Kang attack. The shuttle bay doors of Crissi’s ship were open and CJ didn’t need an invitation.
“GO!”
Gina had already gone into action by the time CJ uttered his second ‘GO.’ She flew Moonshadow in, spun her around, and rolled her over to land roughly on the deck. The shuttle bay doors closed the second they were inside, and the Rhhkt’tau Aurrinn jumped away before the Kang attack reached them.
Several strange alarms sounded until a Keect’na announcement came over the main comms; then the alarms stopped. A hail from the Keect’na came over the translator to remain in the shuttle bay until proper atmosphere could be provided. Vents opened to let in breathable air and a survivable pressure for the Human crew.
A squad of Keect’na moved into the pressurized bay led by Crissiael. The standard greetings were set aside as Crissi saw her friends’ condition. She made several strong comments in her language to her companions and two of them grabbed red boxes off the wall marked with a Human figure and a white cross.
“Thank the Stars for you, Crissi.” Katy carefully hugged her crystalline friend. Crissi no longer minded the smudges her oily Humans friends left on her epidermal plating. One Keect’na came in with a Human Medical Diagnosis Bed. Gina looked at Crissi and wondered how a Keect’na ship had a med-bed.
Crissi saw her expression. “Nneellsssaunnn ssugessst.”
Gina remembered Nelson’s medical exchange program. “Ah, right. Thank you, Crissi, for pulling us out of that shit.”
Crissi pulsed green with friendship, which was tinged with yellow meaning the situation was still tense for her.
Katy and Cal helped CJ out of his body armor and gradually lowered him facedown into the surgical bed. The upper part of the bed split open and a mask raised into position over his face. The respirator automatically administered the appropriate medications to heal the burned tissue inside and out, as well as an antibiotic to fight off infections. The sedative worked instantly and CJ fell into a medical-induced sleep.
They watched the cover slide closed as the med-bed began the healing processes. A readout on the bed showed an eight-hour recovery period. Crissi handed Gina a hand-sized readout pad.
“What’s this?” Gina asked.
Crissi tapped the side and said “Na’aun ssaullaan tn’ka aun,” and the pad said in a neutral voice, “We have quarters ready for you.”
Cal came up right away. “Hey, do we each get one of these?” The pad said, “Heeey, sskaa na’uan aatna haalk tah?”
Crissi replied, “Grraaut, krrenn tah aulee tehzz.” The pad said, “No, there exists only one here.”
The corridors to their quarters had been altered to accommodate Human life and would remain t
hat way until they left the ship. Crissi led them to a large room where impromptu bunks lined the back wall, and a galley had been stocked with basic provisions. Two Keect’na men pushed CJ’s bed up to the wall by the bunks. The group gratefully drank and doused themselves with water, while they ate Ergbars to replenish their strength. Crissi stayed behind and sat with them for a while.
“How did you know to come for us?” Gina asked Crissi, the pad translated.
Crissi went to the Keect’na version of a control panel, where she flashed some colors and sung some words. An image of Boss’s face showed on the screen and the recording from Keect’na military channels of the distress call began to play. Gina was relieved beyond words when she saw the faces of her friends, but the message did not bode well.
“Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! This is the Human merchant vessel Altered Moon to any friendly vessel! We are under attack by Kang warships and need urgent assistance! This is—” Boss turned and raised his hands to shield his eyes from a flash of light and the recording ended.
Gina became immediately concerned, but Crissi held up her hand and sangspoke, “Cha’eedaa.” A second message, this one from the cryscomm, played after the first.
“We receive you, Altered Moon,” the Keect’na comms officer said. “How may we assist you?” Crissiael came from off screen to stand behind her officer.
Pene’s face appeared on the cryscomm of the Rhhkt’tau Aurrinn after the comms officer answered the Altered Moon’s hail.
“Eealann Na’Hann, Denneellaudee,” Crissi said.
