Chapter 03 - PORT TWISTED
25 January 2173 – Tuesday
IWG-SS JOHN A.WHEELER
Cape Of Velvet [Beta Hyphi]
Whenever there were crew off-ship, local communications were monitored. It was a job that any qualified Nav/Comm Tac Division crew could handle, but usually Ensign Tania Manda did it herself (plus today she was trying not to miss – or envy – her new boyfriend too much, and work was a great substitute).
IWG-SS JOHN A.WHEELER was orbiting Cape Of Velvet, a verdant planet orbiting a G0 star named Beta Hyphi, 24 light years “south” of Sol. It was near the “south celestial pole,” in the southern constellation Hydri, the next colony beyond The Triplet at Alpha Centauri.
Cape Of Velvet, reached in 2116 and colonized, was still perceived (and celebrated itself) as very much a “frontier” planet, with a growing reputation for raising livestock (for protein supply) and hunting.
Beta Hyphi was a calm star with a small Belt and two gas giants; except for Velvet and the tiny Belt there were no other “easy resource” areas, so it had been something of an exploitation backwater compared to most other systems. In the InterWorld Group’s Space Consortium Colony Committee Planning Report, Velvet was seen primarily as a planetary point from which to expand from, rather than one to be primarily developed (like Jade, or Dog and Puppy at Asterion, or even the non-planetary Gem Isles at Procyon A/B, where the binary stars tore up any planetary accretions sooner or later, resulting in a gigantic Belt to exploit, and a fully Belt-based colony there).
The other major industry was the InterWorld Group Fleet. The distances between colonies often made Velvet at the “south pole” closer on a route than return to Earth would be. IWG ships often took on provisions at Velvet: the one resource that could not yet be obtained raw from the richest collection of asteroids.
Velvet had a major city at the landing point and a large and growing city in the Great South Veldt, where livestock and hunting zones were developing. There were some other towns, farms and settlements, but those were the two main places to visit: Velvet City in the north, and Port Twistor in the south.
Manda wished she was due for shoreleave on this planetfall. It would be nice to stretch her legs, she thought, breathe real air, feel a real breeze of wind on her face – like Otie would.
Tania cleared her throat. She was still early enough with him that she wasn’t sure where they were going beyond some fun, and it was hard to trust him on a shore leave. Orlando Timbers was a nice enough guy, but so damned good looking he got attention, and was too nice not to return it – Otie hated to disappoint people, and he dated very heavily, to the point where it was ridiculous to imagine him being what they used to call “faithful” to her. But Tania still sort of hoped...
Just after noon, shuttleRunner Two set down on schedule, dropping twelve crew on the first round of shoreleaves. Lieutenant Kimsen Ramble called in to report they were “feet dry” and heading into the city.
Manda acknowledged and turned back to a local news channel. In a city of 70,000 with a colony total of about 250,000 the items were “small town” but refreshing to hear – even a small segment about the visit of the IWG Survey Ship JOHN A.WHEELER and a request to “show our new visitors how nice Velvet can be.”
Then something about another episode of missing cattle – three of them, all prize tagged prime bovine stockbeef off the ranch of the best restaurant on Velvet, owned by the Mayor of Port Twistor, no less.
Not the business of a starship – pleasantly so, and she knew a lot of other crew were also listening to the planet’s media as well for that very reason.
Captain Matisou checked in rather absently – he was looking into any trails, hills or mountains on Velvet suitable for hiking, and was in his office just off the bridge even after his watch ended, using the science data feeds in his search for something decent, reasonably close to the two cities the Runners would visit.
If he had to, he’d go hiking across a flat field if it meant a good walk, thought Manda.
The emergency call came in from a surprisingly cool Ensign Jashia Luna. Tania was daydreaming about dinner when the comm link chimed the emergency.
“WHEELER, this is Runner One,” came Luna’s voice – punctuated by faint thuds. “Runner achieving lift-off under fire, shore party is not, repeat NOT fully on board. E.T.A. ten minutes –” followed by a flare of static.
“Action Stations,” snapped Matisou, back on the bridge.
The shuttleRunner was on radar but could not be raised, and was now on autopilot, which suggested trouble on board. Once in visual range it was obvious why the comms had gone – they’d been blown off. There was oxygen and power on board, though, and Luna flashed the landing illuminators, so they knew she was alive in there.
The Runner docked uneventfully enough, but to a tense group of WHEELER crew.
“We were kidnapped!” were the first words from Luna’s mouth as the hatch hissed open. She stepped out of the way as Doctor Truhart and Lieutenant Day went past her. “Nobody here is hurt badly, but only the four of us were together and escaped, thanks to Kimsen, and he got hit by a stunner so he’s out of it.”
It had been absurdly simple.
According to signs at the station just outside the landing field gate, the monorail system to the city was out of operation. Transports were running, four local men already waiting there said. Just a very pretty forty minute ride through the forest to the city.
They had waited ten minutes for a transport to the city when up rolled a large transport, and a smaller van. After the bigger transport filled up with WHEELER crew, Ramble, Luna, Hapgood and Foibles got into the second vehicle. The moment the doors closed they leapt into gear, and off they were headed into the lush wilderness, just as beautiful as predicted.
It only took Hapgood twenty five minutes to work out that they were heading away from the city. “Lieutenant –” he began, when the two locals who jumped into the van with them suddenly began to laugh, with a rather nasty edge, for no reason – then the man in the right frontside navigator’s right seat turned around with a large stungun. “You are to spend your time this visit as O.P.P. guests of prime quality.”
They would not answer any questions, and finally the gunman changed a setting and fired out the window, shooting a tree – which exploded. He pointed the gun at the four of them while he “struggled” to get the gun’s power slider back to stun, and no one had further questions.
Ahead of them the large transport was moving right along – she had wondered if they had become aware of this travel snafu yet. After the forty minutes had passed it became a moot point.
After another hour and half Luna lost track of the transport because at this point, Foibles became hysterical and attacked them – just jumped and began to thrash, screaming at the top of her lungs to let her out, flailing into the two locals-turned-accomplices.
The man in the seat couldn’t stun Foibles without hitting his own men, and now Luna and Ramble were trying to edge around the heap Foibles and the locals were rolling in.
He fired, more than once, but missed Luna, who then elbowed him in the throat, got his stunner, used it on him, then used her gymcard to persuade the driver to stop the van and let herself get stunned. Luna left them on the side of the road, turned the van around, and headed back – soon pursued by vehicles in the distance, gaining fast. She had carried her stunned crewmates one by one to the Runner while the vehicles got closer every second, and some shots began to thump into the ground as she made her last carry.
“That was an incredible job, Ensign,” said Matisou. “How did your gymcard persuade the driver to stop, might I ask?”
