Nova (33 page)

So far the definitive casualties listed out at eight but
another six, the second of
Excalibur’s
two marine details, were very
likely given the chances of locating any survivors in the vacuum of space with
sensors down.

Still, Adeline forced herself to consider, though there was
not much hope there was
some
. Specifically, hope in the form of a five–day
ration of oxygen that was standard to sealed suits. Additionally, hull repairs
were well underway, even if at best estimate, still two weeks out from
completion, not including stress testing.

Needless to say, an additional worry was that in reality,
Excalibur
was anything but prepared to face an unfriendly visit from another ship, a
distinct possibility given the presence of the Karukai raider. The very real prospect
of hostile contact meant that unless the
Excalibur
was either fully
repaired (and hence, battle–ready)
or
prepared to bug out and leave the
Arkaia System behind altogether, sending any long range communications for help
was simply not a viable option. Such could too easily be intercepted.

Mustering a confident nod for her Junior Officer and off–duty,
her friend, Adeline responded, “Good to hear. I want constant monitoring of all
frequencies and channels. Additionally, go ahead and launch some Comm Buoys to
extend our sonite–limited range.”

“Yes, Sir. Also,” Marel began, a dimpled smile making a
brief appearance, “Ensign Alvarez has informed me that in approximately two
hours, not only will the Shuttle and Fighter Bay be operational and we’ll once
again be able to launch and land, but
ES2
will be fully repaired.
Additionally, both of
Excalibur’s
working shuttles and five starfighters
have been fitted with extended sensor compliments to try and cut through the
feed–back mess out there.”

At the news, Diana felt the first genuine smile since the
Ardent’s
explosion begin to form. The
Excalibur’s
Senior Mechanical Engineer had
been working like a dervish to get the Bay, shuttles and fighters first
repaired then prepped so search parties could be sent to locate their missing
crew. And the Captain.

 “Excellent news, Marel. Please extend my compliments to
Ensign Alvarez. The second we are able, I want our two operable shuttles and
starfighters out there conducting sweeps, broken into groups. First, I want
three fighters and one shuttle to conduct quick runs, starting with the area
immediately surrounding
Excalibur
, and then moving towards Dantis. Have the
remaining two fighters and shuttle conduct more methodical and thorough
searches along the same pattern.” Shifting in the Captain’s desk–chair and
absently drumming her fingers along the table–top’s surface, Diana continued, “Additionally,
have portable Comm Buoys launched at regularly spaced designations. Finally,
get our last shuttle up and running. Understood?”

“Yes, Sir!” Ngai acknowledged with a salute.

“Yes, Lieutenant?” Adeline asked a few moments later as,
despite her casual dismissal, the Junior Operations and Intelligence Officer
continued to stand before her yet said nothing.

“Well, um, Sir… I wanted to ask if you have managed to get
any rack–time?”    

 Seeing Marel’s discomfort at issuing her inquiry, Diana
fought the urge to bark a dismissal. “No Lieutenant, I am afraid I have not; I
will soon enough.” Adeline answered evenly.

“That’s good, Sir. It’s just that it has been over twenty–three
hours since you were off duty, and in my role as Junior Operation’s Officer,
it’s my responsibility to…”

“Yes, I understand completely, Lieutenant.” Adeline interrupted,
again fighting the urge to snap out denial. “I shall attend to it soon enough.
Thank you for your concern; you are dismissed.”

“Yes, Lieutenant Commander.” Marel responded, a slight flush
playing across her golden skin before exiting.

As the doors swished behind the Junior Officer, Adeline
suppressed a sigh as she leaned back in the chair for a moment and rubbed her
overly tired eyes. She knew Marel was only doing her duty as both an officer
and as a friend. Yet, despite their friendship, how could Marel truly
understand how Diana felt? Marel’s wife, Ensign Zibai, was still safe aboard
ship, carrying out her duties as Quartermaster and helping to organize the
fabrication and allocation of repair supplies.

Marel’s love and lover was not out in the dead of space or
empty grass–plains and wastelands of the pip of a planet below.

Or worse, forever beyond reach
.

