Far From Home: The Complete Series (28 page)

“So the beam that nearly killed us all, you’re saying it was some kind of defence mechanism?” King asked.

“Yes. As soon as he  … 
it
… 
they
…  thought we were going to tamper with the way things are, it kicked in. But we managed to talk him around in the end,” Dana said.

“I see. So how do you interact with it?” King asked them both.

Right then a voice entered her head.

TO WHOM DO YOU WISH TO SPEAK?

She thought for a moment. The sudden presence of something other than her own mind in her head threw her. “Anyone who can give me answers.”

IT DEPENDS ON THE QUESTION

“You don’t make -” Jessica stopped dead. In front of her a holograph had flickered into being. At last she found herself face-to-face with the same Lukas from the recordings.

“Greetings Captain. Welcome.”

“Much obliged,” she said, unsure of how to respond. “So, you must be able to answer some of my questions.”

“About us? Yes,” Lukas said primly.

Lukas and the Mountain. She’d forgotten that the two were now both the same. Two different apples growing on the same tree.

“What is this thing?”

“We don’t know,” Lukas said flatly.

“How did it get here?”

“There are a great many like it scattered across this galaxy. And they all have great power. Don’t underestimate them. But they are mere tools.” Lukas warned.

“Tools  … ? Used by whom?”

“Well, that’s the fundamental question, isn’t it? Who holds the control stick? Who has their finger over the firing button?” Lukas asked. “The answer to that eludes us I’m afraid.”

“Firing button? What do you -“

“I’m sorry.”

Lukas faded away suddenly, as if he’d had the plug pulled. Jessica became suddenly aware of a presence in her mind again. Now the mountain was just itself. Nobody else’s personality to give it colour. It felt like something accommodating within her mind, pushing on the sides of her consciousness to make room for itself.

A LIVING BEING IS REQUIRED

“What for?”

A LIVING BEING IS REQUIRED TO TEACH THE OTHERS

“To act out your teachings? To liaise with the locals?”

CORRECT

“I don’t know about that,” Jessica said.

IT IS REQUIRED. TO COMPLETE NEW OBJECTIVES

“New objectives?”

“The one’s we’ve given it,” Chang said.

“I’ll do it,” Dana said. “I’ll stay.”

Jessica shook her head. “I won’t allow it.”

Dana placed her hands gently on King’s shoulders. “Captain, I want to. The chance to shape an entire civilisation? Who would pass that up? In my field, it doesn’t get any better than this.”

“I don’t know  …”

“I’ll do it!” Dana told the machine. King just looked at her.

IT IS DECIDED

“You sure?” King asked Dana.

She nodded. “More sure than I’ve ever been.”

“I don’t know if I could ever come back to get you. You know that. You may be stranded here forever.”

“I’ll take the risk, Captain,” Dana said.

King smiled. “It’s Jessica. And you both did a wonderful job today. Well done.”

Chang looked down at her shoes, embarrassed. Dana beamed. She took Jessica in a big hug. Then the Captain addressed the machine again.

“I have your word, you will ensure the development of this world? These people?”

THE PRIMITIVE’S WILL EVOLVE. THEY WILL LEARN. WHAT WAS BROKEN SHALL BE REPAIRED

“Thank you,” she said.

It said nothing back.

* * *

“Look at this,” Jessica said as she plucked a tall red flower stem from a sunny spot in the jungle. They walked back to the awaiting shuttle. King sniffed the magnificent flower, recognised honey and spice. Not unlike the flora of Earth. It made her feel homesick.

“Excuse me Captain, but why the flower?”

“No particular reason. Just wanted something bright and cheerful. Reminds me of something.”

13.

The dawn of a new day broke over the lip of the planet, and bathed the
Defiant
in yellow light. There’d been much relief and good feeling on board following their encounter with the great power laying docile on that world. But now another feeling coursed through some of the crew: sadness. It was time for Dana to leave.

“I wish I could talk you out of it,” Captain King said. Dana loaded the last of her cases into the cargo compartment of the transport. She took not only her own belongings but any supplies and equipment she might need.

