Far From Home: The Complete Series (39 page)

“Now, there will be changes to the way we do things. We don’t have the bridge. Not for the time being, anyway. And I can’t stand in that Emergency Command Centre for long periods of time. So we will be splitting command of the
Defiant
across three shifts instead of two,” she said.

“A good idea,” Chang said.

“From now on, we will all do an eight-hour shift, as opposed to the normal twelve-hour. That will mean we share the responsibility between the three ranking commanding officers on board. It’ll also mean we get more time to do other things. After what’s happened, we’re stretched thin all over,” King said.

“I totally agree,” Lisa said. “The repair teams are struggling to get this work done right now. They could use any help we can give them. So what about the bridge crew?”

“I think Rogers at the helm, Beaumont at communications and Jackson for weapons. We won’t have the luxury of manning stations now. It’s like we’ve gone from commanding the ship from a barn to commanding it from a tool shed.”

“They’re all good choices, sir,” Chang said. “I couldn’t have asked more for them, you know, before.”

“Yes,” Jessica said. She checked the time. “I’m due to meet the others in the hangar. Care to walk with me?”

“Certainly. I think we have Lieutenant Rogers minding the ship for the minute,” Chang said.

“Well then, take my arm, Commander. Let’s go for a slow, decrepit walk to the hangar bay,” King said with a snigger.

2.

The
Defiant
had been the primary focus of the crew. Their secondary concern was to see what could be done with the Naxor ship still jutting from their side.

“How’s it going, Del?” Jessica asked as she walked onto the hangar.

Commander Greene had been mid-flow with Chief Gunn and her right hand, Gary Belcher. There were Krinuans aboard, helping where they could.

“Ah, Captain,” Greene said. “Right on time.”

“You sound excited,” King said.

“I think we’re good to go,” he said. He walked with her towards the hole in the side of the hangar where the Naxor had tunnelled through from outside. “Once we dragged the bodies out and steamed it down in there, we realised there’s very little damage.”

Gunn shook her head. “Forgive him, Captain. He’s not slept. There was fire damage, but once we cleaned it all up it was cosmetic. I replaced a few components in there, with the help of our Krinuan friends, and everything’s back up and running.”

“So what does this mean for us?” King asked.

Greene licked his lips. Now she could see he hadn’t slept. His eyes were positively feverish. “We can go rescue Hawk.”

* * *

Jessica sat down on a cargo crate. “So … let’s go over this one more time. You pilot the Naxor ship from here to wherever it is they’re holding Hawk. And you think they’ll just let you fly right on in?”

“Why wouldn’t they? We’re one of them right?” Greene said.

“True. Then what? Where are they holding him? We have no idea where Captain Nowlan is -” Jessica said.

“- but we do, Captain,” a voice cut in.

She turned to see Captain Praror stride across the hangar.

“I thought you were aboard your own vessel,” King said. She broke into a wide smile as Praror rested a paw on her shoulder.

“I’ve been aboard awhile, dear Captain. Helping where I can,” Praror said. “And I believe I can help you with your problem.”

“Yes?”

Praror’s eyes lit with an inner spark. “I know where they’ve taken him. There is only one place. But with this ship … if you’re lucky … we may just manage to rescue him.”

Jessica looked at Commander Greene. “I can see you won’t take no for an answer. We’re going to have a mutiny on board if I do.”

“We have to try,” Greene said.

“I would never have said otherwise, Del. But I don’t want any more lives lost, either,” King said.

Praror paced back and forth. “We will fly the Naxor vessel to the barren prison planet of Ozbah. There is only one facility, and it is not very big. The prisoners do not last long enough to build anything more substantial. Still, it will have its challenges. We will face death getting in … and even then your Captain Nowlan may not be alive.”

Greene went to say something, but Praror nodded his head to say he already understood.

“But we will try, Commander. We will try to save your hero.”

Jessica stood. She looked at them all. Then she smiled. “Oh he’s more than that, Captain Praror. He’s more than a hero … he’s a legend.”

“That’s the spirit!” Greene said, visibly pumped for action.

Praror laughed, a mix of purr and deep belly rumble.

