Finally, I have my mail back again!!!
Here is the long overdue Part three of my ORIG fic "Unlikely Hero".
Thanx in advance for your patience.
As always, C&C is requested, anticipated and apppreciated.
Coutuva.
+++++
Unlikely Hero - Part 3
New Ghosts, Old Ghosts
-------------------------------------------------------
"C'mon, Dad! Let's try again tonight!" Tommy begged his father,
tugging at his pantleg.
Tommy's Dad sighed resignedly. "Sure, Buddy... Go up and open the
shutters, and I'll be right there. You can be such a pest!" he relented,
tousling the boy's hair.
"Yesss!" Tommy cheered with the appropriate arm gesture, and raced
off toward the attic stairs.
"Honey... that's *your* son." Dad commented as he walked past his
wife to refill his coffee cup.
She looked up from her magazine and smirked at him, not dignifying
his crack with a response.
"We'll be in the 'observatory', trying to find a new comet. Buzz
me if you need anything." He continued, heading off toward the same stairs
his son had just blazed up.
In the attic, Tommy had opened the shutters, which in fact were
panels in the roof that swung open to allow unrestricted access to the night
sky above. Tommy's Dad was an amateur astronomer, and his pride and joy was
his huge telescope, which had already credited him with several minor
asteroid finds.
"Are we ready to go?" Tommy's Dad asked, as he stepped through the
small door to the attic.
"You bet! I get to use the scope tonight, right Dad?" Tommy asked,
eyes as wide as plates.
Tommy's Dad couldn't help but grin at his son's persistence. "Sure.
I'll watch on the monitor." he said, still grinning. He was happy that his
son was showing such enthusiasm for a seven year old, but sometimes, it could
be a bit overwhelming.
"Get in the jumpseat, and I'll pick us out a sector to check. And
buckle your belt this time."
"Okay, Dad..." the youngster responded, downheartedly.
"Here we are... We haven't looked here for a while, Tommy... Lets
set a search grid, and see what's out there."
"Okay. Got it, Dad?" Tommy asked, aiming the huge scope at a
familiar star.
"Yep! Now... let's mark it and... Good. Okay, Tommy. Start your
sweeps." He instructed, leaning back in his chair to sip some coffee.
For the next 30 minutes, Tommy methodically swept through the first
line of the grid, and was unable to spot anything of significance. After
making the appropriate log entry, his Dad told him to start the next sweep.
Just as he settled back into his chair, his trained eye caught a glimpse of
something... odd.
"Whoa! Tommy... track back 2 degrees, level line." He blurted,
leaning close to the monitor screen. As he watched, a small, bright object
slowly came back into view. "Okay, chum. Hold right there. Now, go to
Zoom 1." he instructed, staring at the object as it grew before him.
"What is it, Dad? It's not moving." Tommy noted, leaning toward
his distracted father.
"I don't know... Tommy, go get the cell phone, and start the VCR.
I'll take over up there."
"Bummer. You always do this when we find something neat." Tommy
complained as he climbed down from the objective lens seat.
"Sorry, Kiddo.. this looks like something we've never seen before,
and I want to get the big boys in on it right away. I have a feeling this
is going to have some major repercussions." his Dad replied, ominously.
"Cool!"
"Good Evening, and welcome to NewsHour! I'm Evan Delanger, and
this is Connie Houston."
"Good Evening, Evan. Tonight's top story concerns a mysterious
object drifting through our Solar System. At 10:00 last night, an amateur
scientist discovered what was at first thought to be an asteroid in a slow
track across the system, but further observations by NASA Officials have
led them to discount that theory. Although no further determinations have
been made at this time, NewsHour will have updates for you as more
information becomes available from official sources."
"Thanks, Connie. That's certainly exciting news for all those
backyard skywatchers. Now, here with his own theory on what our strange
object could be is NewsHour's scientific correspondent..."
"Aikea! Float on over here and have a look at this!" Leona called
to her ethereal companion.