“I think it’s the best way,” Dana said. “How else will it instruct them?”

“As long as you’re sure about this.”

“More sure than I’ve ever been of anything.”

Jessica grinned. “Well you’re a braver woman than me, Doctor. You do understand we won’t be able to maintain contact once your transmitter is out of range?”

“Yes. But I’m hoping that further study of the mountain will allow me to use it as one big radio,” Dana said. “Maybe I’ll be able to stay in touch somehow.”

“I can’t promise that I’ll ever be back this way  …” King said regretfully.

“I understand. Honestly, Captain, I go because I want to. I know the risks.”

Jessica turned to Commander Greene. “Del?”

He strode forward, a big grin on his face and pinned a medal to Dana’s chest.

“This is the medal of excellence in fields of science and humanity. We don’t ever get to give this one out,” he said.

“Thank you,” Dana said. She peered down at it. “And thanks for the loan of the ship. I’ll take good care of it.”

“Sure you can fly it?” Greene said with a smirk.

“It’s been a while since I did a refresher course, but I should be fine, Commander, thank you,” Dana said.

Jessica snapped to attention, made a sharp salute. “Then I suppose it’s time.”

Dana saluted back.

“It’s been an honour, Captain.”

Greene shook her hand. “You’re a brave woman, Doctor.”

Dana beamed. “Thanks.”

They stood back to let her get on board and watched as the ramp slid inside and the hatch lowered. Then they cleared the hangar.

* * *

Master At Arms Eisenhower moved aside so they could file into the hangar control centre. On a big screen they watched as Dana’s shuttle disembarked, flanked on either side by fighters. They escorted her as far as the upper atmosphere of the planet, then veered off to leave her to make entry. It was a tradition that went back further than any of them could remember.

“In minutes she’ll be down there,” Jessica said, “building a better world.”

“And what sort of world will it be, do you wonder?” Greene asked.

She shook her head. On the screen the transport disappeared from view. “Who knows?”

14.

“Lieutenant, let’s break orbit. I believe we have several systems that look promising?” King asked as she took the captain’s chair.

“Yes Captain. The star charts Chang took from the memory of that device were quite detailed. Ensign Rayne has some of the nearby systems mapped for us, ma’am.”

“Ensign?”

Olivia turned around. “I’ve fed them through to the helm, Captain.”

Despite the loneliness of their situation, Jessica couldn’t help but feel a stir in her belly. The same feeling she’d got on her first orbital dive. Her first time running a shift on a command deck. Her first kiss. It was the unknown. The fear - and promise - of whatever awaited them.

“Pick one, Banks,” she said. “And push the engines. Open her up. We have a whole galaxy to explore.”

* * *

Sometimes being a living legend was good for something. Such as getting your hands on vintage champagne. The real deal; not the type of synthetic stuff they peddled on Articus VI.

“It’s going to my head,” Selena said.

“That’s cause yuh can’t handle yuh drink,” Hawk said.

Selena slapped him playfully. “Such a wind-up merchant, you really are.”

“Awww  …”

“I’m very proud of you, d’you know that?” Selena sipped more of the champagne.

“Why?”

“For the way you gave Dr. Oriz advice. I heard about it. Because of you she did what she did. Those people down there will move on now, and in a way it’s all thanks to you,” she said.

Hawk thought for a moment, his brain foggy from the champagne. He shrugged.

“God works in mysterious ways  …” he said with a grin.

“Such an ego-maniac!”

They both broke into laughter, then refilled their glasses.

“I
do
love you,” she said.

Hawk stopped. “What?”

“I said I love you.”

“But yuh  …”

Selena pulled him in toward her by the collar of his shirt. “Shut up and kiss me. Right here,” she said and rested a fingertip against her pursed lips.

Hawk didn’t hesitate to oblige.

15.

In her quarters, Jessica sipped from a glass of single malt as she watched the planet recede through the viewport. It was now no bigger than a marble. She sighed.

On the table, the giant red flower from the surface stood in a vase. She reached forward, felt one of the petals between her fingers. Soft as silk.

