Tiva Boon: Royal Guardian (45 page)

“What is it?”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to…No, tell Ri to stop…” Her form fizzled and dissipated into nothingness.

Aliri’s voice echoed through the captain’s wrist-com. “I’ve deactivated her from the computer core, the virus is still permeating through the computer systems we don’t have much time to flush it.”

Tiva ran to her post, Emerala put her console back together as the others attempted to get back in working order. The ship shuddered again. The aliens were not giving up, they seemed to have the advantage in every area, but like her crewmates, Tiva wasn’t about to admit defeat.

Ranndom and Hemko reported in. They were making their way toward the command center doing a level-by-level search with a few volunteers, checking for any intruders. The few remaining began to stir again. Tiva rotated the shielding around the command center and accessed some of her controls. She unlocked the weapons cabinet under her console and pulled out a pair of fully charged guns.

“Captain,” she said. When he turned, she tossed him one and motioned to the alien. He caught the weapon and fired, stunning him back to unconsciousness. After replacing her own depleted gun with a fresh one, she attempted to bring the security scans online and blinked as they came to life on her console. “Sir, I have partial access to sensors. I will run an internal sweep now.”

“Good, good,” Hill said a weight lifting off his shoulders as he slouched back in his chair. “Is anyone injured?”

Several of the crew had injuries, but no one spoke up. The situation was dire, and everyone remained at stations. Tiva ignored the throbbing pain at the base of her neck and continued to work on her console. The sweeps were running slowly, but it was a good sign that they were working at all.

Hill leaned close to the captain, whispering something.

“I have flight controls back!” Raife said, excited.

“Take us out of here,” Maar said.

The
Tolox
began to move, sluggishly at first, but slowly gained momentum. On the displayer, the salvage ship turned, its large cannon pointing at them head on. B’abot cursed under his breath as his hands sped up and down the length of his console. Shields and weapons were still down. Emerala continued repairs, and Tiva watched helplessly as the cannon glowed.

“They are charging weapons, captain.” B’abot hit his console. “And I don’t have shields.”

“Nassut, initiate warp.”

“I can’t, sir. It’s still rebooting.”

Maar and Hill exchanged looks. Aliri rushed into the room, covered in cuts and bruises. She staggered to her station without saying a word.

“Are you okay?” Emerala asked.

“I’ve been better. The virus should be flushed now, some systems might have to be reset, but engineering has everyone working.”

“Good, good.” Hill rubbed his cheek. “But we’ve got bigger problems now. What is the status of the dampening field?”

“I can access it. Maybe fifty percent effective, why?” Aliri moved to her console.

“We don’t have shields yet, and the alien ship is preparing to fire.” Maar turned.

“Oh.” She frowned. Glancing between the captain and Hill, her eyes went wide. “Behind you!”

One of the aliens was awake and on his feet.

Tiva noticed it at the same time and before Maar or Hill turned, she was on top of her station and soaring through the air over their heads. Tiva landed next to B’abot directly in front of the intruder. She blocked the first attack and kicked him in the stomach sending him flying back. Pulling the gun from her side, she squeezed the trigger, sending a shot across the command center, hitting him squarely in the chest. Without warning, a loud rumble reverberated inside her head. The tactical console exploded and everything around her went black.

Tiva jolted awake ready to fight again. Lifting her hand up, she noticed she was not wearing her uniform. She was no longer at her post. When the room came into focus, she sighed and tried to sit up.

“No, no you don’t!” an unfamiliar voice said. “You have about another week of recovery time, Ms. Boon. Doctor’s orders.”

“What happened?” she said.

“There was an explosion, you are lucky to be alive.” The Joran doctor crossed the infirmary and handed her a glass. He was more ashen then the other Joran’s she had met and had a comforting expression on his young features. “Drink up, it’s a protein shake. You haven’t had anything to eat in a few days, you’ve been unconscious.”

“Was anyone else hurt?”