Luna blushed and looked down. “After I stunned the navigator, I slid a pointed corner up under her jaw before she could really see just what was in my hand and I... I told her I’d cut her face off if she twitched.” She gulped. “I was pretty scared, sir.”
Matisou nodded.
“You showed real
guts, ensign,” said Takaguchi crossing his arms. “The man’s statement to you was, ‘You are to spend time this lovely visit as O.P.P. guests of prime quality.’ Correct?”
Luna looked at him. “Thank you sir. And yes sir, that’s what he said.”
“Any idea what that means?”
She shook her head, beginning to look drained as adrenaline wore off and realizations set in.
“Well, I want you to go to medical and let Dr.Truhart give you a clearcheck.”
A frown flashed across her face. “I’m fine, sir.”
Takaguchi smiled kindly. “I know you are, Ensign Luna. After things like this I’m expected to make certain, though, and that means you go and visit medical, okay?”
She blushed. “Sorry, sir. Yes, sir.”
“Good – get going but DPaT me if you recall anything else you heard said, okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
Neither captain nor first officer spoke as they quickly got back up to the bridge to learn what new data had come in from the planet. The few crew that they passed in the corridors scurried to get flattened against a wall or out of the way completely as they charged past, calm expressions on their grim faces.
The bridge was hushed; Matisou looked around, saw everyone was obviously shocked but steady, waiting for direction and ready to respond.
Thierry Ribaud was able to get a rough signals vector from the crew DPaT comm units, but couldn’t pinpoint them. They were inside some sort of structure that dissipated and weakened the signals, but he was able to work out the rough locations: two areas at opposite ends of the southern city, Port Twistor. He was looking for any sonic tracks in the atmosphere from the previous hours (the shoreleave had been to the northern city, more than seven hours away at subsonic speeds, and it was about five hours since they had been seized).
“Thank you, Lieutenant,” replied a hard faced Takaguchi. He looked at Matisou, sitting in his captain’s chair with stillness and all his usual calm – but livid with anger. “Tac Q.R.T.-B is ready, sir.”
Matisou nodded. “Thank you, Commander.” He looked at the viewscreen showing a map of the city. “We have two parties in two locations. I want two triple crew Runners to get our people up, and I want Tac-B in the SquadCutter as our mobile back-up if we need extra people at either location.”
Takaguchi nodded. The shuttleRunners could hold up to fourteen in a pinch and the SquadCutter twenty; with a crew of three in each shuttleRunner there would be plenty of room for the recovered crew, and the SquadCutter would carry the eight member Tactical Quick Response Team-B, for extra firepower and plenty of extra room to take on crew if people became separated.
“Commander Takaguchi, you have the bridge,” said Matisou.
Takaguchi nodded shortly; he had assumed the captain would insist on leading the recovery mission, even though it might be argued that was Takaguchi’s role as Tactical Officer. Although it worried him to have the captain exposing himself to the risks, he’d never expected Matisou to stay in his command chair.
Matisou now said quietly, “If they call with any requests or demands, bluff them, stall, and call me, and keep an eye out for us, Tak. I don’t want anybody sneaking up, and if you need it, you have R.O.E. One authority.” Governing the use of tactics, firepower, and weapons use, Rules Of Engagement at level One meant Takaguchi was free to use the ship as he wanted to, including deadly force, should the ship or landing teams be subject to imminent new attack.
Takaguchi looked worried. “Aye, sir.”
Matisou gave him a grin. “Cheer up, Tak.”
“Permission to wait ‘til you’re all back, Captain.”
“Granted, Commander.” They exchanged salutes.
Xiu-Li had just finished her after-watch work-out when the Q.R.T. alert went out. Her heart thumped as she headed toward her ready station to check which uniform was needed. She knew the only other Q.R.T. medic was on shoreleave, so she was “solo responder” now. She tried to regulate her breathing, to center herself.
Her ready station was in the storage area near the medical section, and as she went inside she saw Lieutenant Day busy prepping response carts. The station compscreen indicated a personnel retrieval from the ground, so she pulled out her field uniform and started zipping herself into the heavy coverall, putting her full attention on the other gear to bring along...
As she dashed across the landing bay toward shuttleRunner One, she realized her gear included her gym kit bag, which had got snagged over the main medical bag she carried. Before she could unsnag it, she saw the captain charging toward the Runner and just jumped on board to get out of the way – blushing, but deciding that no one would notice, or care.
Matisou climbed in and nodded at her. He felt fortunate he’d made Chen the Med Q.R.T. because, having seen her workouts in the gym, he knew she could handle herself in a fight; he also knew that Truhart would need some help with any casualties, since Ensign Orlando Timbers, his “medical field orderly” (and the only other Med Q.R.T. crew he’d named so far) was down among the missing.
Captain Matisou, Lieutenant Enronn Debitts, and Crewperson Xiu-Li Chen set off in Runner One, while Lieutenant Commander Aria Threnody, Doctor Truhart, and Ensign Tania Manda – who was a Tac Q.R.T.-Reserve medic, and would be the comms coordinator for the three ships and WHEELER – took Runner Two.
They dropped from orbit over the ocean west of the southern city and headed toward land, crossing over land and turning toward their target zone.
“Okay, people,” said Matisou. “We’re all on R.O.E. Two – let’s keep it on stun, and be liberal with it. Keep each other covered, and call out your sitreps before they get deadly, so nobody on either side gets hurt.”
“Aye, sir,” chimed back five voices.
Debitts kept it low, fast, and steady. Xiu-Li craned her head to watch his moves as he flew the Runner – there was more interaction between pilot and machine than she expected in a “compuSys guided” ship. Matisou sat next to Debitts, looking at both the arrays and out the front windows, unmasked now after atmospheric entry. She went into the rear section to make sure they were ready to offload gear and take on people.
She picked up her gym bag to stow it and felt her butterfuly swords shifting inside. For a moment she stood there; should I take these with me? Stowed, they were short metal rods which made effective clubs or splints, and she might need an edge since she had by now overheard enough to know this was in essence a tactical operation – an assault.
That word decided her, and Xiu-Li slid each stowed sword into the long zip compartments along each forearm – which also meant that if she had to hit anybody, swinging her forearm would whack them pretty hard. That decided, she packed her gym bag and started lining up the mission packs in the rack by the hatch before belting back in.
Captain Matisou studied the terrain ahead and suddenly locator beacons for five crew flickered on the main nav screen, clustered in the hills just north of the city. It might only be the DPaTs, all in one area, but at least it narrowed the initial search.