"What's up, Lee?" Aikea asked as she settled on the couch beside
Leona.
"Listen! They found something floating around out in space, and
they're trying to guess what it is. I thought you'd be interested in this,
since you used to work for a Space outfit."
"The Guild." Aikea corrected, absently, as her attention was now on
the scientist on the TV. As the individual spoke, there was a graphic
behind him of a fuzzy object, and Aikea began to get a funny feeling about
it.
Both women watched intently until the next article came on, then
Aikea sat back on the couch, her face fixed in thought.
"Give." Leona prodded, noticing her demeanor.
"Ano?... Oh, Lee, something's bugging me about that 'object'... it
seems almost familiar somehow."
"Familiar? what would you be familiar with from this century?"
"That's part of it... Plus, I know every celestial body from Sector
0 right out to the Centaur Nebula, and that thing doesn't resemble any of
them... I don't get it either." Akiea replied, her face still indicating
her consternation.
"Sector 0? Centaur Nebula? What are those?" Leona injected,
giving Aikea her now-famous 'What the hell are you talking about?' look.
"Sorry, Lee... shop talk. 'Sector 0' is how I used to refer to
Earth, and the 'Centaur Nebula' is an interstellar formation of stars and
gasses that was discovered around 2012. It's at the outer limits of our
capability for space travel."
"Okay... so you're saying this 'object' doesn't belong to any of
those things?"
"Hai... in fact, I'd go so far as to say it's probably not a native
object."
"We'll have to keep an eye on this one, then... If you're concerned,
it must mean something." Leona commented, watching Aikea for some reaction.
Aikea seemed not to notice, suddenly lost in her own thoughts.
"Well, space cadet... I'm going to get something to eat... I'll be
right back." Leona stated, becoming concerned that Aikea was so absorbed
by this 'object'. As she rose from the couch sighing, her movement broke
Aikea's trance.
"Sorry, Kiddo... I didn't mean to ignore you." she stated, turning
in time to see Leona walk to the kitchen. She smiled to herself as she
watched her cross the room, since, as she discovered after Lee got her casts
off, the girl had a pretty sexy walk to her. Aikea relished any opportunity
to check it out, and this was no exception. As Leona opened the fridge and
bent down to look at the bottom shelves, Aikea moaned quietly in appreciation.
"It's okay. Get any closer to figuring out what it is?" Leona
asked, snapping Aikea back to reality.
"Uh, No." Aikea sighed, sadly. "I'll have to wait for some better
pictures. They said on that news show that they're going to use the Hubble
to get in closer... I'll have to wait till they show those shots."
"Okay... You want to leave it on this channel, or switch to the
all-news one? It might have better stuff." Leona suggested, turning to
regard Aikea questioningly.
"Hai... the news channel. Good thinking!"
Leona smiled at the compliment, and pointed a finger at the TV.
Abruptly, it changed right to the news channel, and the volume came up a bit.
"Fantastic!" Aikea exclaimed, clapping her hands. "You're learning,
Kiddo!" she continued, floating up and over to Leona.
"Finally... it's only taken me what... four months? Once a dummy..."
Leona began, only to be interrupted by Aikea's glaring eyes.
"Don't say that! You're no dummy!" she admonished, swooping in close
to Leona.
"I know, but..."
Aikea's face softened as she looked Leona in the eyes, then reached
out and took her face in her hands. "Don't say such things... you know how
much it bothers me to hear you put yourself down like that."
"Sorry, Aikea.. it's just an old habit, I guess." Leona replied,
sheepishly.
"Better." Aikea smiled, running a hand through Lee's hair. "So,
did you eat yet?" she asked, glancing at the open fridge.
"Nope. Still looking..."
"Shall I make you something then? I've been thinking about something
I used to make at home, and you might like it." Aikea stated, clasping her
hands together.
"Sure! I love your cooking, and it *has* been a while..." Leona
replied, shooting Aikea a lowered eyebrow.
"Great! Move over, and let me at it!" she exclaimed, sliding into
the body. Leona, now floating around beside her, heard the mailbox lid open
and close outside.