“We suffered a few casualties and many injuries,” he said as he ran a hand through his long black hair. “Mr. Hill asked me to notify him when you awoke. I’m sure he will bring you up to date.”

Tiva sipped the drink; it was a pleasant smooth taste, surprisingly. “Thank you, Doctor…”

“Hino.” He bowed slightly. “I’ve done extensive scans on you Ms. Boon, you have
quite a unique physiology. Half of the bruises you came in here with are healing already, but I’m afraid you’ll have a scar on your stomach. You were struck by a large piece of shrapnel and my dermal healing strips only work on cuts, not gashes. But I did the best I could patching you up again.”

“I understand.”

“Finish as much of the shake as you can, it’ll help you regain your strength.”

“I am fine, Doctor Hino.”

“Hardly, you might have extraordinary healing abilities, but you are not fine. I used a mild painkiller on you, that’s why you think you feel fine. But if you feel worse, you’ll have to inform one of the nurses. You will remain here until I say so. That comes straight from Captain Maar.”

“Very well.”

Hours passed. Tiva occupied her time with various reports the doctor allowed her to read. The protein shake satisfied her hunger, but her mind still felt foggy due to the medication. Unable to do much with the doctors and nurses constantly moving about the room, she closed her eyes to rest, and wondered what had happened in the past few days while she’d been out of commission.

She felt another person near. It wasn’t any of the infirmary staff, she had already memorized them; it was someone else. Hearing whispering in the distance, Tiva opened her senses and reached out. A small smiled formed on her lips, but she kept her eyes closed. A strong, but warm hand touched her arm.

“Ms. Boon?”

“Greetings, sir,” she said before opening her eyes.

Hill laughed.

“The doctor mentioned you would be visiting.”

“Yes, yes…I’m afraid I don’t have much time. We’re only a few hours from Ovvella Base, and I’m needed on another negotiation team.”

“I understand, sir. Thank you for coming,” she said, slowly sitting up. “How are the rest of the crew and my security team? What of Gigs and the salvage ship? Dr. Hino refused to give me any information.”

“Easy, easy…” he said, resting his hand on her shoulder. He kept his hand
there lowering his head, sighing. “I’m afraid I have bad news, Ms. Boon.”

“What is it?”

“Jimmi is dead.”

Tiva stared at him in disbelief. She felt her markings darken as she balled her hands up and pounded on the sides of the bed. She cursed in Abennelpian then closed her eyes trying to regain her composure.

“You almost died, too, but you saved the captain and me from the alien, we owe you a great deal, Tiva.”

Hearing him say her name caused her to open her eyes. “What was the cause of the explosion?”

“Internal malfunction during their last assault, no one could have known.”

“Gigs could,” she said dejectedly.

“Possibly, but her program is still offline, we’re not sure we can bring her back.” He removed his hand from her shoulder and rubbed the back of his neck. “Once we arrive at the base they will run a diagnostic to see what the damage is, but for now I want you to rest and regain your strength. The salvagers got away, but we have a better understanding of them and their technology now. We have hundreds of scans and logs to go through. Don’t worry, we’ll find them again.”

“And my security teams?”

“Ranndom and Hemko are fine and covering your duties well. We’re picking up four more recruits at the base.”

“I am sorry, sir. It was not my intention to have others do my work. I will be happy to do what I can from here.”

“You’ve gone above and beyond. You need a break; we are going to need your strength after this negotiation is over.”

“Very well, sir.”

He smiled and patted her shoulder. “Now that you are awake, I’m sure the others will come see you. The captain sends his thanks and get well wishes also.”

“I appreciate that.” She nodded.

“All right, Ms. Boon, time for a check up.” Dr. Hino entered the room with a portable scanner in his hand. “You’ll have to excuse us, Mr. Hill.”

“Uh, right…no problem,” he stammered then smiled at her. “Take care, Ms. Boon.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The
Tolox
docked at Ovvella Base during the night. When Tiva woke the next morning, Aliri and Emerala were there to visit. They enjoyed a short conversation about general topics, keeping away from the obvious pain of losing a crew member.

