Far From Home: The Complete Second Series (Far From Home 13-15) (35 page)

17.

Chief Gunn looked over the unmanned stations in the engineering section. It seemed bare with only herself and the Master At Arms working in there. No life to the place. Just the sounds of machinery working, computers chattering away, the thrum of the ship's reactor core.

Luckily for all of them, the
Defiant
could operate for a time with only a handful of crew. She had every function routed through the automated control. Not ideal, but there was no other choice. For the time being, they'd be able to run the
Defiant
in such a way, with minimal fuss. However, it wouldn't last forever. They would encounter issues that the computer simply couldn't resolve on its own, lacking, as it was, the capability of counteracting or intuiting issues. Eventually the
Defiant
would require human Tender Loving Care.

But, much to the Chief's satisfaction, everything had proceeded as planned. There was still plenty to do down there, but at least it was only work for two people.

Lucky that, cause that's all I've got,
the Chief thought as she slapped Eisenhower on the shoulder. "Come on, let's go see if there's any coffee on offer. Eh?"

The Master At Arms looked relieved. "Ah. Yes."

She steered him out of the engineering section. "Tell me, did you not even have an inkling Dollar was really Hawk? Nothing at all?"

The old man shook his head. "Nope. Sorry, but no. I see it now, though. It's not such a great jump, to be fair. I accepted it the moment the Captain said it."

"Me too," Gunn said.

The corridor outside engineering was deathly silent, eerily deserted. "I don't like the ship like this," Eisenhower whispered.

"I know what you mean," Gunn said. "It reminds you what an empty environment space really is."

They walked on. Eisenhower looked across at her. "You know, Chief, that's a truism of life in general."

"What's that?" she asked.

The old man cocked an eyebrow as he glanced sideways at her. "The dark is always a lonely place to be . . ."

18.

"So you are alive then, Doctor," Jessica said as she stepped into his quarters. Gentry looked as though he'd been pulled through a bush backwards.

"I have taken a mild sedative," he said. "You know, for the nerves."

She had to laugh. "Are you always this nervous when bending the rules?"

"I would say it's a little bit more than that!" Gentry yelped, his face ashen, eyes bulging.

He's a wreck,
Jessica thought. "Doctor . . ."

Gentry walked to the viewport and looked out. Whether he truly saw anything was, in Jessica's opinion, open to debate. "I, uh, I don't think I will fare well in prison. Or, heaven forbid . . . a penal colony."

"That won't happen," Jessica said. "I take full responsibility. You're all acting under orders."

"You do?" Gentry asked, turning back around to face her. "We are?"

She nodded. "Yes. I would never let you all take the fall for this. But it had to be done. I must know what's going on."

Gentry visibly calmed before her eyes. He relaxed. The man's shoulders slumped, his eyes looked less strained. A little colour returned. "I don't feel any shame in telling you I am relieved."

"Well, I'm glad. I wondered why you were hiding in here. I started to think you might not be aboard at all," Jessica said. "And I wouldn't have blamed you for jumping ship at the last second. Everyone's here through their own choice."

Gentry retrieved a data tablet. He handed it to her. "I choose to be here, Captain King. I do."

She thanked him for the tablet. "What's on it?"

"The file on Doctor Kingston. I found a connection in there with a member of this crew, too," Gentry said. He settled in a chair and looked about ready to drop.

"Who?"

"Our own Doctor Clayton. By the looks of things, they both know each other," Gentry said.

They know each other? Why hasn't Clayton said anything?

"I'm afraid that's all I can get for now," Gentry told her, his voice sluggish. His eyelids looked heavy, as if he struggled to keep his eyes open. "I've reached the end of all available data. The rest is, as you know, quite classified."

"Thank you," Jessica said. "Doctor, exactly how many sedatives did you take?"

But Dr. Gentry was already asleep, and he did indeed appear exhausted.

I suppose he's been going through every file he could find. Remarkable we have what data we have, considering the majority is classified information. They obviously didn't count on someone like Gentry coming along and picking out every detail . . .

She left without another word. The Doctor reminded her of someone who could piece together a puzzle after all the pieces had been scattered. To a normal person, without a visual guide to put the puzzle back together, the task would be near impossible. But for Gentry, such a challenge was the whole point in attempting the puzzle in the first place.

Jessica walked along the corridor, tablet in her hand.
Must be why he likes hunting for Namarian artefacts. It's like a puzzle, only it happens to be thousands of years old. To Gentry, putting that one back together must be a dream come true.

*

She found Clayton in the sickbay, shutting the equipment down. If need be, the bay could used for a medical emergency, but for now it sat in darkness.

"Ah, Jess," he said. "I was just closing shop."

She tapped the tablet in her hand. "I have something to ask you, before you do."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

She led him into his small office and sat down. He sat opposite. "Doctor, what do you know about Doctor Kingston?"

He shrugged. "Only what I've been told already. Why? What's this all about, Jess?"

Jessica sat forward. "There's a definite connection in the files Gentry has compiled. So I will ask again, Doctor . . . how do you know Kingston? And why have you kept it from me?"

Clayton sighed. He ran a hand over his face. The whole ship seemed impossibly quiet around them. The sickbay was shrouded in darkness beyond the glass of the office. "I swore not to say."

"Doctor, I am
ordering
you to tell me."

"I can't," he said. "I don't want to be the one to tell you."

Jessica jabbed a finger in his direction. She felt red hot anger bubble up inside her. "Tell me right now!"