It would probably be a big structure in rough terrain; he rubbed his chin and made his final decision. “I think we’ll have to do this as a group. I’m betting this is a big house, probably somewhat fortified; we surround and overwhelm them, get our people, and then all go down to the southern site.” He paused, very troubled about the delay; he had wanted to send Aria south right away, but that had always depended on the conditions found on final approach. “Assuming it’s a big house, with trees, we’ll put down close to the back of the house, you put down in the front.” He turned to look at Truhart and Debitts, and imagined the somber faces on the other shuttleRunner as well. “Look, we’ll have surprise on our side. Just stun anyone you see. It’ll go off 1-2-3 and then we’re up to finish this op.”
“Aye, sir,” replied Threnody from Runner Two.
Debitts brought the Runner down into a clearing near the big compound while Threnody landed next to them. Matisou gave Debitts and Xiu-
Li a compound magpistol, which could throw a piece of magnetized metal with all the power of a chemically powered gun, or send a pulse of energy that stunned a human brain for anywhere from fifteen minutes to several hours, depending on the brain and certain environmental conditions the pulse was sent through (they didn’t work well in fog, for example, and neither did lasers).
Xiu-Li hefted the weapon. Matisou opened his mouth to ask an obvious question, caught Debitts’ look, and looked back in time to see her turn it on to STAND-BY, and then her eyes as she looked up.
She must’ve seen the look on his face but she neither blinked nor looked away as she holstered the magpistol without looking, and he shut his mouth before he insulted the student who’d won the Space University Skills and Arts Tournament two years in a row by asking if Xiu-Li had been clearchecked on magpistols. He turned and opened the hatch.
The air smelled sweet and was cool, but it was very humid. It was “quiet” – the sun was quite low in the sky and there were birds (their local eco-niche equivalent) calling through the treetops shot with brilliant green in the setting sun, but there were no mechanical sounds or human movements.
The compound was on the other side of a thirty meter thick group of trees and underbrush. They lay down between some thick trunks and looked around, Xiu-Li using her Sci DPaT unit to look for life.
“I’ve narrowed it, sir,” said Manda, in the rear of the compound and using a Tac DPaT to track the DPaT signals inside the buildings. “I make it five, repeat, five signals, in the center of the structural foot print of the smaller building, at eight meters underground.”
“The basement,” muttered Debitts.
“Okay, Tania,” Matisou replied. “Other lifesigns?”
“Several, sir... the main building has some shielded areas, but I get between ten and fifteen signals from in there. I can count seventeen heat and other signatures in this structure; all are on the ground level, but I – I can’t guarantee I can get lifesign signals from the underground space. But I can guarantee there are no active weapon signs present in the immediate area except ours.”
“I confirm, Captain,” said Xiu-Li. “I am – um, wait, sir...” She frowned, then began tapping into her Sci DPaT, studied it a second, then reached out and began sweeping out the leaves, twigs and other detritus tucked into a root hollow of the huge Velvet ironwood tree next to her.
Matisou looked at Debitts, who shook his head.
Xiu-Li reached out and put her Sci DPaT face down in the root hollow, wedging one end in with some of the twigs. She looked at her wrist chrono. “Please hold for another thirty seconds, sir, I’m scanning for any sound vibrations in the detected chamber.”
Matisou and Debitts exchanged glances again, which Xiu-Li missed as she was studying her wrist chrono, a frown on her face. “Finally,” she muttered at last as she scooped up her Sci DPaT. In a few seconds she looked up. “I believe our people are there, sir, but not too many more.”
Matisou scowled. “How would you know that?”
Her face hardened, and she clicked off the netcomm, which made Matisou’s scowl deepen. She’s going to throw a tantrum, now, of all times, and she’s clicked out so no one else will hear!
“I heard them moaning sir,” she said quietly. “The ironwood root conducts a signal which can be amplified, and I believe I heard Crewper Deepshell attempting to rally spirit, but someone else began to scream.”
Matisou’s face went whiter (if that were possible at this point) and he nodded as he motioned toward her comm. “I see what you mean,” he said after she clicked back in. “Anyone else down there?”
“I believe there are other respiration and heartbeat signatures but not many, less than... um... three or less, sir.”
“Comm net, this is Matisou; switch to squad net for clearcheck review. Matisou on SN1.” He turned over, as did Debitts and Xiu-Li, to their intersquad channel.
Matisou looked at her. “Odds of three to one. Analysis?”
“Tactical? I would try to lure as many out front as I could, then move our rear team forward for cover and crossfire while using our reserve to flush in from the rear, sweep forward and recover our people.”
Matisou looked at Debitts, who was staring at Chen like he’d never seen her before.
“And sir?” she continued. “That’s our relative force ratio, sir, not our odds. Our odds depend on our training and skill.”
Matisou cocked an eyebrow at her. “And luck?”
“Luck laughs at the odds, sir. I’ve heard you say that.”
Matisou nodded. “We’ll need to hope we’ll all be laughing with luck later, because as sound as your plan is, I’m concerned about committing our reserve Q.R.T. too early. Instead, we’re going to assume we six are much more capable than their twenty, and move forward on that basis.” He gave her a grim nod. “Except for the use of the reserve, however, we will be luring them out and letting the rear team move in.” He cocked a brow again. “That’s a very decent plan from a non-tactical science and engineering newbie crew with medic training.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Matisou looked at the compound. His main fear was that people in the basement might be killed while they were trying to get down there to get them. They had the element of surprise, but not much else, and it would be foolish to bank too heavily on that; these kidnappers had to assume there would be some response, after all! “Matisou to teams and base. Any detected responses yet to our presence? Squad B?”
“Nothing happening, sir. Over.” Manda sounded tense.
“Reserve?”
“Holding station over the mountain, east two klicks; no new energy or personnel signatures appearing. Over.”
“Takaguchi. No evidence of any vehicles being prepped or sent your way, none lighting up in the compound; Lieutenant Ribaud found his sonic trails to a landing fleld a kilometer west of you, but no transports are visible there now. Over.”
“Our two objectives are our people, and making sure they don’t comm out – that’s your job, Aria, to get those comms blocked.” Matisou rubbed his chin. “Okay. I’m going to start a fire and let’s see if we can’t get them out here to take a look.”
A flare tossed into a copse of very dry bushes got a smoky fire going quickly, and the wind blew the smoke right into the building.
It took just twenty seconds for three large men wearing troop field uniforms to come looking, bearing rather large magrifles more suitable for hunters than soldiers. They would have a slower rate of fire than an actual assault weapon, and was a piece of luck going their way, as were the six other men who came trotting out with a coiled hose they attached to an outlet and began pulling toward the fire, while the first three took up guard positions.
Matisou could’ve started the assult then, but didn’t. Xiu-Li was puzzled but kept her radio silence and waited in her position with her magpistol ready, listening for his order, wondering why he waited.
In fact, both sentries and firefighters were soon paying more attention to the fire than either the building or brush around them – there were shouts indicating this was more frequent than the WHEELER crew might have guessed: the smoking of both locally indigenous and other items were blamed, and the careless smokers were cursed roundly. This was not the first brushfire around the compound site, and the relative routine meant no one was particularly alarmed.