Toward the end of the day, Dr. Hino allowed Tiva to take a short walk around the infirmary. Admittedly, she felt weaker than she realized and allowed her body time to adjust. After another dinner of protein shakes, Tiva asked to clean up.

The steaming hot shower loosened her muscles and helped to ease some of the pain in her shoulder and stomach. Not only did she have a new scar on her stomach, but also a few small nicks and scrapes covered her back. She was lucky, indeed, but felt the loss of B’abot as she gently washed her wounds. He was a good man, honest and hardworking. His attitude toward courting and relationships might not have been appropriate, but she knew the crew would miss him. She would as well, in spite of their past altercations.

When she returned to her bed, a small brightly decorated box was on her pillow. Tiva searched the area for the gift giver, but found no one other than the infirmary staff. Curious, she sat and studied the box. Dr. Hino stood in the doorway and chuckled.

“It’s not going to bite.”

“Doctor, it is a box,” she said.

He chuckled. “I mean, it is not going to harm you. One of your friends left it.”

“Do you know who?”

“The science girl….”

“Yes, Aliri.” She nodded. “Thank you.”

“Certainly.” He grinned. “Tomorrow, you can take a walk on the base if you wish. You are healing well. How do you feel?”

“I still have some pain in my shoulder, but I do not like the medication. It makes me feel strange. I prefer not to take anything.”

“Tough girl.” Hino laughed and shrugged. “If that’s what you want. So, open your present and then get some rest. I will see you in the morning.”

“Good evening, Doctor.” Tiva picked up the box and waited for him to leave before opening it. Inside was a small amethyst crystal hanging on the end of a chain. She lifted it up holding the gemstone against her palm. She felt energy and power from it, and wondered exactly what it was.

A curious feeling rose inside her, it was as if she had seen this gift somewhere else before. Deep inside her mind, something stirred, but the memory would not come to her no matter how hard she tried to force it. She shook off the thoughts and rubbed her temple.

She placed the gift back in the box and put it on the table next to her bed. She smiled and curled up under the covers. With the dose of medication releasing her from the fogginess, Tiva reached out to her friend.

Thank you, Aliri, it is a wonderful gift. What is the occasion
? she asked and waited for a response.

It was your birthday the last week, wasn’t it?
Aliri answered soon after.

Birthday? Oh, you are speaking of my Remembrance, I had forgotten. How did you know?

Your records, Tiva. I make it a habit to know everyone’s birthday.
Aliri projected a picture of a cake.

Tiva chuckled and smiled. She did not celebrate her last Remembrance on Uucor. Though, as she glanced at the gift, she missed the joy celebrating used to bring.

When you are well, put it on, and it will protect you. Twenty-two, what a fun age that was. Anyway, I’m sure you’ve already sensed it, but the crystal I gave you is no ordinary gem. It is from my home world, and is very old. It is a natural energy source. It will help keep your mind and body balanced.

Thank you, my friend. I will treasure it always.

I know, now get some sleep. I’ll visit you in the morning.

Tiva settled back against the pillow and let her mind drift and her
body relax. Having friends, who happened to be alien to her, was still a blessing of the spirits. As a child, she wondered what the stars held and now she knew the truth. The universe, like her world, was full of people on both ends of the spectrum. Luckily, Tiva found the right group, a collection of people with similar goals and beliefs. The people of the Union wanted to explore and maintain peace.

Until she heard from Neola, she could set no plans for her future. It was the key to her very existence. While her path as a Royal Guardian was still unknown, Tiva knew she was welcome here as a member of the Union. She had proven herself once more by remaining loyal to those she served with. A natural progression, but forming solid friendships was something she never considered among people of difference races.

Her eyelids grew heavy, and she pushed aside the sadness at the loss of life the others on the ship were feeling. She knew loss. Her heart and mind carried the burden, but here among the people of the universe, Tiva knew somehow she’d find peace, and she prayed that peace would make its way back home.