Something from an alien world. A world tarnished by mystery, by the stamp humanity had left on it. A man made in humanity’s own image had then set about making a safe society, one that his creators would have been proud of. A world without pain, without wars, without suffering.

They had lived their lives in peace and harmony. But they’d grown stilted. They’d not changed since the
Sophie
crashed there, thousands of years before. Now Dana had started the ball rolling. The natives would evolve. Would develop. Would hopefully turn out all right, given the right guidance.

The flower was beautiful. How many more beautiful things would they come across? Would it be the last?

She hoped not. Soon they’d need supplies. Hopefully the star chart taken from the mountain would help them in that regard. And they might need to find a planet to call home, if things went that way.

If they couldn’t get back home, then they’d have to find one. Preferably somewhere lush and green, with bright red flowers. Jessica lifted the vase to her nose and took a deep breath of the scent, sickly sweet. Good. She put it back and relaxed into the sofa again.

“Home  …” she said.

Her words echoed in the empty darkness of her quarters. She sipped the scotch and waited for the dry burn inside her chest, next to her heart.

PART FIVE

ALLIES

1.

Ensign Olivia Rayne’s fifth visit to the Observation Deck in a week, and still she didn’t tire of it. With everything else going on, it was a welcome distraction. She accessed the control panel to the main door, then stood back as it opened for her. It was dark inside, with only minimal lighting along the floor itself. The huge bay windows that stretched from floor to ceiling, twenty feet high, gave an astounding view of space. When the door slid shut behind her, cutting out the glow from the corridor outside, Olivia found herself bathed in a thin, silvery light. The
Defiant
cruised into deep space, and directly ahead lay a huge nebula that glowed silver and gold. It was bordered above and below by the black of space, by star clusters and distant novas.

Only by viewing the vacuum from the observation deck, free of all distractions, could one truly appreciate how full of light and colour the cosmos truly was.

“Here again?” a voice asked her.

Olivia nearly jumped. She looked about and only now did she notice a head of brown hair down at the front of the deck.

“Captain,” Rayne said. “I didn’t think anyone else would be here this hour …”

She sat down a couple of seats away from Captain King. The Captain wore her night undershirt and joggers, just as Rayne did. Simple black cotton, comfortable to sleep in, and perfect for when you were woken up in the middle of the night and expected to spring into action.

“I couldn’t sleep,” King said.

“Me neither. I’ve been coming here a lot lately. You know, just to watch,” Rayne said.

“So I heard,” King said. “I thought I might join you on this occasion.”

“It’s beautiful,” Olivia said. The nebula was brighter than a moon, like a cloud of molten pearl.

“We’ll be heading through that soon,” King told her. “In a couple of days. According to the star charts, we should find some habitable planets on the other side.”

Rayne turned to her. “And supplies?”

The Captain’s face was serious, her eyes shadowed by tiredness and worry … but she managed a brief smile.

“We hope so.”

“Do you think she’s all right, Captain?” Olivia asked.

Dana had been on Jessica’s mind too since they’d left her behind on that alien planet. Of her own wish, of course.
But still …

“I’m sure she is. There’s been no contact as of yet, but I’m hopeful she will. Maybe it’s taking time working it out,” King said.

“She’s strong,” Rayne said. “Lisa had a great deal of respect for her.”

“You and Lisa get along well, don’t you?” Jessica asked.

Olivia smiled. “Yes. Yes, we do.”

King turned back to the view. She truly did wonder how Dana was faring. She hoped that she’d never have to leave another crew member behind like that again.

* * *

“I don’t think I can get used to drinking tea in the mornin’,” Captain Nowlan said as he sat down at the conference table. He sipped his drink, pulling a disgusted face as he did so. “Ain’t right.”

“It’s not so bad,” Commander Greene said. “Well, this Earl Grey’s not bad.”

King sat. “Wait till that runs out, Del, and you’ll be on the green stuff.”

The Commander shook his head. “That’ll never happen.”

“You do know it’s better for you …” Dr. Clayton said.

Green rolled his eyes. “Yeah doc.”

“Okay, let’s get this underway. We’ve got a lot to do before we enter that nebula. Commander, where are we on the supply issue?” King said.