"I'll get the paper." she announced, flying off toward the door.
Aboard the Raider, activity was feverish as the crew tried to effect
repairs to the battered craft. Everyone knew that in order to have any
hope of survival, either in this century or their own, they had to get the
engines back on line, and get the ship under it's own power again. In the
back of their minds was the thought that the power cells that sustained them
would only last for so long without a charge. The problem was complicated by
the fact that the system that monitored and charged the cells was off-line
with the engines.
Laura worked feverishly with Harjit to repair the damaged engine
nacelle section so they could at least get to the engines. They had already
isolated the burned unit and tried to seal off it's nacelle, but the fire
damage prevented a clean seal. Their biggest problem, however, was that the
other two engines were almost inaccessible beneath the heat distorted
catwalk.
The burns to Harjit's hands also meant that only one of them could
actually do anything, which frustrated Harjit to no end. Laura was a
capable assistant, but Harjit was a 'hands-on' Engineer, and watching
someone do her work for her grated on her patience and her pride.
Blake, Mikati and Mike worked up on the bridge, repairing burned
out controls and trying to get the repellers and the weapons working. Aside
from monitoring Harjit's burns and Mikati's broken arm, Susan kept herself
busy doing odd jobs and being a gopher. Even though she admitted to knowing
nothing about the ship or it's systems (outside of Medical, of course), she
wanted to contribute however she could.
That night in the mess hall, the mood was very somber. Laura was the
first to break the tense silence, clanging her food tray on the table.
"Well, at least the replicators in here are still working. Thank the
stars for small miracles." she commented, to no one in particular.
"Take it easy, Laur... we're all pretty burnt out right now." Mikati
commented, patting her friend's shoulder. Laura simply looked back at her
and flashed a silly grin.
"Please... don't say 'burnt'." chimed Harjit, trying to knock her
food from the replicator onto her tray. The resulting snickers from the
rest of the assembled finally managed to break the cloud of despair.
"So, give me a report of some kind... Did we manage to get anywhere
yet?" Mike asked, glancing around the room.
"We cleared engineering up and managed to reactivate some of the
smaller systems, but the propulsion subsystem is still out. We have a lot to
do before we can even get to it. Plus, the replicators down there lost their
structure data, and can't be used. We have no way to get parts if something
major is damaged." Laura indicated, unhappily.
"NavCom is fine... it shows us on a steady drift toward Sector 0, but
at our present speed, it'll be quite a while before we'll be close to any
planets." Blake added. "Life support, the main computer, and most all
bridge systems, except of course weapons and propulsion are back up, but
the repellers are still off-line. Looks like they may be out for the count,
too... I can confirm that tomorrow." he continued, glancing at Mike, who in
turn sighed resignedly.
"Harjit and Mikati are healing well, but Harjit is pushing it a bit."
Susan noted, waving a finger at the smirking Engineer.
"And most of the main computer's data is fine, so we still have the
telemetry of our little trip here. Nice, light bedtime reading." Mikati
remarked, grinning wryly.
"All in all, we've still got a lot of work ahead of us, then. Okay,
make sure you get lots of rest tonight, everyone... tomorrow will be a busy,
and I hope productive day. Blake.. are the proximity sensors working?"
"Sure... why..?"
"Set them for a half-million kilometers, and pipe the alarm through
to my quarters. That way, nobody has to stay on watch." he asserted,
smiling.
The entire crew expressed their appreciation of that small nicety,
especially since Mike was not known for them.
Later, Mikati and Laura sat in Laura's quarters, working their way
through a card game to help pass the time. Neither wanted to say it out
loud, but their minds were preoccupied with the repairs to the ship, and
neither even really felt like playing the game.
After several minutes and catching herself making mistake after
mistake, Mikati finally threw her cards down and groaned in frustration.
"Kuso! This is killing me!"
"I know... I invited you over to help me distract myself, and it's
not working."
