New Dawn (Wandering Engineer) (58 page)

Fifteen minutes crawled by. He
tried to focus on reports, checking the status of the various systems, and
repairs. He knew them by heart however, so eventually he switched to debugging
code.

When the call came in it was a
bit of a shock. He looked up and caught it midstream. “We have secured the
shuttle, and hostages,” a flat voice reported. The crew began to cheer. The
others didn't hear the second part of the report, drowning it out. The Admiral
alone, with his enhanced hearing caught that they had casualties and
fatalities...

“That’s good to hear. Repeat the
last part. Is everyone all right?” the Captain's gravelly voice restored order
to the bridge.

There was a crackle of static
then the grim voice of Vanessa. “Repeat. two fatalities, four wounded,” the
purser said, sounding shaken.

The bridge was suddenly deathly
silent. He looked around to see some of the women hanging their heads. The
Captain sighed. “I'm sorry to hear that. Do we know who?” she asked. She wasn't
sparing the bridge any punches, letting them hear it right away and not agonize
over it.

“Molly and Valia Captain,”
Vanessa replied softly. Some of the women began to cry softly. One moaned.

The Captain gripped the arms of
her chair, and then visibly loosened her fingers. “All right, bring their
bodies up. Bring our people home,” she said gruffly. The channel clicked off.
The Captain looked wane and pale.

“Do we know how they died?”
Jennie asked the engineer. He turned to her. She was withdrawn, her eyes puffy
from crying.

“We don't have all the details,
but it seems some of the guards tried to take advantage of Dorah and the
purser. Molly intervened and they slit her throat,” he said. He looked away
then back. “She died with honor, protecting her shipmates,” he said, proud of
his friend but angry at the needless loss of life. Jennie’s lips quivered. She
fought the sob. He reached out and tucked her into his arms. She let go then,
crying into his chest. “We'll all miss her. She was a good woman,” he murmured.
He patted her head softly as he stared off to the ceiling.

“Shuttles on final approach,” the
subdued overhead voice reported.

Jennie backed out of his arms and
dashed her tears. “Thanks,” she sniffled.

He smiled. “Don't worry about
it.”

They turned to watch the shuttles
dock. The guards escorted the wounded down the ramps, propping them up. It
looked like the four were not badly hurt. Frie and the Chief each carried a
body wrapped in blankets. Frie set hers down near the edge of the ramp. The
Chief set hers beside it. Wearily the two stared at them.

“Should we go in?” Jennie asked
as the guards and wounded made their way past them.

He shook his head, letting the
former hostages go. Some reached out and clutched at Jennie's hand, or patted
her on the shoulder. “No, let’s give them a moment.”

The doctor arrived with the nurse
and began to triage the wounded. They settled two on hovering stretchers, and
had the walking wounded follow. It seems two of the guards had been hit, one in
the leg with a slug thrower, the other in the arm by debris. The other two
wounded were hostages. One had a bloody head wound, another was battered and
bruised. Hibiki passed them carrying Dorah. Tara carried a sleeping Tia. Jennie
patted Vanessa's shoulder softly. “Glad you're home,” she said. The purser
reached out and clutched at her hand, looking lost.

"I think you have another
patient doc," Irons said. The doctor looked up and over to the Captain
patting the brutalized girls shoulder.

"Who?" he asked, and
then looked back down to the guard before him.

"Lips are blue, pale skin,
tremors, and she's pounding her chest with her free hand," Irons said.

The doctor looked up concerned.
"Heart?" he asked.

The Admiral nodded. "My
guess too. Won’t know for sure till you get her under a scope."

He watched as the Captain
murmured to the young woman, grimaced then pounded her chest with her free
hand. "Yeah, heart." The doc looked over his current patient.
"I'll keep doc, the wound is a through and through, go check the Captain."
She said, leaning back with a sigh. He patted her shoulder sympathetically.
"All right." He settled himself with a deep breath, straightened his
smock then stepped around the table to the Captain.

