Dark Space (29 page)

   Ralath looked down at him
with uncertainty. “It’s not designed to take the kind of punishment one of
Tevis’s electrical storms can easily put out. If we’re struck by an electrical
discharge, the hull could become polarized.”

   “Meaning?” Melissa asked.

   “We’d be fried like an egg
from the inside out,” Shawn replied, then turned back to the captain. ‘”But
that’s only if we get hit. We’d only need to remain clouded long enough for the
Meltranians to pass by.”

   Ralath was wavering, but
there was still caution in his tone. “That is a very large opportunity for
disaster, Commander.”

   “How large?”

   Ralath changed the view on
the holotable, bringing Tevis back into full view. On the far side of the gas
giant, and getting closer by the minute, were the two Meltranian warships.
“Half a cycle until we are within visual range. If the Meltranians continue on
their present course around the planet, it will be a full cycle until we are
out of range. That’s about three-quarters of a Terran hour.”

   Melissa looked out to the
planetoid beyond. As she did, a spiderweb of blue lightning spread across the
equator. “I may have to agree with Major Fralok on this one, Shawn.”

   Shawn looked out at the
planet below, begging the storms to give him an answer. “But what if we go to a
more stable region of the planet? Say, into one of the poles.”

   Ralath brought up an
expanded image of the northern section of the planet. “There
is
far less
activity there. The danger would be reduced, but not negated.”

   “If we went through the
clouds and into the upper atmosphere … how long could we remain there?”

   “Through them?” Fralok
balked in utter disbelief.

   Ralath requested a more
detailed scan of what lay below the storms. “Assuming we survive the initial
entry, several full cycles at least. While electrical damage would be unlikely,
the pressure would begin to take its toll on the outer structure of the ship.”

   “A crushed egg versus a
fried one,” Melissa tittered sarcastically. “Good times.”

   “We just need to remain in
there long enough for the Meltranians to pass,” Shawn said as he studied the
planet beyond the forward view port, then turned back to Ralath. “What do you
think?”

   “It is either that,
Commander, or we take our chances and escape this system while we still can.”

   “Not an option,” Melissa
snapped before she realized which choices remained.

   “Very well,” Ralath
grumbled. “We will need to move quickly.” He nodded to a vacant console in the
corner of the command deck. “Strap yourself into the chairs there. The transit
will not be pleasant.” He then turned to Fralok. “Major Fralok, take control of
the ship. Lay in a course for the northern pole and engage at maximum speed.”

%%%

   Melissa found herself
gripping the armrests of the chair tightly as the
Tangled Web
began its
shaky descent toward Tevis. The planet had filled the view port, and with the
mass of gasses swirling in ever-changing shapes, it was visually impossible to
tell how far they were from their final objective. Beside her, Doctor Uudon had
buried his face in his hands, mumbling and swearing in three different
languages about having come on this mission in the first place.

   Shawn was the only one
relatively calm. Without a chair, he’d positioned himself behind Melissa’s seat
and gripped onto the headrest tightly. His gaze was steady on the looming
planet as he tried to mentally guide the craft through the turbulent winds.

   Fralok, to his credit, was
doing an admirable job of keeping the craft true to its course. However, a
flash of lightning on the port side of the ship had unnerved him, and he
overcompensated by sending the warship into a hard port bank. The rapid shift
in momentum had tossed Captain Ralath and his communication officer from their
seats, and Melissa closed her eyes tightly as she gripped her chair harder,
recalling how much she truly hated planetary entries.

   When the captain had
regained his seat, he began howling orders to the crew. “Sensor report!”

   “We have descended twenty
measures into the planet’s mesosphere, Captain,” the officer at that station
replied. “There are severe atmospheric fluctuations ahead.”

   “Relay the information to
the helm. Major Fralok, make note and attempt to compensate!”  

   Before Fralok could answer,
the ship lurched down violently, causing Shawn’s stomach to try and eject
through his mouth. Just as quickly, the warship pitched up and to port.

   “Trying!” Fralok yelled.
“The changes in pressure are too rapid. We must slow our descent!”

   “Not until after we’ve
passed into the troposphere,” Ralath countered. “Only then will we be fully
obscured to the enemy’s sensors.” 

   “Distance?” the major
yelled from the helm control console.

   “Forty more units,” the
sensor officer shouted back.

   “Commander Kestrel,” Ralath
shouted over his shoulder. “The Meltranians will be at our previous position
within seconds of us reaching our destination. If they detect us in any way,
the structure of this ship will not withstand the forces required to make a
quick escape. If you have a particular deity you wish to make amends with, I
suggest you do so now!”

   Before Shawn could respond,
the
Tangled Web
slammed headlong into a wall of overpressure. Melissa
and Uudon, strapped into their respective chairs, were thrown forward into the
uncomfortable harnesses. Shawn, lacking the same protection, slid across the
floor to end up in a heap near the helm console.

   Fralok risked a surprised
glance down to the commander. “This position is occupied.”

   Gripping the back of
Fralok’s chair, Shawn hefted himself to his feet. “I just came by to say a
quick hello.”

   The major twisted the ship
to starboard, and Shawn had to pull himself tightly against the chair to stop
from spinning across the deck again.

   “I have no time for your
foolishness!” the major screamed.

   Shawn had no intention of
remaining at the station, and quickly surveyed how far it was back to his own
position. However, he knew there was no way of denying the opportunity his
current predicament afforded. “You know,” he said, smirking and leaning as
casually as possible toward the Kafaran. “If you’d like me to take over, I’m sure
I can help—”

   A guttural growl came from
deep within the major. Satisfied, Shawn patted the back of the chair and rushed
back to his seat.

   “Tropospheric insertion in
one cycle,” the sensor officer yelled.

