Author: Robert Wagner
Category: Other
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"Let's just say friends of the ship we were just on, the one that went kaboom. They showed up and don't seem to happy with us."
"Anything I can do?" Chen offered.
"Yeah. Keep holding on tight. Herra out."
One minute.
"Zayan...what you got for me." Herra sounded testy and she hated it. The nebula was looming large ahead and she still didn't know what she was getting into. This was not turning out like the peaceful first contact with the Ishalan.
"The nebula make up is of forty two percent hydrogen, tw-"
"Zayan I'm not looking for a composition report!" Herra was having to split her attention now between dodging laser blasts and talking. The Dauntless registered another hit. "Tell me what it's going to do to my ship!"
Zayan spoke rapidly, his accent getting thicker until at the end Herra wasn't sure exactly what he said. "The temperature inside is above average. More than our life support can compensate for. Shields will be less effective. As will scanners."
"Can you translate, Virgil?" Herra took the Dauntless through a series of loops and spins, dodging the new volley of fire.
"It's going to get hot in here. Shields will be weaker. Scanner distance will make us practically blind. Basically we're screwed no matter what." Virgil sounded defeated.
"Got it. We won't instantly die." Herra dove for the nebula pushing the Dauntless back up to maximum speed.
The Dauntless plunged into the swirling cloud of red, blues, and purples. Maybe the attackers wouldn't go in. Maybe she could wait them out until they got bored and left. Herra pulled back the thrusters and came to almost a full stop, letting inertia carry them in deeper. Now it was a waiting game.
Chen and Sanford squeezed together in the entrance to the bridge. It was tight, but Herra called them up because she didn't want to talk over the comm. She couldn't leave the bridge either to go to the common room. Her hands poised over the sticks and Virgil hovered over the long range scanners, both were on edge for any sign of the alien attackers.
"I just want everyone to know the plan. I'm hoping whatever got the these aliens in such an uproar will pass. If we can hide in here until they move on, then we'll shoot straight for the wormhole. From there we're going back to Earth. They have to know everything we know."
"Do you need all of us to go back to Earth with you?" Sanford asked.
Herra thought that was a weird question for him to ask. She answered hesitantly. "I guess not. Aren't you looking forward to go back to your roots? Its been awhile." She didn't know much about his life before he joined her on Tokani, but she was sure he was from Earth.
"I would like to take a leave of absence, once we get back to a colonized world. If that's alright with you." Sanford crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
"Can we talk about this later?" Virgil piped up. "Right now we should be ready for anything. Shield integrity is at twenty percent. One hit and it's gone. They don't have shields on their small ships, but we need ours. We have no idea about their scanners, but our range is effectively half of baseline now."
"And it has already gone up one degree Celsius," Zayan added. "The increasing heat reminds me of the summers at home. It was a dry heat but-"
Herra interrupted him. It was becoming a bad habit. She made a mental note to correct that later. "Sorry Zayan but storytime will have to wait. Virgil's right. I just wanted to let you know our overall plan, flimsy as it is."
"How about I send out the probe?" Zayan offered. "Extend our detection range."
Herra considered it. It wasn't a bad idea. It was part of her ship though and it would be vulnerable to being destroyed. She hated to lose any of the Dauntless, no matter how minor.
"Let's just see if we even need to, Zayan." He frowned at her but didn't speak again. Instead he turned back to his console.
"Commander, do you think I could take over the science station?" Chen looked embarrassed. Her eyes kept flicking between Zayan's back and Herra. "I mean, I'm the astrophysicist. No offense, Zayan."
Zayan stiffened in his seat. His hand froze over the console. Slowly he turned to face Herra. His face looked fallen. Herra had to remind herself Zayan was green. He would have to learn how things worked on her ship. These were harsher circumstances than usual, but the time to tell if Zayan could cut deep space exploration would be shorter too.
"You're right, Chen. You're the more qualified in this situation. Zayan, if you would kindly move."