This made it easy to wait until the group was heading back to the compound together to take them all out. Three magpistols firing stun pulses from three crossing angles dropped all nine men in just ten seconds as they stumbled into each other and fell over.
Xiu-Li’s heart was pounding hard now.
Except for her range and clearcheck courses (and in the Tournament), Xiu-Li had never fired a weapon at anyone with any real intent, but she had coolly sighted on and hit the three guards who were closest to her, without a pause. Matisou dropped two, Debitts got the other four, and suddenly all that was left was the smell of smoke and three piles of sleeping
troops.
A quick grin from Matisou, then he began throwing smoke grenades into the woods, which immediately obscured both the stunned-out kidnappers and the wide awake Wheelers to any eyes or lenses looking out from the two buildings in the compound.
“Okay, everybody,” said Matisou. “On my count out.” Xiu-Li pressed her clicker and chirped acknowledgement. “THREE!”
The three WHEELER crew now bounced to their feet and ran to the target building’s front door while the other team did the same in back. Debitts stuck two “banger patches” on the door’s hinge points and looked at Matisou with thumbs up and a “set” chirp on the comm. It was answered by a double chirp as Manda signalled “set” for her squad.
“TWO!”
“Sit-Rep: no new responses,” came Takaguchi’s terse update.
“ONE!”
Debitts hits his detonator and there is a loud BANG!
The two patches blow the hinges apart and the door falls in with a crash.
“GO! GO! GO!” yells Threnody on the comm.
Xiu-Li runs forward through a swirl of smoke and noise – alarms are sounding inside the building, and across the compound.
The dark hallway Xiu-Li is in reverberates with alarm klaxons. She drops her VEOptics frame over her eyes and stuns a tall fat man who opens a door, rifle in hand. He falls backward. She hears Debitts next to her, firing his magpistol.
The two teams meet up in the central room. Xiu-Li overwatches as Aria Threnody uses her Eng DPaT to disable the electronic door locks and cut the alarms as Debitts puts “banger patches” on the door and blows it.
Aria, Xiu-Li, Enronn Debitts, and Captain Matisou virtually jump down the steps and stun the three guards en route to a real dungeon, barred cells and all.
Aria stops at the deskstation compuSys by the door to try and figure out the entry codes but Enronn Debitts just plain breaks in before she can release the locks – he uses a high phase laser to melt the lock bars, and pushes the door open.
They quickly file in. Wentlin Forbben had been rolling around in great agony; Truhart goes to him first.
Xiu-Li finds Taz’ri’an sitting on a big bale of straw, not visibly injured but with eyes a thousand kilometers away; so is dazed Venturiini, propped against a wall next to the softly groaning, semi-conscious Markis Karaff, who is badly hurt. “Doctor,” Xiu-Li calls quietly.
Truhart turns, catches her eye, comes over to quickly check Karaff. He visibly pauses and thinks for a few moments.
Xiu-Li sees Tania probing around Jonson’s left leg, Debitts on his right. She sees Ion Deepshell looking at them with amazed relief on his face.
So here are Jonson, Karaff, Forbben, Taz’ri’an and Venturiini, all injured, and a bruised but otherwise intact Deepshell; no Timbers, and no Westphal, which confirms what they had believed would be the case going in.
She studies Taz’ri’an and Venturiini while Truhart finishes working on an initial plan for Karaff and then goes over to Jonson.
Debitts guards the door. Matisou circulates, looking closely at his injured crew, then he walks over and stands next to Xiu-Li, nodding to her. “Think you can look after them?” He indicates the two stunned figures.
“Of course, sir.”
Matisou turns away, then turns back. “You have a comment, crewper?”
“Yes, sir... related to the situation, sir.”
“Go on.” Despite all the tension, he sounds neutral.
Xiu-Li stands at attention. “Sir, I presume you and Ensign Debitts will carry Jonson. I propose Ensign Manda and I carry Karaff, while Dr.Truhart and Crewper Deepshell guide Forbben, Taz’ri’an, and Venturiini, and Lieutenant Commander Threnody provides security.”
Matisou studies her. “Support the elements of your plan, Crewper Chen.” He can see Aria’s eyes from across the cell; she has heard her name, and paused in her compSys station search to look over at them.
“Only you and the lieutenant can possibly lift Jonson, sir. Karaff weighs fifty kilos at very most, which Tania and I should be able to carry. Crewper Deepshell is a casualty, but he can walk. The doctor is best prepared should the stunned crew start to panic or develop other symptoms –” her voice drops slightly “– while I would consider trusting him with emergency weight bearing like this a risk.” Truhart was a great doctor and a decent man, but no athlete.
“What about teaming him with Aria? She’s stronger than most anyone.” Matisou checks his magpistol.
She admires how calm Matisou looks, and swallows nervously – she hopes he isn’t getting angry with her. “Sir, the Lieutenant Commander is our best shot, due to her superior vision, hearing, and degree of focus. These are the qualities most desired in whoever provides overwatch security for a small party bearing wounded.”
Matisou nods and looks around. “Well supported. Thanks, Crewper Chen.” He moves over to Enronn Debitts, finishing up the splints on Jonson.
Xiu-Li looks at Aria, watching the screens, and then unzips her forearm pockets. Aria looks over at Xiu-Li, sees the blades coming out, and gives her a quick nod of approval before ducking her head again.
Hmm, if Aria’s in favor of this, that’s a sign things are going to be messy, thinks Xiu-Li. All the more reason to be ready... she sets up her butterfly swords and slides one into each thigh pocket.
As the team gives aid, Aria stands watch over the exit door and monitors the security cameras in the station. “No response seen yet, Captain.” Her eye falls on a drawer full of datachips. Considering these recent events, it might be valuable to know more in case the captain decided on any more of an active response.
The monitors change – “Lights are going on in the main house.” Aria reaches out, scoops a handful of datachips into a pocket inside her flightjacket. The screens flicker. “Time’s up, sir.” Now there is actual movement. “Sir, there is quite a response building up. We need to exit now.”
In the cell, Matisou and Truhart exchange glances.
“We can move them if we must,” says a reluctant Truhart. He would have preferred to use their stretchers, but they have no time.
Matisou nods. “Bring them to the first Rally Point and we’ll finish triage and stabilization there. We can’t stay down here, and we’ll probably be covering each other the whole way back.”
Truhart nods glumly. Matisou looks around and points as he pairs off carriers.
Tania and Xiu-Li grab crewper Karaff under the arms while Matisou and Enronn Debitts grab Jonson. Doctor Truhart steadies a dazed Forbben, and Deepshell keeps an eye on the shocked-out Venturiini and Taz’ri’an, while Threnody leads, keeping their security watch.
