phil jones2 (41 page)

'Agent Smith, you are required on the weapons systems in case more of those Voravians show up. Everyone else on this ship has a vital role to play, I just sit in the seat and give the orders. Well here are some more orders for you, I'm going down to Engineering to make sure that Terry is okay. Try your utmost to get systems operational again and should the Voravians show up, run or die trying.'

Before Smith could say another word Phil had exited the cockpit and quickly strode out of ear-shot, avoiding the various bits of sparking wire that were protruding from cracked bulkheads.

The ship was in bad shape as he made his way through the various bits of wreckage that constituted the hallway. Their enemies hadn't even discharged a shot at them, yet the force required to warn them off had done almost as much damage as a full-blown fire fight would have.

He made his way through the debris and came to the malfunctioning doors of Engineering, which appeared to be closing and opening of their own accord. Slipping through with a dexterity that surprised himself, he called Terry's name.

'I'm over here Phil!' a mass of wires and sparks informed him. 'Just making sure this thing doesn't come apart at the seams currently. I should have the communication systems back on in the next hour or so if things go according to plan.'

There was a frenzied movement underneath this blanket of electrical equipment, as if some scurrying gopher had lodged itself in their systems and was building a dam. Or was that beavers that did that?

'So how long until things stop looking like they're about to explode?' Phil asked.

Somehow the wires managed a shrug, incapable of suppressing body language. 'Give me a few hours tops and things will be functional, it will take many days before the more cosmetic repairs are complete.'

'A few hours? There are wires everywhere man!'

'I know, I pulled most of them out myself. Feel free to head back to the cockpit or wherever, I'll let you know when things are ship-shape again.'

Phil backed away, not knowing how his former personal trainer had magically transformed into a starship Engineer but not questioning the convenience of it. There was something decidedly off about the man's tone that couldn't be placed on the fact he had been buried in wires.

He didn't give it any further thought, realising that now diplomacy with the Voravians had failed they were a floating hunk of space debris that was still within easy reach of any ship that wanted to blast them. That concern seemed slightly more immediate than the general well-being of their new Engineer, who seemed happy to help irrespective of his odd behaviour.

'Terry is fine.' he announced to the crew in the cockpit, who were also engaged in attempting to fix things up at their end. 'It looks like we'll be operational again within a few hours.'

Annika looked up from her console. 'A few hours? That impossible... why, my console is barely operational and...'

The speaker crackled open and the friendly if slightly manic sound of Engineer Stevens reverberated around the cockpit. 'Actually Lieutenant it's entirely probable, given how quickly I was able to get the communications systems up and running. Now if you don't mind I have a few other essential systems to shore up before getting everything else operational. Agent Smith, your weapons console should be operational again.'

Smith looked down at the glowing hologram underneath his hands. 'You are... correct, Engineer.' he admitted, but refused to go as far as to compliment him.

'No need to thank me, Agent.' he replied. 'Stevens out.'

'Well.' Phil stated to the crew at large. 'It would appear that things turned out better than expected.'

The speaker came to life once again, but the voice behind it was much less assured. 'Hello? Can anyone here me? Help! The ship started making all these weird noises and then exploded and then the stuff came pouring out and I got soaked and then these big snakes turned up and started dancing and...' the rest of the sentence trailed off into incomprehensible gibbering.

'Ensign Hawkins, head down to Sick Bay and assure our Doctor that the world is not going to end.'

Trigger stared back at him, aghast. 'Sir... I'm in the middle of some very complicated... Can't you go instead?'

Phil smirked. 'Ensign, that's a direct order. Unless you have a problem with obeying orders that is.'

'No sir.' the young man sighed. 'I'll go and...try and calm him down now, sir.'

Clearly Trigger hated dealing with Doctor Samej as much as Phil did, now there was one encounter that he would have enjoyed watching. Manic meets panic, the implacable object hits the unrestrained terror. He wished someone else could be as entertained by the jokes in his head as he was.