Zayan didn't look mad, only dejected. With slumped shoulders he stood and pushed past Chen and Sanford. Not looking happy herself Chen slipped into the empty seat.
"Are you going to say something?" Virgil prompted.
"To who about what?" Herra replied.
Virgil just shook his head. What did he want her to do, baby Zayan? He'd get over it and integrate with the crew or he wouldn't. Herra gritted her teeth, irritated at Virgil but not sure why.
"If you don't need anything Commander, I need to go back and get something to eat. I'm famished," Sanford said.
Virgil sounded astonished. "You can eat at a time like this?"
Sanford let out a laugh that was almost a guffaw. Herra had never heard someone outside of a movie do that before. "I've learned that you eat when you can where you can. Especially at times like this." Sanford turned to leave.
"I do need something Sanford. Bring me up a ration bar." Virgil turned to look at her like she was crazy too. "That's good advice. Want one Virgil? Chen?"
"No." They said in unison.
The tension was as thick as the nebula outside the cockpit window. It would have been a beautiful view if not for the unknown alien ships trying to blow them out of space. After Sanford brought her a ration bar and left, the bridge fell silent. Herra's chewing seemed loud, which made her self conscious. After swallowing the last bit of the bar she asked Virgil how the Dauntless was holding up. She was sweating as the temperature inside increased. She could see the beads on Virgil's balding forehead too.
"Everything is operating," was his terse reply.
"Commander, we may have a problem." Chen spoke up.
"You mean another problem?" Herra sighed. "What is it now?"
"The plasma ionic composition is an unusual one for a nebula this small. Weapon discharges will have a igniting effect on it."
"Are you saying that a laser blast will also ignite something like a fireball?" That intrigued Herra.
"More like a fire cone," Chen corrected.
"Is this just from the weapons or will it happen with any energy discharge?"
"Let me run the models again. I want to be sure." Herra could hear Chen's fingers flying over the console behind her. "It looks like any additional energy input into the unstable plasma particles will cause a reaction. The amount of energy imputed into the equation will determine the size and radius of the fire cone output."
"Good work, Chen. That could be used to our advantage."
"Or cook ourselves even faster." Virgil wiped at his brow. "What if those aliens out there use it on us? Speaking of which, how long are we going to stay in here?"
"You tell me, Virgil. How long can we stay in here? How much more can Dauntless take?"
As Virgil did the calculations Herra stared out into the swirling clouds of hot gases dancing all around her. She was thinking beyond their escape out of here. Beyond their return to Earth even. Herra was doing her own calculations on what a dramatic change a hostile alien race would have on the galaxy. Would she get recognition for the warnings and information she discovered? Or would she be damned and used as an excuse as the reason why Earth was now in war with a new alien species? In her mind it could just as easily go either way. On the long trip back she was going to have to think deeply about this. Find the best way to present all that had happened. And which of the Earth factions it would be best to approach first.
"Thirty minutes."
Virgil broke Herra out of her train of thought. She didn't register what he said. "What was that?"
&n
bsp; "Thirty minutes. My best estimate is thirty minutes more. Then the heat and radiation will be too much for the system to compensate."
"Then twenty minutes is your answer." She pressed on the console, starting a countdown. This has been a day of countdowns.
The bridge went back to being silent. As was the rest of the Dauntless. The ship was the only thing making sounds. Its groans and creaks made it sound like it was alive. Herra glanced at her countdown. They had thirteen minutes left. She went back to staring at the hypnotizing swooshing of the multicolored nebula.
"Virgil-" Herra started.
A huge explosion rattled and echoed throughout the ship. Herra found herself suddenly fighting the controls as the Dauntless spun like a top then began listing to the side as well. She slowly brought the engines up to their lowest settings. She could only imagine the light show happening behind her ship as the energy ignited the plasma. It would be like a lighthouse beacon in the fog. She didn't know if the aliens had just gotten lucky or if their scanners were more advanced. Either way they would have no trouble finding the Dauntless now.