And that
, Diana thought as she rubbed her eyes with
renewed vigor,
is the crux of why
I cannot not rest, cannot close my
eyes
.

More than any potential threat of attack or even, God
forbid, the almost unfathomable forfeiture of her other best friend, Marcus
Perez, what she’d struggled with every minute and each second of the last
fourteen hours was the fear that Avara was lost.

It’s funny, Diana mused to herself, even though she had
served in the Ministry Navy for the last sixteen of her thirty–six years, had
lost friends and comrades to war and misfortune, come what may, it never even
seemed
possible
that Avara could ever be truly lost. She’d always seemed
untouchable, in a way. Irrepressible, undefeatable, driven, gifted, and utterly
brilliant. Shield Operative Captain Avara Serros, the Arca VII with the
uncontainable strength of will and equally powerful sense of compassion that
had seen her walk through fire and back time and time again. All the while
masterfully leading her crew to victory and safety right along with her.

And her smile. That crooked half–smile, so full of good
natured humor and laced with daring. That smile that Diana had fallen in love
with from the first time it had been offered to her, to the many mornings and
evenings she’d basked in its granted warmth during the last week–plus as they
had lain in bed together, their lovemaking either igniting or spent.

Feeling her throat constrict and vision begin to darken,
once more Adeline exerted a herculean effort to keep at bay the soul–slicing
pain that threatened to carve away resolve and sanity. Diana quickly stood to
her feet and brushed through the door of the Captain’s Office to walk the Command
Deck.

She
would
continue do her duty, and she
would
continue to believe.

 * * * * *

“Lieutenant Commander, Wing Commander King reports contact
with a life–pod!”

At Ling’s announcement, Adeline forced herself not to leap
over to the Communication’s Station to verify the claim for herself. Assuming a
position of calm repose in the Command Chair, instead she ordered “Put it over
the Comm Ensign, if you please.”

“
Excalibur
, this is
Ghost One
. I have sight of
the
Ardent’s
Life–Pod 4 on my three. Do you read?”

The fighter–squadron commander’s Old–Terran, Southern North–American
lazy–drawl sounded tinny and was ruptured by interference, but was still easily
recognizable.

“This is Lieutenant Commander Adeline,
Ghost One
. Major
King, report.”

“Well now, communications are out but it’s our bird, sure
enough. She’s got no maneuvering thrusters
but
,” King began, and Diana
could hear the elation in the fighter–pilot’s voice, “I can see Commander
Perez’s face, grinnin’ like a cat who jus’ swallowed a bowl full of cream.”

Picturing Marcus’s expression in her mind, Adeline felt a
surge of joy ride through her. “Excellent work, Wing Commander.” Diana complimented
King, a recent addition to the crew but a rather exceptional and certainly in
this moment, most welcome one at that. “His cream must be running out, so why
don’t we bring him home?”

Turning to the compactly built Junior Communications
Officer, Diana followed with “Ling, task
ES2
to shuttle–tug our Exec
home. King, as soon as the shuttle arrives at your coordinates, continue your
sweep pattern.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Between the shuttle journey and the tow, it took another
thirty–three minutes before a stubble–faced but whole Marcus Perez walked out
of the compact Karukai life–pod onto the Shuttle Bay’s deck.

“Well, if you’re not a sight for sore eyes,
Pirotécnica
!”
He announced with a tired grin as he caught sight of a straight backed but
smiling Lieutenant Commander Adeline.

In typical Marcus fashion, he utterly ignored protocol and
grabbed her close in a brief, bone–rattling hug. “What took you so long, A?
There’re no Human rations on a Karukai life–pod, you know. We were just about
to run out of our own supply, and you know how grumpy I get when I’m hungry.”
His tone was playful as he released her.

With her gaze locked towards the life–pod’s other exiting
occupants, Adeline replied “Half of our systems including Comm and Sensors, two
shuttles, and our Shuttle Bay were blown out. Not to mention the bloody sonite
befouling everything that is actually functioning on–ship.” Diana answered,
only half–paying attention to his question and golden–brown gaze before rapping
out, “Where is Avara?”