The patient winced, and the
Captain turned. "All done?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Everyone
is stable if that's what you mean, but no, I have one more patient left,"
he said firmly. The Admiral came around to her other side. One of the guards
looked up concerned, but the Admiral waved it off. "Captain, I think it's
time you had an exam," the doc said, and then cocked his head.

She tried to give him a glare,
but then sucked in a breath and pounded her chest. "Nonsense, it's just
heartburn," her usual gravel was much reduced.

"I think we should check and
be sure. Wouldn't want Cookie to know you passed away after eating her spicy
guacamole right?" Doc asked.

The Captain snorted. "Are
you kidding, I think she's been trying to do that from the beginning." A
few of the ladies chuckled at this.

"All right now, I know
you’re a cantankerous patient, but let’s get you checked out," the doctor
urged. He waved the nurse over. Together the trio maneuvered her deftly onto a
biobed. "All right let’s see here. Hmmm..." The subdued nurse handed
him a med scanner. He ran it over her chest, then centered on her heart.
"Well, bad news for Cookie, it isn't her cooking. Looks like a minor heart
attack and a leaky valve," he reported. He touched the controls and a
hologram projected over the Captain. It beat in time with hers.

"See, your ventricle valve
has been weakened there's a small tear here. And the muscles here and here are
weakened." He turned to the nurse. "Prep OR, we're going to
operate."

The nurse nodded. "Right
away doctor." She was subdued, a big difference from her bubbly public
persona.

"Nurse is quiet? Wow I
really must be in trouble," the Captain joked weakly.

The Admiral snorted. "Minor
repair job," he said. She looked over to him. "The doctor just needs
to get a probe in and use a laser to cauterize the rip, then extract stem cells
from your marrow and inject them with some nanite modifiers into your heart
muscles," he explained.

She gave him a feeble glower.
"Oh is that all," she grumbled.

He snorted. "It's a common
ailment for spacers, heart hiccups have been going on for centuries," he
said. She nodded.

"Who are you?" she
asked as another woman in a smock came up and handed the doctor a tablet. The
woman was in her twenties, short, with a golden skin from being in the sun. She
had short black hair and a bandage on her brow.

"My name is Bonny, I was
taking care of your, I mean, I was recruited to take care of your people,"
she said quietly. She waved to them. She watched the Captain warily.

"She protected us
Captain," one of the former hostages called out.

"She took care of the
wounded too," one of the guards volunteered.

"She sort of showed up on
the shuttle. We were loading fast and didn't catch it," Vanessa reported
with a fatalistic shrug.

"Well, since you took care
of my people I won’t have you spaced," the Captain wheezed. The woman's
eyes widened at that. "Permission to board granted. You’re now a guest.
We'll discuss the rest later," she said.

The doctor nodded at that as they
wheeled her into OR.  “Let’s see what we can do about those kidney stones while
you’re under Captain. Now that we have better equipment, I took the liberty of
getting an ultrasonic emitter that'll break them up nicely,” he said and then
smiled. “You'll be back to growling at the bridge staff in no time.” She gave
an earthy chuckle as they passed through the doors to the OR.

The Captain woke up from the
surgery hours later and looked around blearily. "I take it that things
turned out well doc?" she croaked out.

"Just a minute! I'll get
him!" Mindy called, and then came up to her. She jumped around, giggling
while checking the readouts, then pirouetted out. The doctor came in a moment
later followed by the nurse. "She's okay doc really!" The nurses high
bubbly voice was grating on the Captain's nerves.

"Doc, next time give HER the
anesthetic?" she growled. The girl giggled as the doctor picked up the
Captain's wrist and checked her pulse.

"Your color has returned
nicely." He looked over the readouts.

"She's okay isn't she
doc?" Mindy asked, bouncing around.

"Yes Mindy, why don't you go
tell the bridge crew," the doctor told her as he studied the readouts.

"Right away doctor!"
Mindy exclaimed, coming to attention then twirling out with a flutter of
giggles. "The Captain's going to be okay!" she called to the sickbay
residents. Groans and weak hoorays answered her.

He chuckled. "We managed to
repair the valve, heart muscles, removed the kidney stones, and do a few other
things that should make you more comfortable soon." He checked the
readout, and then made a note on the tablet.