'Captain, I'm not sure if I'm reading this right, but my communications station is decoding all kinds of transmissions and sending them to me. All of them are Voravian except for one, would you like me to play it?'

'Go ahead Lieutenant, the more information we can get while sitting here the better prepared we'll be when the shinpad hits the fandango.'

'Pardon sir?'

'Just play the transmission.'

'Right you are, sir.'

The viewscreen temporarily winked out from the vastness of space and into the visual transmission. Phil had been expecting audio only, but now he was staring at the haggard features of Darwin, who looked much like a balloon that someone had left in a hot press for too long.

'What is it? Can't you see that I'm one engine fluctuation away from being blown to pieces by the Voravians?'

The image switched to that of a woman that Phil recognised, it was his new neighbour from his apartment block. What in the blue hell was she doing out here in space?

'I am the envoy for the Human Genome research station, you may call me Anne. Prepare to be boarded, we have much to discuss.'

'Didn't you listen to a word I just said?' Darwin fumed. 'If we drop out of hyperwarp for even a second the Voravians will be upon us!'

Anne offered him a cool smile. 'Who said anything about dropping out of hyperwarp? I plan to board you whilst remaining in it.'

'Impossible.' the Captain muttered, somewhat placated.

'Captain Darwin, I assure you that I am capable of many things that you deem impossible. Now prepare to be boarded, I have to discuss the Human Genome's plans for the Voravian destruct button upon their mothership.'

Darwin waved a hand in irritation. 'I know, I know. They have a button that disables their entire fleet as a failsafe measure, but that will only incapacitate them. Where are we going to find the fire power to destroy their ships, woman?'

Anne narrowed her eyes. 'Captain, I am fully aware of your transgressions with crew members of the opposite sex. Call me woman one more time and you shall not have the equipment to ever make such transgressions again.'

There was something cold and clinical about the deliver that made Darwin visibly swallow the retort he had been planning. 'I... Very well... Does the Human Genome station have some kind of weapon to destroy the Voravian fleet then?'

Anne nodded, the ghost of a smile playing upon her face. 'Within the central chamber of the station there is a weapon poised to destroy the fleet as soon as they drop out of hyperwarp, the Scavanger and all aboard it shall be unaffected. Enough of this though, I shall discuss it in detail when I arrive. Anne out.'

The viewscreen faded back into its permanent screensaver, the starry backdrop of their own immobility.

'It would appear that Captain Darwin is baiting the Voravian fleet into a trap.' Smith mused. 'Most interesting.'

Annika stared at him in disbelief. 'Interesting? They're going to wage biological warfare on the Voravians, it will kill millions!'

Smith shrugged. 'As opposed to the Voravians who were going to land peacefully and shake hands with the inhabitants of Earth?'

'Enough.' Phil said, catching both their attentions with how firmly he said it. 'We need solutions, not quibbling over the moral implications.'

Once more the cockpit was filled with the sound of brains being racked, they had a matter of hours to somehow avert this conflict, but no means of doing so while stranded here in space.

'It would appear that what we must do is obvious, but how we are to go about doing it is less so.' Smith stated. 'In order to prevent the Voravians from destroying Star Command and decimating the Earth's populace we must activate their off switch.'

'And in order to prevent the Voravians from being destroyed we must find a way to disable the Human Genome station's weapon.'

Smith snorted in disgust at the idea. 'Have you any idea how hard it would be to infiltrate a large station full of operatives?'

'No harder than gaining access to the Voravian mothership in the midst of their war fleet.' Annika shot back.

'Enough!' Phil shouted, slamming his fist down on the arm of his chair. 'We will do both these things, and we shall split into two teams in order to accomplish it.'

'Captain, we only have one ship.' RJ ventured. 'How are we going to be in two places at once?'

'That much is simple, Pilot.' came Terry's voice over the intercom. 'I'm going to program two escape pods to crash into both targets at once.'

'Are you truly insane?' Smith said. 'In what world do you believe that they won't simply shoot us down for encroaching upon their space during a time of war?'