"I could use the plasma as a wall," Herra said out loud as she worked to right the Dauntless. She swooped and dodged as cones of fire exploded to the left, then above, below, left again. Herra rotated her two laser cannons to the rear, brought the engines up to speed, and opened fire. Shooting behind them was a whole lot less accurate than firing forward, but in this case it wouldn't matter. She waggled the tail end of the Dauntless back and forth as she continued firing. A huge wall of plasma fire erupted in the starships trail.
Virgil hooted next to her. "I was confused what you were doing at first, but damn if it didn't work. I register two fighters destroyed."
That was great, but Herra knew they weren't out of trouble yet. "How are we?"
Virgil didn't have great news for her. "One more hit and the shields are gone. They've been continuously draining since we've been in the nebula. After they go down, you're looking at least ten minutes of cycling and recharging the projector."
"Then I better concentrate on flying."
Herra swooped up. She wanted to emerge out the top of the nebula. Hoping the expanding cone of fire raging out behind her would shield Dauntless long enough to punch it to the wormhole. Easy right? She called back to Chen what she planned to do.
"Two coming right towards us!" Virgil shouted.
The two flower shaped fighters were in view seconds later. They both fired. Herra changed her trajectory into a dive. Laser bolts and hot gases both glanced off the shields. It wasn't good that the aliens were pursuing her this hard. What had she done that ticked them off? They blew up their own ship for whatever mysterious reason, not her. It wasn't fair.
Chen fed her the coordinates of the boundary of the nebula. She weaved the Dauntless back onto its climb out of the nebula. The starship emerged with a colorful explosions in its backdraft. Herra stopped firing and brought the guns back around to the forward positions. She threw all power back into the engines. They would need serious overhauling once they got out of this.
The wormhole now lay below the Dauntless' position. Like she had hoped, the large alien craft had moved closer to the nebula. She'd be able to dart right behind it and so long suckers. She leaned her body forward, as if she could will the ship to move faster by doing so.
"Sensors coming back online. Hull temperatures dropping. No shields, but no fighters are in range. Maybe your little trick got them all."
"How long until wormhole," Herra said through gritted teeth.
"Five minutes," Chen reported.
A flash of light off the right side made Herra jerk the flight stick left out of habit. The Dauntless corkscrewed away.
"What was that, Virgil?" said Herra, ticked off.
"One of the fighters must have gotten through your wall of fire. Picked it up on sensor at the same time it fired."
Herra flipped the Dauntless and looped back around. She headed straight for the small fighter craft.
"What are you doing?" Virgil asked incredulous.
Herra didn't answer. She tired of fleeing. She wanted to get this annoying fly off her back and then gun it to the wormhole. Herra dove straight towards the smaller craft. Like they were playing chicken. Then she opened up her guns. The fighter spun on its axis and tried to dive. Three hits of her over powered laser cannons blasted the alien ship into several parts. The Dauntless dove through its debris field. Herra did another loop and dove straight back towards the wormhole.
"Uh oh." Virgil said.
"I don't like the sound of that Virgil. Why 'uh oh'?"
"The big guy is shifting trajectory. They're coming back around this way. Still don't know its range. I think your little maneuver gave them time to close in."
"I'll try to make us as hard to hit as possible."
Herra tried every wild maneuver she had ever learned, and ones she made up on the spot. Soon the space around her filled with the flashes of the alien's cutter beam. Every time she strayed too far from the wormhole, Herra jerked the Dauntless hard back on course. She must have tried the trick one too many times. Yellow light filled her view screen. Dauntless buffed and her controls went practically dead. Warnings and red lights filled her computer screen and cabin.
"Talk to me, Virgil." For the first time since this whole ordeal started, Herra let panic creep into her mind and her voice. "I feel like I'm flying a brick over here."
Virgil rapidly cycled through his report. "Shields down. Right engine forty five percent efficiency. Sensors offline. I'm deploying Dido to the engines."
The Dauntless slid sideways through space. Herra fought to keep its nose pointed at the wormhole. "We're going to make it everybody, we're going to make it."