Aria is surprised when they come upstairs to no response at all, and the surprise grows as they move to the outer door. Where are the bad guys?
She knows they are stirring in the other building but have yet to make an appearance in this one; they must be fairly inept if they are this unprepared on the heels of such an audacious act of public kidnapping. But most traditional Sol humans do so many things that puzzle Aria Threnody, including getting annoyed if she asked why. For now, she carefully looks out of the door.
There is no visible response except lights going on, so she quickly gets everyone out of the building.
The first rally point is the treeline they had first observed the compound from. They dash across the open area outside of the now-starting-to-light-up compound as best they can, getting into the woods where they can lower their injured comrades to the ground. It has now gotten dark with all the speed and depth of any tropical jungle on Earth, so there is plenty of black shadow to hide in.
Matisou figures luck is with them when they make it to the first rally point and he can set Jonson down at last.
During the scurry Truhart has triaged Forbben and told Tania how to treat the burns on his arms, even while he ran his fingers over Jonson’s legs. Matisou now hears metallic “snicks” as Xiu-Li and Debitts open memMetal stretchers up from the tiny carrysquare sizes (memory meta
ls were alloys whose shape changed if there was an electrical current running through them or not; in this case, a battery had changed a rectangular carrysquare about the dimensions of a chair armrest into a flat, stretcher-sized carrying frame).
Suddenly there are other snicks – magpistol slug shots through the leaves.
“Move now, people! Next R.P.!” Matisou sweeps the upper windows with several magpistol stun charges, and some of the shooting drops off. He is surprised it works; it gives them time to reorganize the carries with the frames and get everyone to the next R.P., which is up a low hill and screened by bushes (selected in case that degree of cover was needed, as now it is). Here they have time to stabilize Jonson and Karaff’s broken limbs and strap them in to the stretchers.
It is quite dark now, way out here well beyond the building lights, and the low-light unit on their Vision Enhancement Optics gives them the advantage in movement.
A flare shoots into the sky, illuminating the trees around them and also a dozen guards, all peering around. The guards see the group, give a shout, and sweep forward.
Magpistols hum and a few guards drop, stunned, but the rush continues for some time. The IWG team has barely moved a dozen meters, to some thick bushy growths, when another rush comes at them.
Again they fire, again guards drop... Aria’s magpistol charge expires. Then Enronn Debitts swore. “Out!”
As the flare flickers and sputters lower, the shadows dance jerkily and darkness drops around the tense, keyed-up IWG team. Their VEOpts will take another thirty seconds to reset.
Very large lights begin to go on inside the compound, lights that start to sweep out the shadows around the compound perimeter.
Aria turns suddenly. “Movement left!” she hisses.
Tania hears and feels a footstep thud near her, smells tobacco smoke, sees a shadow loom over her as she crouches there... she squeaks.
Xiu-Li’s magpistol is depleted, so it is a butterfly sword she employs. Tania gasps as the blade thunks into the man’s spine just before he can fire the gun in his hand. Instead, nerveless fingers drop the gun, and the man falls after it.
Tania looks up at Xiu-Li’s pale, tense face. “Thanks,” she whispers.
The captain whips around; Matisou’s face turns thunderous and he is about to say something when another thug trooper pops out of the bush, knocks Matisou’s magpistol free, raises a gun to Matisou’s face, and screams hate –
Xiu-Li has no choice: she sprints forward and lunges – THUP!
A flare again lit the sky, and they can see the blade protruding through the mouth of the guard, who stands there gurgling as blood pours down her throat. It is a woman; a faint scent of her perfume hangs over the tang of her blood, and the stink of gun fuel from the gun she drops as she dies. At least, Xiu-Li can smell it all (rosewater – and everything else too) as she guides the guard’s body – now a bloody, limp ragdoll – down to the ground. “Sorry, sir, my magpistol is depleted,” gasps Xiu-Li as she pulls her blade free.
Captain Matisou eyes the blade. “I see your Noble Butterfly is no mere cocoon.” He now looks more speculative than angry. “Well, thank you, Crewper Chen.” He looks around. “Anyone hurt? No? Good. Last R.P.!”
The last rally point is at a spot from where the Runners are just visible through the trees – eighty meters, about the length of an old traditional “city block” on Earth. Tania guides Taz’ri’an and Truhart guides a shocked victim over to Runner One while Deepshell hobbles along; some shots, getting closer, hit near them as they climb in.
Once in the Runner, Tania hands Venturiini over to Deepshell. “Three left.” She runs back with a boxful of fresh magpistol packs the covering and blocking teams need, and tosses them out.
Xiu-Li helps her carry Forbben, whose burn has caused shock and unconsciousness; Dr.Truhart is very concerned. “Two left,” says Tania. “I’m not certain what order we’ll be returning in.” Back out they go, as rounds whang off the Runner’s hull.
Back by the two remaining injured crew, Matisou is off to one side, trying to comm with Takaguchi, while there is an argument under fire about who is most accurate (they would be given all of the weapons to provide covering fire as each of the pairs carried an injured crewper). Tania goes over to the captain while Xiu-Li takes cover by the tree to listen.
It is agreed that Aria Threnody has the highest accuracy, but Debitts questions her killing spirit.
Xiu-Li listens for fifty seconds before she cuts in. “Sir, I understand that Lieutenant Commander Threnody is a dead shot with a magrifle. Even if she’s shooting at their feet, that will break their assault spirit; she doesn’t have to kill them.” Debitts now scowls at her. She goes on gently: “Also, sir, we need to conserve as much of our ammo for the next op as possible.”
Enronn suddenly looks worried; he’d forgotten all about Timbers and Westphal!
He hands Aria the magrifle. “Sorry, m’am,” he mutters as the captain and Manda scuttle over.
“Okay, it looks like this bunch is still clueless, so all we have to do is get from here to the Runner and then get our guys and get out of here.” Matisou looks at them. “Who’s covering my back?”
“Lieutenant Commander Threnody, sir,” says Debitts. “She’s top shot.” He looks at her. “The best we’ve got.”
Matisou nods. “Okay, then, let’s get lifting, lieutenant. We’ve got a run to make.” He winces as a near shot cracks a branch and drops it.
Aria provides cover as Debitts and Matisou pick up Jonson, while Chen and Manda pick up Karaff. The memMetal stretchers are light, rugged, and give them plenty of handholds, making it easy as possible to lift and carry someone – especially for the men (Karaff was barely 50 kilos but Jonson was at least 100).
Karaff has a broken leg, broken arm, and some cracked ribs; he looks pale and sick despite the pain patch, and although he is snugly tied down, he still moves and shifts as they semi-lope, making him gasp with pain.
They can hear rounds cutting air and woods all around them as they go, and Threnody’s return fire from positions on all sides, firing as she runs, moving much more quickly than their pursuers can imagine.