"Ano? You didn't invite me because of my radiant looks and charming
personality?" Mikati shot back, pouting.
"Sure... now that's cute." Laura replied, smirking.
"So, what do we do now then?"
Laura reached behind her for the Epadd that displayed her to-do list
for the next day, held it up and smiled at Mikati.
"Hai!" Mikati exclaimed, jumping to her feet.
Leona snored away on the couch as Aikea floated above her, still
glued to the intermittent reports on the "Space Object" as it was now dubbed.
She was particularly excited about the upcoming piece, since it was to
feature the first Hubble Space Telescope shots of the strange item, and she
was hoping they'd be a little clearer.
As the news channel went to commercial, Aikea took pity on the
slumbering Leona, and gently floated her off the couch and into her bedroom,
settling her carefully in place on her bed. At that point, she noticed that
Lee was still fully dressed, so she elevated her again, and telekinetically
removed her clothes one by one. When she started to remove Lee's
undergarments however, she felt her face flush as an erotic thrill ran
through her. She hadn't thought about it till then, but this was a
'stimulating' experience.
Abruptly, she found herself fighting the urge to wake Leona up to
see if she would be interested in a little fun. Smiling at the fantasies
that thought generated, she sighed quietly and settled Leona back on the bed,
then floated a nice warm blanket over her naked form.
Up to now, they had slept together, hugged, showered together and
kissed, but nothing more. Aikea was desperate for some intimacy, but knew
it was best to let Lee come around on her own.
Just at that moment, Aikea heard the music that meant her show was
back from commercials. Upon leaning down and kissing Leona's forehead, she
zapped herself into the livingroom again, and waited impatiently for the
news item she wanted.
Much to her chagrin, the first pictures of the object from the
Hubble were bigger, but not much clearer. She could tell that the object
was symmetrically shaped, and seemed to be a variety of colors, but that was
it. The news anchor promised better pictures at a later time, blaming the
poor quality on transmission interference between the Hubble and NASA.
Aikea floated right up to the TV, straining for a better look, but
it didn't help. Sighing, she powered off the TV and floated off to join
Leona in bed.
The soft ping of the bellpad startled Harjit as she sat reading in
her quarters, not expecting anyone to be visiting her so late. Having spent
the better part of a day sleeping already, she was still wide awake, and had
hoped that reading a good book would help her relax.
Putting her book aside, she wandered to the door and punched the
external viewer up to see who it was. Her heart leapt when she saw Blake's
face in the tiny monitor. Despite only having a loose housecoat on and
nothing else, she immediately opened her door.
"Hi. Sorry to bother you so late." Blake began, softly.
"It's no trouble... I was reading, anyway. Come in; I'll fix us
some coffee." she invited, feeling as giddy as a schoolgirl at Blake's
presence, but trying not to look it.
"Thanks... I couldn't sleep. I'm kinda worried about what's going
to happen to us." He explained, sheepishly. Harjit looked back at him
worriedly, knowing he was normally the type to internalize his problems till
they made him crazy. The fact that he was telling her about them meant that
he was more than just a little concerned.
"It's all right, Blake... I'm a bit worried too." she soothed,
motioning him to a chair.
"I guess we all are... It's just that... I had plans, Harjit. I
wanted to do more with my life than just fly Raiders. I'm just afraid
that... Well, now I won't get the chance to do it." He stated, looking her
in the eyes. "I wanted to move to a Command job, so I could come home every
night to a house full of kids, and they would be sure that Dad *was* coming
home." He sighed, sadly. "I know I like the wild stuff, but... I'm not
getting any younger."
"Blake... Don't worry. We'll figure a way out of this. I have
faith in this crew, and in this old Raider. She's never let me down yet,
and neither have they." Harjit smiled, offering him his coffee. Blake
simply looked back at her and flashed a weak smile.
"I wish I could be so optimistic. So far though, I haven't seen too
damned much to get excited about."
"Just give it time. We're still really just cleaning up... We should
have a better idea later tomorrow."