“What? I assumed she… she’s not here?” Perez asked,
confusion giving way to disbelieving anxiety. Naxos, Rygel, and Ca’rrakk had
all filed out of the pod and stood around her in a semi–circle that, with Marcus,
felt oddly protective and given the absence of the Captain, simultaneously
suffocating. She absently noted a half–healed abrasion on Rygel’s brow.

“No, she’s been lost since the explosion thirty–six hours
ago, same as you were.” Diana impatiently replied. “What was her status when
you last communicated?”

“She and K’llan had started out on the lowest level, Deck 6,
and with lifts out, had been making their way through the maintenance crawl–way
to reach the life–pods on Deck 2. They’d encountered an obstacle somewhere
around Deck 3, and so were climbing up the elevator shaft. She had ordered us
to disembark after repairing the other life–pod. They were almost at it when we
ejected.”

Adeline could see the color drain from his face, and all the
light–humor she associated with Marcus slip away as just as she had been forced
to do, he was faced with the very real question of Avara’s survival.

“That was about fifteen seconds before
Ardent’s
explosions started, but… She was so close, I was sure she’d made it. I mean,
it’s
Avara
.”

With disbelief, surprise, and weariness falling off him like
a worn, no longer needed coat, Marcus said to an unusually quiet Rygel, “Dane, I
need you to perform a data dump on the pod and all our findings we pulled from
the
Ardent
. Get me likely destinations for Avara and K’llan’s pod and
where they would head if on–planet. Work with Jaxx and Adeline.”

“Yes, Sir. If it is possible, we will find them; 
certes
oui
!” The Communications Officer and resident hacking expert responded, his
blue–gray eyes almost feverish with commitment to the task.

“Make sure you eat.” Turning to the eager faced Ensign Xiang
who had accompanied Adeline to the Bay, Perez ordered “Yeoman, have Senior
Mechanical Engineer Alvarez run a complete spec on the life–pod. Map out its
capabilities, especially in regards to routing, and find out if there’s
anything traceable in its construction. Then bring a generous helping of food
and drink up to my Office.”

“Yes, Sir!” The young man replied, practically smacking his
head in enthusiasm, almond eyes pinched with determination.

Ah, too be that young and wet behind the ears again
.

“Ca’rrakk, see if you can do anything to slice a path
through the damn sonite so we can better find our people.”

“I shall see what I can do, Commander. I think Dr. Thedonis
was working on…” The Gorath began, speaking to himself as he was already
walking away to his lab on Deck 5.

Turning to their Braxien crew–member, Marcus ordered “Belgrum,
start organizing everything we’d require for planet–side search teams. We may
very well need your scouting skills, my friend.”

“Ye
sss
.” He answered quickly, weariness forgotten as
he too stalked off to begin his preparations.

“Adeline,” Perez started a split–second after Naxos’s
departure, motioning for her to follow as he started towards the Bay’s doors.
“I want you to give me a full report regarding
Excalibur’s
status and
your search efforts. Leave nothing out.”

By the time the two had reached Perez’s small Executive
Officer’s Office on the CIC/Bridge level of the starship, Adeline had mostly
brought him up to speed in regards to the frigate’s status and operations.

“And though we thankfully were able to recover three out of
the six missing Marines of
Avernus Corp
, based on the survivor’s report,
‘tis very unlikely the remaining three made it, leaving our KIA total at
eleven.” Adeline stated as she wearily slid into one of the two chairs that
were situated directly across from Perez’s desk. Marcus hadn’t even bothered to
sit in his own seat, just slumped down on the corner of his rather cluttered
desk.

Absently rubbing at the overgrown stubble on his face that
was not a common feature, the Exec remarked “It could have been a lot worse,
Adeline. You’ve done well; very well.”

Not trusting herself to speak given the losses
Excalibur
had suffered and the fact that Avara was still not recovered, she could only briefly
nod in response.

Shaking his head and running one large, scarred hand through
his spiky hair, the Commander all but spat out, “Fucking Feeder Captain had the
Docking Tube Port rigged. No way to know until triggered cuz it was a suicidal
move. Not even Rygel spotted it; didn’t care if she or her entire crew died…
just as long as the prisoners didn’t reach freedom.”