'I'm going to rig the pods with miniature cloaking devices, they won't know what hit them until we're out of there and into safety.'

Smith actually struggled for words for a moment. 'How do you know about the cloaking technology?'

'You never said I couldn't access the Engineering computer. It has ties to the data from all of Star Command, I was able to bypass a few security restrictions and find out all about this experimental technology.'

'Captain.' Smith said, almost pleading. 'I strongly object to this plan, the chances that neither company will make it back in one peace are exceptionally high.'

Phil mused over the sentence, but ultimately it all boiled down to one thing. 'Do you have an alternative to suggest, Commander?'

Smith fell silent.

'Does anyone?' Phil asked, meeting the eyes of each of the crew members.'

'No sir.' came the staggered chorus of replies.

'Agent Smith is correct in his risk assessment, but given that we are out of viable alternatives it's all we've got. I can't order any of you to do this, so if any of you wish to remain with the ship I will not think any less of you.'

The crew stared amongst themselves, each lost in their own respective thoughts.

'If any of you wish to abstain from this deadly mission then please make it known now.'

RJ turned and offered him an easy smile. 'You've taken us this far Captain, I'd be a fool not to see the rest of it out, for good or bad.'

Trigger stared at RJ's response and realised he was next in line. 'I... er... They're going to find this ship anyway, aren't they? So really this is the safest choice to make, right?'

RJ offered him a reassuring nod. 'Right.'

'Then I'm in.' the Ensign stuttered.

Annika's smile made RJ's look like a grimace. 'You are the chosen one, I would follow you into the very core of the sun if you demanded it of me.' her expression quickly changed as she shot a glance at Smith, all eyes then turned to him.

'Two teams of three, I shall command the first team and Captain Jones shall command the second. I shall take the Lieutenant and our Engineer with me, the Captain shall have the Ensign and the cowboy.'

RJ snorted in derision. 'Ain't nothing wrong with being a space cowboy, Stiff.'

Smith offered no retort, and Phil barely noticed the exchange.

'Are you seriously putting me in charge of an entire team?' he asked.

Smith arched an eyebrow. 'That appears to be the case, does it not?'

'Why? I thought you considered me a liability in the field.'

To Phil's surprise, the Agent offered him a smile. 'This may come as a shock to you, Captain. In all our dealings you have come out victorious, I begrudgingly consider you a... capable leader.'

It was the greatest compliment Phil had ever received, and he was almost certain he heard a high-pitched squeal of delight from Annika behind him. 'I shall do my best to live up to that billing, Commander. Thank you.'

Smith waved away the response, already engrossed in the details of the mission. 'Both exploits are equally dangerous and unpredictable, I shall lead my team into the heart of the Voravian fleet and you shall lead yours into the Human Genome station. There shall be no further communication between us upon launch of the pods, and no way of coordinating our efforts. I don't need to tell you how I feel about the success rate of such a plan.'

Phil nodded. 'That's it then, we just need to pay the armory a visit and then wait for Terry to fix up the pods.' he looked up at the speaker. 'How long will that take, Terry?'

'The pods were undamaged in the recent surge, I could probably rig them with the cloaking device in under an hour now that primary systems are stable.'

'Any questions?' he asked the crew.

None were forthcoming.

'Very well then.' Phil said. 'If you'd lead the way Commander, I believe we have a mission to be preparing for.

'Aye Captain.' Smith smiled, leading the way to the armoury.

Phil didn't know what he was going up against, he didn't know how he was going to defeat it, and he was fully aware that he had a snowball's chance in hell. That moment in time though when Smith called him Captain was the finest hour he had experienced. He had won the respect of the very man he had assumed would overthrow his Captaincy as soon as he got the chance. Irrespective of anything else, today was a good day to be the Captain of this fine crew.

He just hoped that their good days weren't numbered.

Chapter 42

! ! !

'
T
here are eighty-seven light fighters approaching our position Captain, a single hit from any of them will be enough to take us out of hyperwarp!' the panicky Ensign informed him.