"Yeah... I suppose. It still depresses me, though... Even if we get
this thing running, do you think we have a snowball's chance of ever getting
home?"
"I don't know... that's going to be more Mikati's call.. she's the
computer expert, and she'll have to figure it all out. All I can do is make
sure we have a Raider to do it with." Harjit shrugged, sipping her coffee
thoughtfully.
Blake smiled in response, shaking his head slowly. "I don't know
how you do it, Harjit, but you always make me feel better, no matter how
lousy I felt to begin with." He noted, rising to his feet.. "You're some
special person." He continued, reaching out and taking the startled woman
in his arms.
After the initial shock wore off, Harjit felt herself melting in his
embrace. Instinctively, she closed her arms around him and nestled her head
into his broad chest, a soft sigh escaping her lips. Blake, not expecting
such an 'enthusiastic' response, immediately panicked.
As a reflex, he took Harjit by the shoulders and quickly stepped
back from her, then tried to stammer an apology.
"I... I'm sorry, Harjit... I never meant to..." he attempted,
struck for a moment by the flush on Harjit's face, coupled with her odd
expression. Thinking that meant she was angry at his actions, he thought
it best to beat a strategic retreat, and started for the door. "I've... got
to go. I'm sorry I grabbed you..."
"Blake...!" Harjit blurted, having been snapped out of her euphoric
trance by his move for the door. "Please... stay with me." She continued
quietly, her tone leaving no doubt as to the reason.
Blake froze in his tracks, feeling his heart skip a beat. "Are...
you sure?" he began, regarding her in disbelief.
Harjit reached for the belt of her housecoat with both of her still
bandaged hands and deftly pulled it off, allowing the garment to fall wide
open. Blake gulped audibly as he was treated to a full frontal view of
Harjit's incredibly sexy body, in all it's naked glory. "I'm sure... just
be gentle with me." She breathed, coyly.
Several days of intense work passed with no major progress on the
propulsion systems of the wounded Raider, leading some aboard to doubt if
they would ever get home again. Even Mike, who so far had been the major
cheerleader, began to harbor some nagging doubts in the back of his mind.
He was on the verge of ordering a module separation, which would be followed
by the destruction of the then derelict main fuselage.
He knew they could make planetfall on Earth, but was also keenly
aware that this was not their Century, and heading to Earth might well
result in their deaths anyway. He knew from historical accounts that
so-called 'UFO' sightings were rampant in this Century, and so was the
hysteria they generated. He dreaded the thought of going anywhere near such
animosity.
As these thoughts ran through his mind, he absently glanced at the
status indicators on his console displays, and saw a new green light. It
caught his attention, and he leaned forward to see what it was indicating.
He almost shouted with glee when he noticed it was the ready light for
engine 2. In his excitement, it took him three tries to hit the Comm.
"Harjit! Is this for real? We have an Engine??" he blurted, not
even waiting for an ack from Engineering.
"Yes, sir!" Harjit replied, confidently. "We've managed to patch
up number 2... But we can't guarantee it till we've run some tests." She
quickly stipulated, knowing how important this achievement was.
"Well, by the Gods, get those tests done! We need that engine!"
Mike responded, excitedly. "Do you need any help?"
"Yes. When we're ready, we need someone on con to try firing it
up."
"I'll stand by. Just let me know!"
"Yes, sir!" Harjit responded, closing the Comm.
The tech at the console removed his headset so he could hear what
his Super was asking, and then sighed in response. "No, Sir... there has
been no significant change in the Object's status. Nothing for the last two
days." He replied, massaging the bridge of his nose.
"I know, but the boys upstairs want regular updates. Oh, have you
heard the latest? Apparently, they're convinced that thing is a manufactured
device." The Super intoned, quietly.
"Manufactured? Then..."
"Right. Somebody had to make it. I think that's why they're so
anxious for any news. They're afraid of the ramifications." He continued,
leaning closer to the tech.
"My God... if that's been made by someone, then they must really be
advanced... It's registering as being as large as a football field, give or
take a few meters." The tech stated, eyes widening at the thought.
