Far From Home: The Complete Series (13 page)

“It was in all of the books,” King said. “They called him
The Tattooed Man
. The most wanted man in the galaxy. They say he even tried to assassinate the President of Earth one time, though I question that one.”

“I’ve read about it,” Nowlan said. “I think there’s more to it than they’re telling us. From what I know, my Father didn’t make many mistakes. And the President died an old man, so …”

Jessica thought back to what she’d read on
The Tattooed Man
. Apparently a Union vessel had followed him to a far corner of the galaxy, where he’d fallen in with a band of renegade replicants. They convinced him to change his ways, and in turn he inspired them to lead the fight against the Union. After they fled the planet on which they’d been hiding, they formed
The Metal Marquis
. Several years later, not only were the production facilities closed down, but the replicants were declared a free people. Public opinion on the war and the dominance of the Union shifted back in the Union’s favour following that. In many ways, they had the
Marquis
to thank.

But nobody knew what had become of
The Tattooed Man
. Some said he still lived out there, somewhere, wreaking havoc. Others said he died shortly after leaving the ice planet with the replicants. Apparently he gave his life to save them, an assumption Jessica found hard to believe, given the man’s track record. She felt sorry for Nowlan, knowing his Father was such a monster.

“Do you think he’s alive?” Jessica asked Nowlan to see where his own beliefs lay.

He shrugged. “Don’t know. I don’t think so. Even if he was in my time, he’d be long-dead now. I asked my Mother about him after I found out.”

“She was … Lorna, wasn’t she? Am I right?”

Nowlan nodded.

“A former member of the elite. He left her on a backwater planet, didn’t he?”

“He didn’t know she was pregnant. She managed to get back to Union space by the time I was due,” Nowlan said. “I wish I could’ve met my Father.”

There was a silence, and then King realised that now was probably the best time to leave him on his own. He’d revealed perhaps a little more than he’d wanted to. He had also re-lived several traumas.

She made her excuses, and told him she’d see him later in the day. He didn’t object to her going, and as the door slid shut behind her she had to resist the urge to turn around and go back in there. It was strange to see the man behind the historical records. The real human being within the Legend. He was just as vulnerable and fragile as everyone else.

In a way it was like having your bubble burst. She’d gone through the Academy thinking he was one thing, never giving any thought at all as to whether he suffered the same turmoils and entanglements we all do in our daily lives.

Even Legends have baggage,
Jessica thought.

8.

Chief Meryl Gunn was quietly contented. To have almost the entire crew engaged in repairing the
Defiant
, and to have all departments liaising with her alone on what should be done, where and when, was empowering. It made her feel less like a disregarded grease monkey toiling away in the bowels of the ship, and more like an important cog in the machine.

“You know, for a cocky little sod, you’re all right,” Gunn said with a grin.

Lieutenant Kyle Banks looked up from what he was doing and rolled his eyes.

“I’m not averse to a bit of manual labour,” Banks said.

Gunn laughed. She was leant against a massive pipe that carried coolant from one end of the
Defiant
to the other. With her hands in the front pockets of her overalls, and dirt smeared across one cheek she looked like something out of Oliver Twist.

“You fly boys don’t know what labour is,” she said.

Banks set his tools down on the floor in a huff and shot her a look. “Eh, I’m down here helping ain’t I? Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

“All right, all right, calm down. I’m only teasing you. I know it means a lot to ruin your manicure like that,” Gunn said with her hands up in the air.

Banks couldn’t help but laugh. “Shut up.”

Gunn looked around. Pools of people were dotted through the engineering section, working together to fix their ship. Her bosom swelled with pride at the thought of the crew working as one, doing the work of a specialised repair team. Giving the
Defiant
the attention she should’ve got at Starbase 6 …

“No, in all seriousness. You’ve done well. Everyone has,” Gunn said.

Banks got up, wiped his hands on a rag tucked into his waistband.

“It’s coming together,” he said. “Everyone’s coming together.”

“Feels that way doesn’t it?” Gunn asked.

* * *

In another part of the ship, however, there was one crewmember who didn’t share Meryl Gunn’s sentiments.