Threnody can hear them calling to each other, trying to estimate the size of the IWG force – their uncertainty delaying and frightening them, and they gradually stop following.
Finally the shuttleRunners are in sight. They get Jonson and then Karaff stowed in the Captain’s Runner and Dr.Truhart says he needs two minutes to get the five other crew stable; Tania helps him, while Enronn Debitts starts flightchecking both Runners, Threnody and Chen stand guard, and Matisou takes a moment to slow down, take a deep breath, and think.
He was shaken by the injuries to Forbben, Jonson, and Karaff, and it was clear that Taz’ri’an, Venturiini, and Deepshell had been subjected to considerable stress as well. If this kidnap group was connected to the southern one, and had communicated with them, both Timbers and Westphal might be dead already...
Matisou looked around. Aria and Xiu-Li were still keeping watch. “Both of you okay?”
They both nodded.
“Good.” He looked at Aria. “We’ll keep the same teams; we’ll all head south together. It looks like we’ll have to land a bit farther away from the target, so that’s a longer hike in and out. Once we get nearer to the structure they’re being held in, we’ll figure out who does what. The Doctor stays behind in a Runner with our injured and a magpistol, plus Deepshell and a magrifle. You set our landing zone security. Are there any questions?
“No, sir,” said Aria.
“No, sir. It is congruent with logic,” said Xiu-Li.
He looked at the expression on Xiu-Li’s face. “Are you all right, Crewper Chen?”
Xiu-Li looked down. “My spilling of blood, sir... I fear I have dishonored us.”
Matisou looked at Aria, who actually gave Chen a concerned glance as well. He then reached out and touched Xiu-Li’s shoulder. “There can be no dishonor in upholding a warrior’
s tradition. You did not choose this outcome, and your skill saved the lives of others. I’ve known you for several weeks; had you the choice, I know you’d have stunned them instead. But you did not have that choice tonight, and there was no other, except hesitation.” He sighed and shook his head. “You are not going to see me arguing in favor of hesitation, at least, not tonight, Xiu-Li.” He gave her a tight, wintry smile, and Xiu-Li looked less shaken. “I would be dead. Tania would be dead. Your old teachers would feel slightly empty. And you would have cursed your skills to your dying day – when your life demanded their application at last, where were they?
“No,” Matisou solemnly shook his head as he continued. “You have dishonored no one. You have honored a tradition of duty, and it is your natural goodness that makes you feel distaste for your actions, even question the consequences of them. But the deaths were a result of their attack upon us. And there may be others ahead as well. We have plenty of fully charged magpistols.” He could see new spirit in her eyes – in all of their eyes, as he ended up addressing Tania, Truhart, and Debitts, who had finished their work.
The five minutes were up. “Let’s go!” said Matisou. He pointed to Threnody, Manda and Chen. “You three take Runner Two. At approach we’ll slipstream behind you,” he said.
They followed Matisou’s shuttleRunner up and away from the city – they would fly out in a big curve over the forest and back to the city, stay away from local eyes, and approach the city from the south.
Aria flew. Xiu-Li sat up front on comms. Tania sat in back.
Xiu-Li looked at Aria. “M’am, in your opinion, did I violate my orders?”
Aria considered the question. “No, you acted with restraint and within all orders applying at the time.”
“I took life...”
Aria looked ahead. “There are rational reasons to do so.” She looked over at Xiu-Li. “It is always rational to seek a course that minimizes those times that no other options are possible. To try, through pre-planning and skill, to avoid irrational waste of life.” She checked the instruments. “And to take it responsibly when doing so.”
Xiu-Li frowned. “M’am, your advice sounds like what you’d offer a tactical officer.”
“That is a presumption on your part,” Aria said tartly. “But perhaps so. That is up to the captain and Commander Takaguchi, but it is certainly a most respected professional division of Space Fleet.” She looked at the nav screen. “Please go alert Ensign Manda about landing, and stay there for immediate deployment.”
“Aye, m’am.” Xiu-Li stood up to go.
“Incidentally,” Aria said softly, “it would be wise to say some positive things to the ensign. It assists her in a crisis.”
“Aye, m’am.”
In the mid-bay, Tania looked at Xiu-Li. It was hard to believe this nice young woman had killed two people. “I just want to thank you again for saving my life!” she said.
Xiu-Li blushed.
“Did you study a fighting art?” Tania continued, a little too brightly. She was getting nervous about the upcoming action.
“I practice a traditional Chinese Wu-Shu art called Butterfly Sword,” said Xiu-Li. “It is very, very old.”
“It was beautiful – and you were awesome!”
“You are kind to say so. It takes great practice... but it does not require a new power pack to work.”
Tania laughed. “But you do need a sword.”
Xiu-Li smiled at her for the first time. “You would be surprised what I can do without a sword.” She felt the Runner banking. “We’re going to land really soon. Get ready, and follow me.”
“What do I do?”
“You follow me.”
“But I’m the ensign.”
Xiu-Li looked at her: Tania was serious. What did a hottie like Orlando Timbers see in her? “Yes, m’am. I clear the way, taking attention, while you follow up behind me, until we’re across the clearing and can cover for Aria.”
Tania looked at Xiu-Li, shook her head, and made a face. “Sorry, Jool. I’m really nervous. Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.” Tania frowned and straightened in her seat. “Anything. At all.”
“It’s okay, m’am, just follow me.” Well, thought Xiu-Li, apology and admission are saving graces. Tania was certainly cute enough to put up with her spats and tantrums, but...
They land twenty seconds later, and spill out into a warm, muggy, moonfilled night.
Tania turns on her VEOptics and follows Xiu-Li across the clearing, then overwatches until Aria comes out and closes the shuttle door.
Aria looks around and comes right over to them; she does not need any VEOpt night vision augmentation as her Niv eyes see quite well in the ambient light of a moonlit night. The captain’s shuttle drops in a moment later, right into the center of the clearing. Captain Matisou and Enronn Debitts get out, looking grave. Aria signals them and they head over to the edge of the woods.
“Set to e-mag stun against people, minimize injury... but do what you have to to get Crewmen Timbers and Westphal back to WHEELER. I do not intend to leave anyone behind. R.O.E. One. Is that understood?”
Everyone straightens up. “Aye, sir.” It is their formal acknowledgement of orders to kill if left no choice.
The city’s edge is dark. They move out of the trees and move along the walls of the darkened buildings. As they advance, they see and e-mag stun two figures; both are armed guards.
Their target is a building entrance across the street. Aria goes forward to distract any guards and Xiu-Li e-mag stuns the two men they find standing just inside the door, just as they begin to leer at the lovely Chief Engineer. Once inside, there are long dim-lit hallways off to stairs at either end, and one door straight ahead.