Engine power increased slightly. They were a big metal target without shields or maneuverability. Herra hoped that weapon of theirs took longer to charge than for her to get the Dauntless through the wormhole. She didn't know what they'd find on the other side of it, but it had to be better than the situation they found themselves in now.
Her starship kept limping along in fits and starts. Without sensors, they had no idea if fighters were riding up their exhaust ports or if a yellow blast of death was on the way to obliterate them.
"We're going to make it." Chen said wondrously behind her.
Herra's flight sticks tore free from her hands. A yellow cutting beam from the alien ship sliced through the right wing and right engine of the Dauntless. The ship went spinning to the left from the impact. Herra was powerless to do anything about what was happening to ship. She could hear the emergency bulkhead slam down in the galley, blocking the hallway that led to the now missing part of her ship. Her Dauntless. Damaged. She couldn't believe it. It couldn't be true. The wormhole loomed closer. The light show lit up her cabin. Momentum carried the Dauntless through.
The wormhole worked like it always did. One heartbeat you were in one solar system, the next heartbeat you were in another. Rarely had one led to deep interstellar space. Herra didn't know where they had ended up and right now she didn't really care. Her ship, her Dauntless, wounded probably beyond repair.
Herra slumped forward, hands limp on her lap. She stared out at the nothingness in front of her. Dauntless listed, leaving a trail of broken parts and pieces behind it. Virgil was saying something to her. Almost shouting it. She just let it wash over her until he started shaking her.
"Herra! Are you going to check on Sanford and Zayan? Herra! Come on. We're really screwed here. We gotta make sure they're okay."
My ship! How? How can this be? It's been wounded.
"Damn you, Herra! Snap out of it! Arr!" In total frustration Virgil got up and sulked off, calling for the rest of the crew.
With an effort Herra stood. She looked down at Chen. Chen looked up at Herra. Her face looked drained of color. Herra didn't believe she had ever seen the particular expression Chen had on her face before. Herra stumbled out into the galley.
With the engines offl
ine, the emergency lights were on. Everything around her looked a pale, waxy yellow. Herra turned to look at the bulkhead. She walked to it and put a hand up slowly. Her body moved like she was in a dream. Maybe that was it. Maybe she got knocked out and this was a nightmare. If she woke up, she would find that they were safely through the wormhole and plotting a course for Earth. Her hand pressed against the metal. It was cold. Strange how this dream seems so real. Not only did she shiver as the coldness traveled up her arm and seeped into her body, Herra could smell the burnt wiring. The ozone like stench which was the residue of over strained engines. Herra didn't know how long she stood there, but when Virgil came up behind her and spun her around, she couldn't feel her fingers anymore.
"Herra. Sanford and Zayan are okay. Just a little banged up."
Herra let her hand flop to her side. She nodded as if her head was moving through water. It was good no one else had been harmed. Except my Dauntless is on its deathbed.
"Damn it, Herra! Snap out of it!" She had never seen Virgil so purely angry. She blinked rapidly.
"Virgil?" Herra sounded drowsy . This was no dream. She knew that now. She felt like crying.
Sanford and Zayan came up behind Virgil. They stood on either side of him. Together they looked three sentinels. Standing over her. Judging her.
"This is all your fault, Herra! All of it!" Virgil was inches from Herra's face. She could feel his hot breath. His spittle impacting on her cheeks. Sanford yanked him back. Herra had never seen Sanford look disheveled before. The honest and cheerful grin Zayan always seemed to wear was gone.
"Virgil. Virgil." Sanford said in his doctorly voice. "I understand you're upset but really-"
Virgil pulled away. He had the mass on the willowy Sanford. "Don't touch me. You don't understand. We're going to die out here now. And it's her fault!" He stabbed an accusatory finger at Herra. She looked at it like it was a foreign object.
"What do you mean?" Herra snapped out of her daze. The feeling awaking inside of her was indignation. "I made unknown aliens slice a chunk of my ship away? Huh? That's what I wanted?"