Lieutenant Swogger had been asked by Commander Greene for a full list of the dead and missing from his department, and he had delivered it. But seeing it in its entirety had hit a nerve with Swogger, and he found the names of those taken so soon from their lives and duties dogged him. He couldn’t shake them.

He’d been there when the explosion rocked the ship. When it killed half of his team in one foul swoop. He’d stood to one side and watched as the Captain died in King’s arms …

But the losses hadn’t stopped there. They’d departed Station 6 without giving some of the crew a chance to get aboard. And some had died in the fire fights that followed. Now he was meant to be in charge of repairs in that section, and the basic training of crew re-assigned to duty under him.

However he’d now locked himself in his quarters with a couple of bottles of Taknari brandy, oblivious to Ensign Dunham’s efforts to keep his absence from the attention of the senior Officers.

Now starting on his second bottle of the day, his thoughts turned once again to Jessica King. He’d been at the briefing, had heard the news. They were stuck so far from home there wasn’t a rat’s chance in hell of getting back, marooned in a sea of stars.

A lot of it was King’s fault. She should never have taken command. Or rather, been
given
command by people who didn’t know better. Her command of the ship was questionable and uninformed.

“Don’t know what she’s doing,” Swogger mumbled to himself as he finished the dregs of one glass and immediately poured another.

His thoughts swam, mostly due to the booze. Every bitter thought that had bubbled away beneath the surface since Singh’s death started to break through and corrode his judgement. Everything that had gone wrong, was because of her. The woman Captain who managed to get his men killed. The woman Captain who gave the wrong order and stranded them a gazillion light years from nowhere.

“You’re the one,” he said, his voice slurred.

Presently he stood up, the deck made of jelly beneath his feet. He necked the bottle and drank half in one go. It set his throat and insides ablaze, but he was numb to it too. As if he’d severed his arm, but could only feel that it was missing. Not that it had been cut.

He wiped his mouth, set the bottle down, then changed his mind and picked it back up. Another long swallow of the amber fire. His vision swam. It blurred, then cleared, then blurred again.

“She’ll get hers one day,” Swogger said. He stumbled out of his quarters and staggered through the ship.

I shouldn’t drink like that
, he thought.
Eat something, soak it all up
.

He found his way into the mess hall, and the cook knocked him up a strong black coffee and a plate of sandwiches. He told him to sit in the corner and sober up.

“Gah!” Lieutenant Swogger snapped, waved his hand and took the plate and coffee to the far corner anyway. There he sat, quietly brooding as he ate.

Until Meryl Gunn and Kyle Banks walked through the door.

9.

The mess hall was half full by the time Gunn and Banks arrived to grab their lunch. They took a seat not too far away from the darkened hulk of Lieutenant Swogger. Neither of them noticed him staring into their backs as he listened to their conversation.

“You get along well with Del, don’t you Chief?” Banks asked her.

Gunn slapped him on the arm. “Oit you. Less of that. Don’t forget you’re talking about your superior officers.”

Banks shrugged. Sipped his tea. “Keep your secrets to yourself then.”

“You boys … you know the trouble with you lot? You all moan about women, but when you get together you’re bloody worse than a bunch of teenage girls,” Gunn said.

“What do you mean by that?” Banks asked.

“Oh I can see it now. All you boys sat in a circle, sharing the ship’s gossip amongst yourselves, discussing who’s with who. Like a little knitting circle.”

Banks dismissed her remarks. “Eh, Chief. What do you think about the Captain then?”

“In what way?” Gunn asked.

“Well, you think she’s into anyone on board? You know, you being a woman and all, I thought you might’ve heard -“

“Jonah,” a gruff voice said behind them. A frown crossed Gunn’s face. She turned around in her seat.

Swogger was staring right at her, his eyes red and puffy, his face a mass of dark shadow and mysterious thoughts.

“Sorry?” Gunn asked him.

Swogger glared at her. “I said Jonah.”

“Call me ignorant, but what the hell’s a Jonah?” Banks asked her.

“An old sailor superstition. Someone on board bringing bad luck and endangering the ship. That’s what he thinks the Captain is.”