“I think it’s great and all,” Chief Gunn said. “But you do realise this leaves me yet another hole in the ship I have to patch.”

Greene threw his arm around her and yanked her in for a tight squeeze. “Stop moaning!”

She pushed him away. “Get off of me you big lug!”

Greene was already off. “Come on we’ve got work to do. Everybody get yourselves motivated. We need supplies, weapons, medical kits stat!”

Gunn looked helplessly at the Captain.

Jessica just shook her head. She felt sorry she wouldn’t be able to go with them. But she had a starship and its entire crew to look after. It would be down to the Commander and whoever he took with him to try and rescue Hawk from the Naxors. She only wished it didn’t mean putting more lives at risk.

“Are you all right, Captain?” Chang asked.

She drew a deep breath. The Commander busied himself ordering the others about, including Captain Praror and his crewmen.

“I want them home safe,” she said.

* * *

An hour later and they were good to go. Nothing could be done about the hole they’d leave in the hull when they cut loose of the
Defiant
, so the whole hangar would have to be bled of atmosphere beforehand and sealed. The Chief and a couple of other engineers would wait in spacesuits for the Naxor ship to leave, then set about sealing the hole back up.

Before they bled the hangar of oxygen, Captain King returned to see them off.

“You go get him, Del, and you come straight back,” she said. “No heroics.”

“Never,” he said with a grin.

Jessica saluted the others. “And that goes for the rest of you.”

Captain Praror chuckled. There were a half dozen Krinuans going along for the ride with Praror and Commander Greene. Jessica was pleased to see that a couple of the
Defiant
’s repo crew were going along, too. She knew they held Hawk in high regard, for what his father had done to kick start their liberation all those years before.

She turned to leave the hangar when she found Selena Walker heading for them, a carryall over her shoulder.

“Selena?”

Walker saluted. Jessica returned the gesture. “Captain.”

“What’re you doing down here? We’re about to clear the hangar …”

“Captain, I want to go along. I want to help bring him back,” Selena said.

King sighed. “It’ll be dangerous. I couldn’t live with myself -“

“I want to. I need to,” Selena said. “I love him.”

King looked at Commander Greene. He just shrugged.

“I’m happy to have her aboard, Captain,” he said.

Jessica rolled her eyes. “Very well. But you listen to me, Miss Walker. Stay out of danger. Let those with guns lead the way.”

Selena swivelled her hip to reveal a holster. She patted it.

“Believe it or not, Captain, I’m a good shot,” Selena said.

Jessica jabbed a finger in Greene’s direction. “This live wire’s your responsibility now, Del,” she said with a smirk. With that she left, her stick tapping rhythmically on the deck.

“Come on, people, let’s get this show on the road!” Greene yelled. They filed onto the Naxor ship. He waited till he could talk to Selena Walker.

“You sure about this? It might be rough,” he said.

“Like I said, I need to go. I can’t sit on this ship, twiddling my thumbs. Hawk’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and more. I have to help save him.”

Greene nodded and left her to join the others.

Chief Gunn stood watching the farewells with her helmet tucked under her arm. “Well? Do we say goodbye?”

The Commander opened his arms and scooped her up. She wrapped her arms around his waist.

“No goodbyes. I’ll be back before you know it,” Greene told her.

Gunn squared him with an evil eye. “You better, Del.”

“I will.”

They kissed, a little longer than either would have wanted to in front of everyone, but still they couldn’t bring themselves to end it. If they only could’ve stood there like that, locked in each other’s embrace, they would.

When they finally parted, she wished him good luck.

The Commander took a deep breath. He pointed at her helmet. “Don’t forget that.”

Gunn waved him away. “I know what I’m doing peanut, now be off with you.”

She watched him jog across the hangar and climb through the hole in the wall. The sirens sounded as the atmosphere was bled from the area. The blast doors slammed shut. Gunn put her helmet on and twisted it into place.

Locked in her own glass bubble she afforded herself one tear. It trickled slowly down her cheek until it met with the fabric of her suit, touching her chin.

The Naxor ship separated from the side of the
Defiant
. Following a jolt, the smaller ship drifted away to gain some distance. The Chief could make out the star field beyond.

She sighed, then bent down to pick up her welding torch.