Matisou looks both ways. “This’ll get tight if we get cut off. You take Tania and Xiu-Li and see if they’re in there, we’ll stay here and keep the back door open.”
Aria nods coolly.
They assemble by the door. Xiu-Li presses on the pad. She steps through the moment it opens and says, “Hey there!” then moves in at an angle away from the door, and away from the man sitting at the desk.
He looks puzzled, but as Xiu-Li is very pretty he does not yet object. Aria peeks through the door, then steps through it at an angle opposite to Xiu-Li’s, turns, and e-mag stuns the man sitting at the desk.
There are no other noises within.
Aria dodges behind the desk. There is a pair of boots and a box on the floor, folded material inside: underwear, and a Space Fleet crew uniform. Under it is a clear plastic box full of various datachips.
She refolds the uniform and puts it into the mission kit bag slung over her shoulder... then she adds the box of datachips as well – they might yield valuable intell information with review and analysis, especially if they were different from the other site.
As Xiu-Li moves forward with Tania, Aria sees one of the doors along the corridor has a glowing panel of light on it, and knows it is their next destination to inspect.
The door crashes open to the sound of several magpistols. The female standing behind Orlando Timbers crumples to the floor. Several pairs of hands grab him and gently remove him from the harness. He is startled but unhurt.
Aria says, “Take care of him, Ensign,” to Tania, then she and Xiu-Li go back out, magpistols ready.
Down the corridor there is a door with a small lit panel; inside that cell they find a clothed but badly battered Clinton Westphal, who waves when he sees them through his unbruised, unswollen eye, and grins with the teeth he has remaining.
Xiu-Li quickly unties him and back out they go, keeping weapons ready (Westphal stops to briefly clean himself up in the sink).
The corridor is empty. Aria moves toward the far end and Xiu-Li takes a position by the desk. Captain Matisou steps through the door near her. “Are they here? They okay?”
Xiu-Li nods. “Yes, sir. Pretty well, considering.” He nods and frowns as he goes to see for himself.
&nbs
p; Xiu-Li resumes her search of the desk, then notices three plastic boxes of datachips in a drawer she opens. She looks up as Matisou goes into the room and Aria checks something at the far end of the corridor, then Xiu-Li puts the boxes in her pocket.
A moment later Aria starts toward her, Westphal joins her, then Matisou, Manda and Timbers emerge from the room they had just found Orlando in.
Xiu-Li steps out through the entry door and scouts as they head her way. Enronn Debitts waves all clear, and soon they are all crouched by the front door. Orlando is wrapped in a very large blanket, yet looks pristine compared to the battered Westphal.
There are distant shouts and Matisou darts across the street to a doorway outside as the four of them crouch in the corridor just inside the building entrance.
Tania gives Orlando two water bottles and grins as he just drains one, and the next. It is better than any wine or liquor he had ever tasted in his life, and as it clears his palate he realizes he can smell Tania’s scent, and the faint perfume Xiu-Li wears; he can even hear Aria’s steady breathing; all of his senses seem amplified.
Aria hands Orlando something – his boots. “Put these on now, Mr.Timbers. We will be running a distance.”
He puts them on, grateful they had found anything, and gathers the blanket around him. Aria nods, and first Tania, then Orlando, then Xiu-Li each run across the street, Aria taking up the rear. There is more distant yelling as they move along the edges of the buildings and put distance between themselves and the racket. Soon they are on the outskirts of the city, heading toward the woods there.
At the next corner the Captain scrambles into the trees as Debitts keeps cover, then withdraws. Aria listens carefully, then points at Xiu-Li and Orlando.
Tania gives them a nervous smile, then up the ridge they scramble, into the treeline. Xiu-Li drops low as Orlando gets behind some trees. It is hard to get the VEOptics adjusted over the distances at night, especially as clouds and moonlight were dodging over the scene; Xiu-Li strains to see whether any other figures besides her crewmates are out there.
She sees Aria touch Tania’s shoulder and point. Tania nods. Poor Tania, she must be so hyped she could pop! Aria crouches and moves –
As Aria moves, a shot rings out, very close.
She dodges back.
Everyone freezes.
Another shot – but farther away.
They crouch in the darkness, uncertain.
Xiu-Li crawls over to Timbers and both try to get a peek. “I can’t see anyone. Our people’re still okay,” says Xiu-Li. She smiles in relief, then studies Orlando. “You okay?”
“Ohh, space, Xiu-Li – I gotta take a leak!”
Xiu-Li is a real warrior. She looks around and matter of factly says, “We’re okay right now.” She looks at Orlando. “You’re certainly dressed for it.” He is wearing just his boots and the blanket. “Go ahead.”
He moves around to the far side of the tree and she hears him groan as he goes.
Meeting them as they finally dash to the trees, Tania grins in manic relief.
Aria’s comm beeps. She gives Xiu-Li the mission kit bag and answers it. “We are nearly there, sir. There is no pursuit, and I see no reason for you to delay.” She hears his reply and they continue their hike (a fast march to the landing area). After two minutes they hear muffled rumbles ahead and see a spark go shooting up into the sky.
“The Captain’s Runner,” whispers Xiu-Li. “He, Enronn, and the Doctor got everybody else; some are in bad shape.”
“Quiet, crewper,” whispers Aria.
Xiu-Li looks abashed as Orlando nods his thanks to her. Tania looks back at the trail behind them. “All clear, m’am,” she says, in her most serious voice.
When they reached the shuttleRunner Xiu-Li got Orlando’s clothes out of the mission kit and said she and Aria would wait just outside while he got dressed.
Orlando was jerky and stiff; Tania offered to lend a hand, for which he was grateful. Xiu-Li used her medical kit to start cleaning up Westphal as Tania got Orlando dressed quickly. In moments they were on their way back up to the ship. The other shuttleRunner had already been docked for some time.
It took a little while before the Doctor could get to Orlando, but Truhart eventually got a chance to check him out and release him from sickbay. Tania was waiting for him, and they walked to her quarters, arm in arm. Orlando was exhausted, but he didn’t want to be alone (he did not tell her that, of course)... and neither did Tania.
Tania spooned behind him in her bed when they finally went to sleep.
Happy and tired as he was, Orlando still wondered before he fell asleep if pretty Xiu-Li was sleeping alone, or was as happy as he...
Xiu-Li had been just as intrigued by the datachips scattered everywhere as Aria was, and had helped herself to a few handfuls as well. Just looking at their markings allowed her to roughly sort them into groups: popular titles (bootleg copy) or pornographic (in all categories: conventional sex, somewhat violent, very violent, all partner combos permissible, even creatures and animals). Whatever else the O.P.P. kidnappers had been, they also used this trade to fund their business. There was even a contact frequency.
The existence of the violent chips neither relieved her nor reassured her about her own feelings.