“Eealann Na’Hann, Crissiael. Please stand by for Science Officer Keltzer.”
Boss nodded at Pene and then turned to Crissi. “Eealann Na’Hann, Crissi, I’m afraid that we could use your help.”
Boss went on to tell her about the attack on Century Four. “Can you get any intel on when that area may be clear for search and rescue?”
“Zzhnn jha, taukt leenn auall rrehg jj’nau,” Crissi said. “Definitely yes, departure to destination is immediate.”
“We set a rendezvous at Outlook Station in case they received our transmission. Please let us know when the fourth planet of the system is clear enough for us to sneak in and search the area, will you?”
The message came to a stop and Crissi informed them they needed to assist with the search-and-rescue operation, but they had already sent word to the Altered Moon and would rendezvous with them as soon as possible. Katy, Gina, and Cal all thanked Crissi for everything she and her crew had done for them.
Crissi left the translator with them and touched two panels at the end of the room on her way out. Two doors slid open to reveal a personnel station in each bay. A stack of Cantankerous Base coveralls sat folded in a wall cavity. Cal gave Crissi the thumbs-up to show her he understood.
The three of them just sat for a while. What else could they do? They couldn’t even wander around the ship without an EV suit, let alone help out in some way or another. Exhausted, they fell asleep, one by one, for a short time right where they sat. The fatigue overwhelmed them now that the adrenaline of the extreme situation had worn off.
Katy woke up first; Gina had her head down on folded arms, and Cal’s head was straight back over the chair with his mouth wide open. Katy eased his head forward and roused him enough to get him to a bunk. He fell into bed face-first and stayed there. She lay down on the next bunk and tried to sleep, but visions of the Kang and walls of fire and robotic arms all chased the sleep away.
Katy quietly pushed the med-bed up against the bunk. She propped up some pillows against it so she could sit there on the bed and watch CJ through the window. The wedding ring on her finger was brand new; she wasn’t even used to it being there yet. She closed her eyes while she spun the ring absently on her finger and recited in her mind, ‘Be well’ with every spin.
Katy woke up again several hours later to Gina and Cal, quietly talking at the table. Someone had covered her up with a blanket while she slept. She stretched carefully because of several spots that were stiff and sore from the fall she took. CJ’s bed readout was down to one hour and nine minutes. The vision of the bombardment wanted to play over and over in her mind, but she mentally flipped it the bird and moved on.
“Hey there, Chief,” Cal said, as Katy shambled up to the table. “Hope we didn’t wake ya. We just came around ourselves.”
“No, or yes–I don’t know,” Katy said back, “It doesn’t really matter.”
“Coffee?” Gina asked.
“Oh, please,” Katy answered gratefully.
Gina slid a mug of coffee with cream over to her, as well as a vial of pain relievers. “Sorry, no cinnamon,” she said, with a frown.
“What?” Katy said in mock disbelief. “Thanks. Any news?”
“None good,” Gina said.
“The Kang have retaken the system,” Cal added.
“Hey Cal”—Katy took his hand and squeezed it—“thanks for coming up with the body armor, it saved his life, our lives, really.”
Cal smiled and squeezed her hand in return. “Ya know what’s weird, I can’t say that I would’a come up with it, without the Cap’n askin’ me to. Sometimes, I wonder if he reads the future. And how is it they have Human medical equipment and personnel stations onboard?”
“Nelson’s doing,” Gina told him. “Human dormitories on Keect’na vessels, part of the interspecies exchange program.”
Katy drew in a deep breath and sighed; she noticed the smell of burned hair and realized it was from herself. “Gina?”
“Yes, I will.” She knew exactly what Katy wanted because she needed the same thing.
“Yes, you will what?” Cal asked.
“Yes, I will trim Katy’s hair,” Gina replied, “as long as you chop the burnt shit out of mine, too.”
“Yupper,” Katy said, as she swept up her coffee cup and headed for the personnel station. Gina did the same thing and the two women ditched Cal to get cleaned up.