"Exactly. Keep a close eye on it. If it so much as wiggles, they
want to know." The super reiterated, turning to walk away.
"Yes, Sir!" the tech affirmed, turning back to his screen and
replacing his headset. Frowning, he noticed what seemed to be a smudge on
the screen, and reached up to wipe it off. His heart almost stopped when he
noticed that the 'smudge' was moving. Slapping at the mike switch, he yelled
into his headset. "Sir! It's moving! And we have what looks like an
exhaust plume showing!" he shrieked, his voice rising several octaves.
"What?" came the shocked response, making the tech cringe from the
assault on his ears.
"No mistake, sir! It's definitely under power! And it seems to be
heading... right for Earth, sir!" the tech continued, his voice wavering
with emotion.
The super walked up to the console adjacent to him, a stern set to
his face. Clearing his throat, he picked up the white phone mounted
prominently atop the console backboard.
"This is Chalmers..." he said, slowly and deliberately. "Get me
the President."
Harjit dove across the walkway and slammed her elbow down on the
Comm. "Mike! We've got a runaway! The reaction control system just blew,
and she's out of her limiters! Hang on to her until we can shut it down!"
She screamed above the whine of the reaction chamber.
"Got it!" Mike responded, shooting a nervous glance at Blake.
Normally, not much could ruffle him as far as flying went, but as he watched
the lightspeed indicators climb, he became concerned about overstressing the
already abused hull, and having the Raider break up under him.
Adding to his concern was the fact that he had very limited control
of the vehicle, since the runaway engine was trying to push it to one side,
and he didn't have all of his maneuvering thrusters on that particular side.
The battle to shut down the steadily accelerating engine raged for
several minutes in Engineering, resulting in Laura having to wedge herself
into a Jeffries tube to try to kill the plasma feed to it's reaction system.
She could feel her skin start to crawl from her proximity to the highly
charged plasma, and it started to give her the shakes as she got closer.
Fighting to keep her hand steady, she aimed the Emergency Shutdown keycard at
it's slot, and tried to slip it in. The shake in her hands made her first
attempt futile, as she couldn't even hit the slot. Pulling her arm back, she
rubbed it to try to settle it down.
"Harjit!" she yelled into her headset. "My hands are shaking too
much! This is going to take a few tries!"
"Okay... just keep at it! You've got to get it in!" Harjit
replied, anxiously.
"Huhn... That's what my last boyfriend said, too!" Laura replied,
smirking to herself.
"Funny, Laur..." she heard in her headset.
Still smiling at her little joke, she steeled herself for another
attempt. Abruptly, Mike's voice came over the Comm.
"Harjit! We're about to build a cell! Get that damn thing shut
down or we'll vaporize!" He shouted, panic edging his voice. "We won't be
properly phased with only one engine!" he continued, urgently.
"I know! Laura's working on it!" Harjit replied, firmly.
Hearing the conversation, Laura took a deep breath and set herself.
Imagining she was aiming her last bullet at an attacking target, she focused
all her energy on steadying her hand, and lined up again on the small slot.
With everything she had to give, she lunged her arm forward and drove
the card home in one move. The subpanel beeped in response, drew the card
in, and lit up a pad labeled "Shut Down Flow". Laura strained toward it and
jabbed it with her shuddering hand.
She breathed a huge sigh of relief as she heard the feed valves slam
closed, and felt the crawling of her skin lessening. Within a few seconds,
the engine starved out and cut off.
Cheers from all quarters flooded through her headset as she lay in
the tube, chest heaving from her efforts. Reaching up and repositioning her
microphone, she gasped out a final comment. "Harjit... get me the hell out
of here." She droned, flinging the headset off and wiping her forehead.