“He’s crazy. Just ignore him,” Banks said.

But the voice was not to be ignored. It spoke again.

“She’ll kill us all, eventually. The Jonah,” Swogger said.

Gunn shot up out of her seat. Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched intently what was going on.

“Who are you talking about?” Gunn demanded.

“Our so-called leader, that’s who,” Swogger said. “The Jonah with the Captain’s blood on her hands.”

Gunn jabbed a finger in his direction. “I’m going to ask you politely. Take that back. For your own sake. Take it back and keep it to yourself.”

Swogger chuckled. “You think I’m scared of her? Who put
her
in charge?”

Gunn started moving forward, but Banks sprang forward to hold her back by the arm.

“Don’t. He’s not worth it,” Banks said.

“You know it’s the truth,” Swogger said. Gunn turned back to him, despite everything telling her not to. “If she wasn’t in command, we would not be here in this situation. She led us out here.”

“You are bang out of line there,” Banks told him.

“Oh really?”

Banks nodded, and this time he was the one to advance. Swogger shoved his table out of the way and leapt to his feet.

“Stand down Banks. And you, Chief,” a loud but controlled voice split the room in two. They all turned in the direction of Commander Del Greene, framed by the entrance of the mess hall. His gaze settled on Swogger, standing with his fists clenched.

“And if it ain’t the woman’s right hand man!” Swogger yelled.

“You’re drunk, Lieutenant,” Greene said. “And out of line.”

Swogger lifted his plate and launched it across the room where it hit a wall and shattered. “I’ll show you who’s out of line!” he roared.

Greene didn’t wait for another show of anger. He advanced into the room like a leopard pacing into the bush, his eyes set, his movements fluid and deadly. In seconds he was in Swogger’s face, standing him down. Chest puffed out, hands at his sides ready for anything.

“You wanna go? Let’s go,” Greene demanded.

Swogger seemed to boil over, then simmer back down. His body relaxed, he became subdued. He looked away from Greene, unable to maintain the eye contact.

“Just as I thought,” Greene said. He took a step back, turned to the room. “The rest of you, just go back to what -“

Swogger saw his chance and took it. He swung for the Commander’s jaw with everything he had, and when his fist connected there was an audible crunch. Greene had time only to register the pain that had shot off inside his head like a firework before a second blow hit his back, winding him. He fell forward, landed up against a table.

Banks flung himself at Swogger, pummelled him with his fists. He pushed Swogger back, but the other man was stronger and easily shoved him back off of him. As Banks regained his balance, Swogger was there with his fists. Banks doubled over as Swogger slugged him in the gut, and then felt a boot shove him out of the way.

Swogger stared about for another challenger. He didn’t see Meryl Gunn come of nowhere with a metal pan from the kitchen. Didn’t even know she had it until there was an incredibly painful clang to the back of his head. He put a hand there, pivoted on his heel to see Gunn standing there with the pan in her hand. His face registered his confusion, and then he was out cold on the floor.

“Lights out,” Gunn said.

She looked up in time to see a security detail rush into the mess hall. Thankful for their presence, she didn’t question who’d called them.

“Boys, get Swogger to the brig. Then get Banks and Greene to the infirmary.”

She went to the kitchen and handed the cook back his pot.

“You got any drink in here?” Gunn asked him.

“Only rum for cooking,” the cook said.

“That’ll do.”

10.

“So once again, I find my First Officer in the infirmary,” Captain King said with a theatrical shake of her head.

Greene went to sit up, but King pushed him back.

“Just rest, Del. They tell me you should rest for a bit.”

He felt his jaw, and winced.

“Swogger broke it. They’ve used Vita clamps and Stem grips to hold it, but it’s going to smart for a while I’m afraid. At least until it sets. That’s some punch he had on him …” King said.

“You’re telling me,” Greene said. “What about Banks?”

“Better shape than you. I’ve told him to rest up in his quarters. Swogger knocked him up a bit too.”

Greene shook his head. “I don’t know what was up with him. How did they get him under control? I take it security arrived just in time.”