“Thank you, I’ll be right up.”
“I’ll let you know if she wakes up,” Adams said. Tom nodded and put on a smile.
“I’m going to work for a while, Pet. Stay with Mama and Dr. Adams, here, please. We can do a movie later.” She nodded. Tom took a blanket from a drawer and wrapped it around her then kissed her head. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“See, I told you she needed you,” Adams told the captain before he walked out the door.
“More like I needed her.”
“That’s what I just said,” the old gentleman uttered. Tom stopped and turned around.
“Doc, when I was younger, even just ten years ago, I never thought I would need children in my life, to be whole. Now I can’t imagine my life without her. I’d be up here in the cosmos, thinking I’m making a difference somehow when, maybe, the most important legacy you leave are your children.”
“They certainly change your perspective on life.”
“A clear understatement,” Tom said over his shoulder on his way to demolish the Pegasi shuttle.
“Where’s the shuttle?” Jackson asked when the elevator door opened. “I don’t see it.”
“She’s below us, sir, in the moon’s gravity,” Lieutenant Lee answered.
“Put up a visual please.” Mr. Lee complied and to Jackson’s left an image appeared in 3D, a small hologram, of the shuttle craft drifting downward. It headed stern first, the heaviest end being caught and leading the descent. In the lower corner of the projection, a kilometer meter indicated the distance between the Maria Mitchell and the Pegasi vexation. The captain pulled a small cube from his pocket and took his chair in the center of the bridge.
The number grew until it reached 10,000. With a gush of revenge Jackson pressed his thumb hard on the button and a few seconds later the image changed into a ball of orange, frothing fire and sparks. A second later the Maria Mitchell rocked gently from the shock wave of the blast.
“Well done, sir,” York said.
“I don’t mind admitting I enjoyed that more than I should. Since I know exactly where Dukvita is at the moment, break orbit and return to Cinco so we can rescue Dr. Gregory. I’ll be in the ‘detention dungeon’.”
Jackson felt the adrenaline from the explosion of the Pegasi spacecraft coursing in his blood. Those damn pirates weren’t going to win this time. Despite a decade of time Jackson would never forget Dukvita’s role in stealing millions worth of telescopic equipment and vaccines right off space station Novissimus. Dukvita had been at the heart of a conspiracy against a civilization on Ceti D to exploit their resources for their own profit. Dukvita had been a giant green thorn in Jackson’s side and now he was in the pilot’s seat.
“I see you two have recovered,” Jackson said to his prisoners. Dukvita stood from his metal bench; his associate remained seated. The alien stood at 210 cm compared to Jackson’s 185 cm, and more than once the captain had to consciously steel himself in the face of a Pegasi to stop his hands from twitching. On this occasion, he looked Dukvita straight in the eyes and breathed easily. The difficulty this time was to keep a grin from bursting across his face.
Dukvita’s bulgy eyes squeezed tight as if trying to focus on Jackson.
“What are you doing here? You should be on Cinco.”
“Yes, I should, but not under your lock and key. Where’s my associate, Dr. Gregory?”
“Captain, you think we know? I thought you were on Cinco. I was wrong.” Jackson could play mind games only so long.
“Commander Quixote says you threatened to kill us.”
“Kill you? Not all of you, just one of you. He took me seriously, which is what you should do, Jackson.” The prisoner turned his back to Jackson, something few people had the audacity to do. “How did you get back to your ship?”
“I guess I should say thank you,” Jackson said. “I hitched a ride with you.”
“How did you know we were going to your ship and not ours, or someplace else?” Jackson knew better than to admit dumb luck.
“It didn’t matter to me where you were going. So, you know, I took the liberty of destroying your shuttle. You’ll not be leaving anytime soon, so think hard about where you left my officer. Once he’s returned we can move on to other matters.”
“You destroyed my ship? Jackson, this is last time I fairly deal with you. You think I wave my hand and tell someone find him? He was at same building you were at when I last saw him.” Dukvita turned his back to Jackson.
“You have others on the surface. I’ll be happy to let you speak with them. My com is your com.” The captain leaned against the adjacent wall, crossed his ankles and then his arms. Dukvita turned back to him. Behind the oxynitride panel Jackson was confident he wasn’t in any danger.
“I don’t negotiate,” he said.
“That’s a shame. I’ll have some bread and water brought down. See you when you’re feeling up to cooperating.” He untangled his limbs and left the brig without looking back. He went down a level to the galley.
“Oh, Captain! Scuttle said you were back. What can I get for you? You must be starved. Harchett! Get a carafe of coffee made for the captain!” Bailey yelled to the back of the kitchen. “I have some fresh baked zucchini bread unless you want a turkey pocket or a bowl of clam chowder.”
“I knew I made the right choice in asking you and Keith to come along,” he told her, put an arm around her shoulder and hugged her tight. “A fat chunk of that bread sounds great.”
“How is Rianya? I don’t get much news down here. Last I heard she was stable.” The smiling woman hustled to slice up some zucchini bread and put a glob of butter on it.
“She’s better; Adams said she’s doing better.”