Gunn was glad the Commander hadn’t turned back around at the last minute. If he had, the Chief knew her resolve would have broken.

Time to patch a hole
, she thought.

3.

“We’ll up the dose. I’m seeing some improvement in the swelling at the back of your brain stem. If we can get it down even more …” Dr. Clayton said hopefully.

“I get you,” Jessica said.

“We will try and combat this, Jess,” Clayton said, a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll do everything I can.”

She reached up and patted his hand. “I know you will. Now stop fussing.”

Jessica got up from the medical bed and stretched. Dr. Clayton handed her the cane. He signalled to Nurse Munoz that he was leaving sick bay with her.

“I’ll walk with you,” he said.

“Doctor, I’m not very fast,” King said.

“A good thing I’m only after a slow stroll then, isn’t it?” Clayton said.

They walked into the corridor, side by side.

“Ship’s a catastrophe,” Jessica said. “I’ve never seen her in such a state.”

“The Chief’ll fix her up. You watch,” Clayton said.

King shook her head. “I think this time she’s beyond the abilities of even the Chief. I don’t know …”

“What’s that?”

She stopped, leaned on her cane for support. There were no other crew members in either direction, yet Jessica lowered her voice. “Nothing seems to go right for us. We don’t catch a break. I don’t know how to stop this family from suffering.”

To her surprise, Dr. Clayton broke into a wide smile.

She frowned. “What’s so amusing?”

Clayton shook his head, still smiling. “It’s nothing, it’s just … I once heard your father say something just like that.”

“Oh?”

“Years ago. Before you came aboard. The ship took a beating in the Dujua Conflict.”

“I know of it,” Jessica said.

“She was in a bad state. Like now,” Clayton said, indicating the wires and shattered plastic that littered the floor. “And Captain Singh came down here to see to the wounded. I had my hands full; I can tell you.”

“What did he say to you?”

“He said, ‘I hate to see my family suffer like this,’ and I really got the sense that he truly felt that way, Jess. The ship was the home, and the crew, the family. And it broke his heart to see either in pain,” Clayton said.

“You ever heard the saying ‘Sometimes you can tell your bartender things you wouldn’t tell your doctor’?”

“More often than you’d think,” Clayton admitted. “Listen, Jess, things will pick up. And I don’t think we’re doing all that bad. The family is hurt, but they’re holding together.”

Jessica nodded. “True. I’m sorry, these are my private concerns. I shouldn’t voice them to anyone, let alone my doctor.”

Dr. Clayton laughed. “Right this minute, I’m your bartender, remember?”

“What advice does my bartender offer me then?”

“Everything will sort itself out,” Clayton said in dead seriousness. “Get through today. Tomorrow can wait.”

Jessica started walking away. “Profound, doctor,” she said over her shoulder.

Clayton watched her go. Under his breath, he said, “You’re welcome.”

Then he went back to the sickbay.

4.

CLLLLAAAANNNNGGGG!!!!

The high-pitched wail threatened to split his head in two.

“Beautiful, is it not, Captain?” General Carn asked him. “It has a certain … melody.”

Hawk peered through misty eyes. He found it increasingly hard to focus. The electrical current the General continued to use to torture his prisoner had taken its toll. With each long, painful burst, Hawk grew more tired. With each long, painful burst, he grew more tired.

Carn patted the side of Hawk’s face.

CLLLLAAAANNNNGGGG!!!!

Captain Nowlan cringed at the sound. He hung from chains, his feet dangling above the floor. It was scarily familiar to a time previous when the General had shown his own unique hospitality towards Hawk.

“Good Captain, I do believe you weaken,” Carn said with a chuckle. He moved away.

In front of Hawk there was a stand, a round device clamped to the top. It had a set of lights on the front, turning in a hypnotic spiral. Below it, a cone. The source of the god-awful sound Carn was intent on subjecting him to. Hawk’s mind was hazy, shocked from the bouts of pain inflicted at the hand of the Draxx General. And the sound.

“What are you doin’ to me?” Hawk asked weakly.

“You do not appreciate the sound?”

Hawk shook his head. Closed his eyes from exhaustion. “It’s not my favourite band, pal, that’s for sure …”