Clayton held his hands up defensively. "All right, all right. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Jessica relaxed. She sat back. "Doc, what's the big secret? What are you hiding?"

"I'll tell you. You may not believe me, but what the hell. You wanna know so bad, here it is," he said.

Then he told her.

19.

Stop. Start. Stop. Start.

Kyle Banks initiated the Jump again, sending them hurtling in a new direction. They'd maintain that course and speed for the next half hour, then exit the Jump and turn back.

And that should be it,
he thought.
Enough of this back and forth nonsense. On with what we've gotta do.

"Ain't we done this already?" Hawk asked. The Texan let loose a mighty yawn that reminded Banks of a lion showing his jaws.

"You can say that again," Banks said. "Thankfully, this is the last time. We can circle back, then continue on our way."

Hawk shook his head. "I guess we gotta cover our tracks more than normal."

"Yeah. The only trouble is, all the time we're out here doubling back on ourselves, Union ships are looking for us. Pinpointing our probable location."

Hawk slapped him on the shoulder. "Have a little faith, kid. We'll do all right."

If we get back on course before they get here. And if this works. In theory the criss-crossed patterns should prove indecipherable to them. We'll have given them an endless choice of directions to choose from, meanwhile the Defiant will be on her way. If only I shared his optimism.

"You don't get nervous, do you?" Banks asked him.

Hawk kicked back, one foot up on the edge of the helm console, hands behind his head. "Nah."

"I guess you're too old for that, aren't you?"

The Texan grinned. "Good one, kiddo," he said with a chuckle.

Banks checked his readouts. Looked ahead. Checked them again.

Start. Stop. Start. Stop.

20.

Jessica stormed into the Officers' Mess, only to find the best she could rustle up from the canteen area was a cup of tea and a premade sandwich.

"Poor pickings, isn't it?" a voice said behind her.

Jessica jumped. "Who –?"

Her eyes fell on Selena Walker at the other end of the mess, an empty cup in front of her. The room was dark and from where Selena sat she had an awe-inspiring view of the cosmos as it flashed past.

"I, uh, I didn't think anyone was in here," Jessica said. She sat at a table nearby.

"Sorry, I should've said when you walked in," Walker said. "By the way, hope you don't mind me prying, but . . . are you okay?"

"Yeah why?"

"Only, the way you came in," Selena said. "I could be wrong, but it looked like you were upset about something."

Jessica sighed. "It's nothing. Don't worry."

It felt a great deal more than nothing, but there was no way she was ready to tell Walker about it. Nor anyone else for that matter. If she'd had the opportunity, Jessica would have happily forgotten all about it entirely.

But there it was. Clayton's words, rattling around. Bouncing off the walls of her skull, showing no signs of fading away. Of melting into the background where they belonged.

No, we're here to stay
.

"How about you? Been sitting in here long?"

Selena shook her head. "No, I just thought I'd grab five minutes peace. I like looking out, watching the stars swim by. It's relaxing."

Jessica looked to the side. Out there, the galaxy flew past. Stars and planets, strewn through the mysterious darkness like grains of salt over a black tablecloth.

"I know what you mean," she said.

Selena looked at her timepiece. "I'd better go. Check on Hawk."

Jessica sipped her tea. "Once I'm done here, I'll be up to relieve the two of them."

Selena got up. She stopped by Jessica's table. "I'll leave you in peace. Do you want the lights off?"

Jessica shook her head. "It's fine how it is. Thanks anyway."

Walker left the mess hall. Jessica attempted to eat her sandwich, but found it stale and tasteless. She left it to one side, drank her tea, and continued to watch everything fly past outside. It had a relaxing effect. As if all of your worries, fears, concerns, and problems rendered trivial in the face of such enormity. It made you feel small, insignificant next to the sheer scale of the universe.

Somehow, that realisation allowed her to put Clayton's news into perspective. It still hurt, and it had still rocker her to her core . . . but the edge had diminished.

I
guess what seems like the noises of our lives are just whispers in the temple,
Jessica thought.
Whispers in the temple.

21.

Chang slipped on a fresh vest, then pulled a clean uniform tunic from the hanger in the closet.

"Do we still have to wear uniform? Really?" Rayne asked. She stood in the doorway to the head, wrapped only in a towel, hair dripping wet.

"The Captain didn't say otherwise," Chang said. "I have to assume it's business as usual."

"I suppose," Rayne said. She sat on the edge of the bed. "So you're going up there now?"

"Yeah," Chang said. "Yourself?"

Rayne shrugged. "I guess I'll get a nap in. Will she be all right with that?"

"Of course. She wants everyone to relax while they can," Chang said. She gave Olivia a kiss on the cheek. Soft and tender. "The ship's mostly automated at the moment. Besides, I think she really appreciates that we all came along."

"So she should," Rayne said. "Doesn't matter what she says, we're still putting our necks on the line."

Chang stood with her hands on her hips. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Look, I'd never argue with the Captain. I'll follow her wherever, down a black hole if need be . . . but at the end of the day, whatever she says about taking the blame, questions will still be asked. That's if they don't shoot us from the sky first."

"If they can catch up with us," Chang said.

"No,
when they catch up
. Don't be naive."

Chang walked to the door. "I'd better go."

"Lisa?"

She turned back. "Yeah?"

"Love you."

Chang smiled. "I love you too. Get some rest. We'll probably be needing it."