"Thanks doc," the
Captain said, and then patted his hand. Jennie, the Chief, and Shandra came in.

Shandra peaked around the corner.
"Is she up for visitor’s doc?" she asked tentatively.

"My that was fast," the
Captain's gravel voice called out. "Grapevine up to its usual speed I
see," she said.

Jennie smiled. "Something
like that." The Admiral followed them in.

The doctor nodded. "Only a
few minutes, she needs her rest," he ordered and then turned and left.

"I am so glad he decided to
come with us." Jennie said as the doctor retreated. He froze for a second,
and then continued on.

"As I understand it, he
didn't," the Admiral said, giving the Captain a long look. She returned
it.

"What do you mean?"
Jennie and Shandra asked together, looking from one to the other.

"The Chief kidnapped
him," Irons said.

Shandra sucked in her breath.
"Oh." The Admiral gave the Chief's stiff back a look then returned
his gaze to the Captain.

"He has a family too. Or
had. His wife was four months pregnant," Irons said. Jennie bit her lip.
Shandra looked torn.

"I didn't know that,"
the Captain said softly. "It doesn't change anything; we still needed him
more here."

 Jennie looked at the door.
"I don't think his family would see it that way Captain. Would you in
their place?" she asked. She returned her gaze to the Captain, and then
dropped her eyes from the cool look.

"I did what was right for my
crew. For the ship," the captain growled. The Admiral nodded.

"Still, we need to make it
right Captain," Shandra looked up to her, not dropping her gaze.

Reluctantly the Captain nodded.
"We will, someday," she sighed. "I'm tired, go about your
business." Jennie and Shandra nodded and murmured politely as they left.
The Admiral gave her a nod, then left.

Only the Chief was left behind.
"Growing a conciseness now grams?" the Chief murmured as he passed
through the door.

"A little," the Captain
answered. He sighed when he heard that.

"They're still
pleading," The communication's tech reported quietly. The Admiral looked
over to her then to the Captain. She had just been released by the doctor in
time to break orbit. From what he heard it had been release her or space Mindy.

"With your permission
Ma'am?" H asked. She flicked her fingers. She was looking much improved,
her color had returned, and she even had some pep. It was a wonder what a
little care and sleep could do.

 He stepped over and took the
handset. "Listen up. In about four minutes we'll be out of range of the
radio, so we don't have much time. Here's what you can do. Get your elderly,
injured, and children underground in caves away from your settlements. The
further the better. Move as much food as you can with them, as well as any
supplies you can. Bury anything you don't want stolen. Tools, jewels,
food," he ordered.

He paused for a moment, and then
continued. “Keep a watch out for the pirate shuttles, and a radio watch. If
they call in warn them of disease." He paused to let that sink in.
"Tell them you opened a canister in a field and it killed a lot of people.
Cough, wheeze. Stall them while getting everyone underground. Leave out rotten
food and any dead," he suggested.

The woman on the other end didn't
reply for a moment. "I don't know if that will be enough, but we'll
try," she finally said.

He grimaced. "I'm sorry we
can't do more, we're already maxed on our life support." He checked the
ships plot. "We're almost out of range. Good luck." He closed the
channel and looked up.

The Captain was looking at him
and gave him a slow nod of approval. "Best anyone can do," she said.
He shrugged.

The memorial service was brief.
The Captain stood at attention near the boat bay. Each of the two coffins were
covered in a flag bearing the ship's crest. The girls had paid their respects
for hours, coming in and touching the coffins. Some cried. The gardener had
filled the area with flowers. A hush rose from the group as the Captain read
her brief eulogy. She finished and touched each of the coffins then nodded to
the Chief. The Chief stood at attention in uniform. She signaled to the guards
who also in uniform stepped up and removed the flag.

In careful moves they folded the
flag and then turned and handed each to the Captain and the Chief.
"Detail. Attention." The guards came to attention. "Detail about
face." The guards turned as one and grasped the handhold on the sides of
each coffin. "Detail move out," the Captain said softly.