Cal sat for a minute and thought up a mental message. I love you, Zhu. In his mind, he put the message in a bright red star and pictured Zhu’s face. He added a smile to let her know he was alive and everything was going to be okay. He imagined the mental message as it sped its way across time and space to find Zhu, wherever she was now. Cal scoffed at his own foolishness at first, but then thought better of it. Positive thought was always a good thing in any situation. He downed what was left of his coffee and headed for a shower.
Cal and the girls gratefully enjoyed a meal of more than just Ergbars after the grime and blast residue of Century Four had been washed from their bodies and trimmed from their hair. CJ’s bed began to beep midway through their meal, and the cover slid away just as they all got there.
A semi-bald CJ Evermore opened his eyes slowly and then closed them for a few seconds. He blinked a couple of times and then focused in on Katy’s face.
“Hey,” he said with a raspy voice, but no gurgle at all. Katy put her head down to listen to his lungs and consequently soaked him with a few dozen tears. She helped him sit up while Cal went for a pair of coveralls. Flakes of dead skin left behind by the nano-serums fell from the fresh healed pink skin on his head and hands.
“How do you feel?” Katy asked.
“Roasted—thirsty,” he said slowly.
Gina handed him an electrolyte supplement, which he drank completely before he grimaced and said “Ice cream.”
“Ice cream?” Katy repeated with a laugh and a smile, “You want ice cream?”
He nodded and rubbed his throat.
“One ice cream comin’ up, Cap!” Cal was on his way to the galley to process the protein recipe. “Vanilla?” he asked over his shoulder.
“Oh no, he has to have chocolate,” Katy answered for him, as she and Gina helped CJ to his feet. Internal gas that was trapped found its way out of CJ as he stood up.
“Oh, that’s nice, sir, thanks for that,” Gina said sarcastically.
“Firing the boosters,” CJ whispered with a smile.
>
Katy couldn’t contain her laughter, even though she didn’t appreciate the fart either. “That’s my husband.”
CJ sat at the table and let the frozen mass of chocolate-flavored protein soothe the lining of his throat. He only managed to eat part of it and then moved on to water.
“Coffee?” Cal asked, but CJ shook his head.
“Sitrep?” CJ sounded a little better already.
Gina was acting second in command and gave him the report on the events that played out while he recovered. She played him the messages from Boss and told him that at the moment, Crissi’s ship, with others from Cantankerous Base, remained in the area to assist with the SAR operation.
CJ closed his eyes for a moment to absorb the information, but every time he closed his eyes, the incident on the planet was there. The fire roared with every blink, and the bombs went off on his ears. Katy’s touch made him flinch slightly.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just can’t get the bombs outta my head.”
“I know how you feel there, Cap. My ears are still ringin’.”
“Glad you guys are okay,” CJ said.
“Same here, Cap,” Cal replied. “Honestly, I expected to find a couple of French fries when we got over there. You two were in the middle of some heavy shit.”
“It sure felt heavy,” he said with a grimace. “Sorry, Gina, please continue.”
“No worries, Captain. Currently, we are aboard Crissi’s ship, positioned outside of TRQ one-eight-two, while a group of ships from CB searches the system for survivors of the battle, as long as they can dodge the Kang patrols. Unfortunately, the Kang have reinforced their position in the system and have managed to drive back the Allied forces. For now, the only pressurized areas of the ship are the shuttle bay and this section, which consists of a galley, a medical bay, and this dormitory.”
“Moonshadow?” he asked.
“Fully operational and ready to fly.”
The door chime sounded and Gina thumbed the open button. Crissi walked in and immediately swirled green and blue with a deep rose base glow when she saw CJ up and around. She picked up the translator and sangspoke several sentences. The pad said, “CJ, it brightens my glow to see you well again. Search-and-rescue operations have concluded. Quantum jump to Outlook Station will take place shortly.”