“And the baby?” Bailey handed him the bread. His heart might have skipped a beat; he wasn’t sure he’d heard her right. He searched her face.
“Well done, sir,” York said.
“I don’t mind admitting I enjoyed that more than I should. Since I know exactly where Dukvita is at the moment, break orbit and return to Cinco so we can rescue Dr. Gregory. I’ll be in the ‘detention dungeon’.”
Jackson felt the adrenaline from the explosion of the Pegasi spacecraft coursing in his blood. Those damn pirates weren’t going to win this time. Despite a decade of time Jackson would never forget Dukvita’s role in stealing millions worth of telescopic equipment and vaccines right off space station Novissimus. Dukvita had been at the heart of a conspiracy against a civilization on Ceti D to exploit their resources for their own profit. Dukvita had been a giant green thorn in Jackson’s side and now he was in the pilot’s seat.
“I see you two have recovered,” Jackson said to his prisoners. Dukvita stood from his metal bench; his associate remained seated. The alien stood at 210 cm compared to Jackson’s 185 cm, and more than once the captain had to consciously steel himself in the face of a Pegasi to stop his hands from twitching. On this occasion, he looked Dukvita straight in the eyes and breathed easily. The difficulty this time was to keep a grin from bursting across his face.
Dukvita’s bulgy eyes squeezed tight as if trying to focus on Jackson.
“What are you doing here? You should be on Cinco.”
“Yes, I should, but not under your lock and key. Where’s my associate, Dr. Gregory?”
“Captain, you think we know? I thought you were on Cinco. I was wrong.” Jackson could play mind games only so long.
“Commander Quixote says you threatened to kill us.”
“Kill you? Not all of you, just one of you. He took me seriously, which is what you should do, Jackson.” The prisoner turned his back to Jackson, something few people had the audacity to do. “How did you get back to your ship?”
“I guess I should say thank you,” Jackson said. “I hitched a ride with you.”
“How did you know we were going to your ship and not ours, or someplace else?” Jackson knew better than to admit dumb luck.
“It didn’t matter to me where you were going. So, you know, I took the liberty of destroying your shuttle. You’ll not be leaving anytime soon, so think hard about where you left my officer. Once he’s returned we can move on to other matters.”
“You destroyed my ship? Jackson, this is last time I fairly deal with you. You think I wave my hand and tell someone find him? He was at same building you were at when I last saw him.” Dukvita turned his back to Jackson.
“You have others on the surface. I’ll be happy to let you speak with them. My com is your com.” The captain leaned against the adjacent wall, crossed his ankles and then his arms. Dukvita turned back to him. Behind the oxynitride panel Jackson was confident he wasn’t in any danger.
“I don’t negotiate,” he said.
“That’s a shame. I’ll have some bread and water brought down. See you when you’re feeling up to cooperating.” He untangled his limbs and left the brig without looking back. He went down a level to the galley.
“Oh, Captain! Scuttle said you were back. What can I get for you? You must be starved. Harchett! Get a carafe of coffee made for the captain!” Bailey yelled to the back of the kitchen. “I have some fresh baked zucchini bread unless you want a turkey pocket or a bowl of clam chowder.”
“I knew I made the right choice in asking you and Keith to come along,” he told her, put an arm around her shoulder and hugged her tight. “A fat chunk of that bread sounds great.”
“How is Rianya? I don’t get much news down here. Last I heard she was stable.” The smiling woman hustled to slice up some zucchini bread and put a glob of butter on it.
“She’s better; Adams said she’s doing better.”
“And the baby?” Bailey handed him the bread. His heart might have skipped a beat; he wasn’t sure he’d heard her right. He searched her face.
“What?”
“Zalara? How’s Zalara?”
“Bailey, you just shocked ten years off my life.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Captain,” she chuckled a little. “I meant Zalara. She’s still a baby to me. My kids are grown and gone. They’re little for such a short time.” Jackson regained his composure and thanked her for the snack as Harchett hurried over with the coffee.
In his office, he poured himself some pre-sweetened brew. He turned on a computer and tapped the screen to make notes.
Two Pegasi in the brig. Pegasi mother ship orbiting Cinco. Pegasi shuttle destroyed.
Bowen on guard, brig, Wagner to relieve. Barone off.
Rianya, Zalara, Adams, Ferris in sick bay.
Scott on the planet, Cinco.
York and Lee on the bridge until next shift; Watson and Rougeau relieve.
Time ship and Osprey in launch bay.
Mummy identified and is known cause of plague and first hard evidence of human time travel. Is mostly human.
Engineers Painter and Byrd on duty, Chin off, Quixote to relieve.
Wallace, Campbells, Stone, Honey York, in quarters or at stations.
He moved the line items up and down on the screen with his finger until Dr. Gregory was on top and Rianya was second, Pegasi third. He called the bridge.
“Lieutenant Lee, I’d like you and Sergeant York to take the Osprey down to New Hope while it’s still on the night side, and find Dr. Gregory. Have Rougeau and May come on shift an hour early.”
“Aye, sir, we’re on our way.”
“Adams to Jackson. Please come to sick bay.”
“I’m on my way.”
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