   “Stand by for full thrust
reversal,” Ralath shouted. “We cannot afford to engage the engines until we are
hidden!”

   The forward view was a haze
of purple and yellow gasses. All around them, the ship was shuddering and
bucking under the pressure of reentry. Occasionally a loud moan could be heard
from the superstructure, and Shawn wondered how much more stress the craft
could take. As the vibrations became more pronounced, a console on the far side
of the control center erupted into a shower of sparks, startling Melissa into a
yelp and drawing Shawn’s attention away from the planetoid beyond. Seeing that
she was all right, he reached down and gripped her hand tightly. She smiled up
at him warmly, and despite the chaos around them, he returned the gesture.
Turning forward again, he watched as the layers of clouds all but vanished in
an instant as the
Tangled Web
broke through the clouds and into a large
pocket of clear sky.

   “Full reverse!” Ralath
shouted, although the cacophony of noise and vibrations had all but abated.

   Everyone on the bridge
lurched forward as the large warship ground itself to a halt just below the
layer of tumultuous clouds. As soon as the engines were throttled back, Shawn
was sure he could hear a pin drop on the deck. Swallowing hard, and with his
ears still ringing, he turned to survey the scene.

   More than one console had
exploded. In fact, several of the computer stations were either burnt out
completely or their monitors were flickering waves of static. A Kafaran bridge
officer was lying on the deck beside one of the wasted terminals—unconscious or
dead, Shawn couldn’t tell which. Ralath and Fralok were still at their posts,
poised for action despite the respite from the storm churning behind the ship.
Turning, Shawn saw Doctor Uudon curled in a fetal position under Melissa’s
chair.

   “Doctor,” he said, calmly
putting a hand on Uudon’s shoulder.

   “Is it over?” the doctor’s
voice trembled.

   Checking out his
surroundings once more, Shawn nodded slowly. “For now. I need you to get up.
We’ve got a man down here.”

   Relaxing his muscles, Uudon
rolled to a sitting position. “What?”

   Shawn waved his head in the
direction of the fallen Kafaran. “We’ve had an injury. See what you can do.”

   Uudon looked to the fallen
officer and then to Shawn incredulously. “What am I supposed to do with that?
I’m not
that
kind of a doctor, Commander.”

   His patience with the man
having finally run out, Shawn leaned down and took two handfuls of the doctor’s
coat, then hefted him to his feet. “You’ve got a doctorate in something, which
I’m pretty sure is more than anyone else presently assembled. I’m certain that,
locked in that brain of yours, there are things about anatomy and physiology
I’ll never begin to understand. Now stop complaining about your shortcomings
and see what you can do to help him.” Without waiting for a rebuttal, Shawn
released the doctor and pushed him toward the fallen officer.

   Unbuckling her harness,
Melissa stood on unsteady legs. “I’ll see what I can do to help him.”

   Shawn placed two hands on
her shoulders to steady her. “Are you sure? You look pretty rough, Angel.”

   She swept the loose strands
of hair from her face and tucked them behind her ear. Removing one of his
hands, she kissed the back of it lightly. “I’ll be fine,” she said softly, then
moved to kneel beside Uudon.

   “The Meltranian ships
should be directly above us, Captain,” the sensor officer said to Ralath from
his console.

   Stepping beside the
captain’s chair, Shawn unconsciously looked to the overhead. “Did they see us?”

   “I … do not know,” Ralath
said, his translator turning the words into a whisper. “For the moment, our
sensors cannot be allowed to penetrate the storm clouds above. To do so would
invariably give away our location.”

   Shawn nodded. “Then the
only way we’ll know for sure is if we get fired upon.”

   “I do not believe their
weapons can penetrate the storm, Captain. However, I put nothing past those
accursed creatures.”

   Looking out to the rim of
the pocket they were in, Shawn watched a particular nasty bolt of electricity
reach out for nearly a mile, then loop back into the storm front. “If that
storm gets any closer, we’re going to be in for another rough ride.”

   Ralath grunted. “I hope to
be long away from this maelstrom before then, Commander. But first, we must
assess our damage.”

   “The Meltranians?”

   Ralath’s eyes scanned the
overhead, mentally gazing far beyond into the space beyond. He was silent for
several full minutes before speaking. “For the moment, I believe we have bought
ourselves some time.”

   “Shawn,” Melissa said from
the side of the fallen officer. “I think he’s dead.”

   Ralath’s eyes moved down to
see the injured crewman for the first time. “His name was Ellanar, the ship’s lead
engineer. A brave warrior … and a good friend.”

   “I’m sorry,” Melissa
offered.

   Ralath looked at her with
indifference. “It is but a shell, Agent Graves. The essence of what he was has
moved on.” The captain then turned to Fralok. “You will see to it that the body
is disposed of, Major. After all, he was your kin.”

   “Your kin,” Melissa
stammered as she turned to the major. “You mean … he was—”

   “My elder brother,” Fralok
replied with as little emotion as Ralath had a moment earlier. When he reached
down, he grasped Ellanar by the wrists and began to drag him from the space.

   When Shawn noticed that
Melissa was about to object to the treatment of the body, he reached out a hand
and pulled her to her feet. “Just leave it, honey,” he said to her quietly as
she continued to stare at the display until the doors to the bridge had firmly
shut behind the major. “It’s their way. We’ve got no say in it.”

   “Indeed,” Ralath said from
behind them, drawing stares from both of them. “I’ve heard of your
human
reverence for the dead. Quite a fascinating study, but little more than a minor
footnote in what we’ve come to know of your people.”

   “It’s called compassion,”
Melissa said, wresting her arm out of Shawn’s grasp, “and it’s more than just a
minor footnote
for our people. It’s one of the cornerstones of our
existence.”