The first death had been an automatic throw in one instinctual move, but the second had taken three steps and a thrust – plenty of time to think. She had begun moving the moment the figure had popped out from the bushes, gun in hand.
On her first step: thoughts about cutting off the gun hand, but the figure raises that arm, and the gun comes to bear on Matisou.
On her second step: seeing the gun pointed at him, Matisou’s eyes grow wide and then he frowns –
Now her third step: the gun arm shakes, proably tightening the grip and trigger –
Then a full extension thrust – and nerveless fingers drop the gun.
Whussh! A flare explodes. In the harsh light Matisou looks a bit quizzical, then disappointed as he sees the death, then resigned. He nods. She apologizes.
But he did not feel the person impaled on a short blade, bucking and kicking as their guts emptied out. Xiu-Li knew the blade had gone in straight and flat, missing all the major arteries but severing the spinal cord, preventing the final trigger contraction.
Xiu-Li thought back to the steps in terms of sound and smell: hearing screaming hate, and the smells of – one: summer woods; two: perfume; three: sweat, alcohol, perfume, and gun fuel. Thrust: stale smoke, sweat, perfume... a tang of coppery blood, then a heavy stink...
She shivered. I took a life – I turned it off... shouldn’t I feel “bad” about this?
Do I?
No... that was one fekk of a throw, and it took guts to use cold steel on another person. And the Captain... he reminded me about honor...
Oooh, it was strange to feel this way! Had she been wrong?
Well, maybe she was! She had killed two people. Most religions were not in favor of her actions, but some made allowances; she was perhaps “justified in the sin,” as she couldn’t honestly see letting the two kidnappers go ahead and kill Tania or the Captain. She wasn’t wrong, exactly, but...
This is now officially a pointless thought loop, kiddo.
Xiu-Li thought about Orlando and Tania... and Aria, an unusual figure of contemplation.
Tania – not her type, really. Nice enough, worthy of support, but really... cute enough, though, and she would be fun to teach some lessons to... not that Xiu-Li felt the least bit “dreamy” about Tania (her time with Julissa had been pretty much goofing around; they hadn’t even really fooled around very seriously).
As for Orlando, well – she knew the best way to get Orlando off! And she really wanted to! Orlando was definitely her type (brown and soulful eyes, good body, interested in science and medicine just like she was... ) so Xiu-Li would have to stay away (don’t be too eager, or any temptation) but keep a line open. In case Orlando moved on, a
s he often had before, so just in case, but not because she would influence it...
Aria... now, she was top of the list of those meeting Xiu-Li’s personal definition of “hottie,” or someone whose looks and character were simply so interesting that gender didn’t matter.
On a starship, meals could be very important social interactions, and Xiu-Li gauged her interest in others by deciding what meals she wouldn’t mind spending with them, and with Aria Threnody, she would most gladly meet for breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert...
The door chime startled her. This late...? Then a soft tap –
Julissa!
Xiu-Li almost fell off the bed. She picked up and pulled on her robe, skipped to the door –
No one was there. She tilted her head out.
Julissa Martines stood frozen the corridor, looking back at the sound of the door opening behind her. As she saw Xiu-Li, her pretty face lit up and she waved.
Xiu-Li shook her head, smiling, and waved her over.
After the door shut, Julissa grabbed Xiu-Li and hugged her very tightly. “Xiu-Li! Are you all right? Oh, Space! You are burning up, girl!”
Xiu-Li cried out and clung to her as if drowning.
Julissa held the trembling, whimpering young woman as the shock really hit her. “It’s okay. You’re okay now, Xiu-Li,” she murmured gently. “You’re okay. I’m here now. It’s okay.”
“I-I-I killed – two –”
“I know, honey, I did a half watch helping out in sickbay. I know, Jool, I know you were right.”
“I didn’t want to!”
“I know.”
“Why did I have to? Why did they force me to – I didn’t want to, Julissa! Oh...” And Xiu-Li dissolved in tears, sobbing into Julissa’s chest. “It’s not fair!” she wailed.
“Shh, shh, shh – it’s okay, it’s okay...” Julissa just held her. After a bit: “Do you feel better?”
Xiu-Li nodded.
“I know your heart is hurting now, but you do know you did the right thing?”
Xiu-Li took a long, slow breath, looked at Julissa, and nodded. She took another breath and smiled, just a little, looking resigned.
Julissa felt a rush of warmth – she looks so sexy right now, smiling with her tearstained face. Xiu-Li was still young, but Julissa saw as her looking older somehow. She’s been through a lot. Maybe I’m a bit selfish to just want to fool around because she impressed the fekk out of me, and gave me some serious feelings for this sweet, hot rocket of a girl...
Xiu-Li sniffled. “Sorry. You came to – ?”
Julissa smiled. “I just wanted to see if you were okay.” She sighed. “I’m glad I stopped by. I heard – well, I bet it was pretty, umm, I mean...” She looked down. Her cheeks were burning. Fekk, I feel like I’m back in – fekk! She looked up. “I just wanted to say, I think you’re incredible.”
Xiu-Li frowned (Julisssa’s heart skipped a beat), then smiled (Julissa’s heart pounded suddenly), as if waiting for more information.
“That’s not the only reason, Lissa, I hope, I mean,” Xiu-Li wiggled in Julissa’s arms. “I’m sorta...” She looked at Julissa with puppy dog eyes. “Can you please stay? I’m sort of anxious, being alone right now... please, Lissa?” Well that was true – although a good, solid cry had really helped! Then Xiu-Li sighed. “I’m sorry. That’s not fair.”
Julissa leaned back. There were tears in her eyes. “My God, Xiu-Li. Of-course-I’ll-stay! I’ll stay.” The tears spilled over and ran down her cheeks. “You don’t – you don’t even realize it, do you?” She shook her head. “Maybe you can’t – that’s just how you are.” More tears.
Xiu-Li was mystified. She rubbed Julissa’s back. “What do you mean, Lissa? And why are you crying?”
“Everybody knows by know! You saved the Captain! You-you saved Tania!”
“Oh. That.” Xiu-Li sighed. “I was just doing my job. And I wish I had other options.”
Julissa smiled through tears now. “That’s the point! I would’ve stood there trying to come with a thousand dopey alternatives and possibilities, and they would’ve killed them! You didn’t! There wasn’t time, and you saved them both!” She sniffled, smiling, “You’re j-just – !”
Xiu-Li smiled. “I’m just a Fleet crew member.”
“No, you – you’re – uhmm –”
“Shush. Why don’t you take off your shoes, mariposa?”
Julissa sat down and began to slide off her shoes. Her eyes were on Xiu-Li, who was starting to feel weird all over again – I’ve never been anyone’s hero before! Xiu-Li’s head spun, and she sat down.
She looked over at Julissa. “What a day.”