Later, Mike paced back and forth before the crew on the bridge,
concern etching his features. "Well, as all of you know, we're now adrift on
a course toward Earth. We can't control our trajectory, nor can we stop our
forward motion. The best estimate puts us about 200 hours from contact with
the atmosphere, provided our speed isn't changed somehow." he began,
continuing to pace the deck. "You are also aware that we cannot afford
contact with the atmosphere at any cost. The NegaMatter leak would poison
it in a matter of days, and effectively doom the entire population."
he continued, cracking his knuckles. "The way I see it right now, we have
two choices. Get this thing fixed somehow, and at least change our course,
or separate and destroy the fuselage out of harm's way. That will mean we'll
have to take our chances at landing on Earth, which is not an appealing
prospect given the social climate of this century." He concluded, stopping
his pacing to turn and face the assembled. "Let's have some input, here."
"I think we can probably get some of the thruster arrays working..."
Harjit began, meekly. "We have to fix the reaction control system now, on
top of everything else, but if the damage isn't too bad..." she ventured,
noting the skeptical looks she was attracting.
"It's not going to be easy, though..." Laura picked up, glaring at
everyone. "As we reported yesterday, the Engineering replicator systems are
on-line, but they've lost their data. We don't know at this point if it's a
storage problem or a circuitry problem, since we just haven't had the time to
look, but that's our main concern. Without them, no spare parts... for
anything."
"Are you saying we're hopeless?" Susan piped up, startling Blake who
sat in front of her.
"No... just knee-deep in..."
"Laura!" Mikati jumped in, shooting her a menacing look. Sighing,
she stood up and walked toward her station. "I've been through the data we
collected from our little time slide, and it looks like we'll need at least
cell 3 to have enough speed to try it again. We'll also need to hit the same
point at the same trajectory."
"Huh. Cell 3, eh?" Laura injected, grumpily. "We'll be lucky to
get sublight. And that's only if we can get both engines back up. Nice
try." she smirked, shaking her head.
"I have no intention of living my life out in a society that doesn't
even use beam technology. We will get out of this, and we will get back
home, or I'll die trying!" Blake abruptly snarled, rising to his feet.
"That's the only consideration!" he continued, swinging his arm before him
for emphasis. "C'mon, Harjit.. we're outta here." he spat, taking her
gently by the arm and leading her to the lift tube.
After they had left, Laura was the first to speak.
"Is it me, or has Blake all of a sudden got priorities?" she
deadpanned, looking at Mikati questioningly.
"Well, I saw a certain Weapons Tech wandering near a certain
Engineer's quarters last night..." Mikati replied, winking at Laura.
"Well, I for one am glad. Those two both needed someone, and I guess
our circumstances just made the choice for them." Susan added, happily.
Mike, listening from his vantage leaning against the wall, nodded his
agreement. "Normally, I'd take those two aside and remind them that
fraternization is against regs, but right now, I don't care. In fact, I'm
actually glad to hear it." he stated, his voice uncharateristically gentle.
"So, what now, fearless leader?" Laura asked, grinning wryly.
"Back to the grindstone, I guess... except now, it's turning a bit
faster."
"I just hope we can keep ourselves together long enough... I don't
like the cracks I'm seeing." Susan observed, frowning. "If we can't... then
we're already dead." she asserted, lowering her head.
"What's it doing now, tech?" the Super asked, walking up behind the
frazzled technician.
"It fired what looked like a main engine burn of approximately 5
minutes duration, and now appears to be headed for orbit around Earth, sir."
the tech replied, his voice still shakey.
"Hmmm... How long till it enters orbit?"
"A little over eight days at current speed, sir."
"Eight days... not much time. Has there been any squawk?"
"No, sir. We haven't picked up anything even resembling
communication. It as if they can't."
"Or won't. Keep monitoring it, and report any change. I'll be in
my office." the Super ordered, and strode off to his office near the back of
the control room.
Once behind the door, he wiped his brow of the beads of perspiration
that had gathered, then went quickly to his desk. Sliding open the drawer,
he grabbed and hurriedly downed a big slug from a bottle of liquid antacid.
Tossing it back in the drawer, he landed heavily in his big chair and leaned
all the way back, covering his face with his hands.
"Why do they have to invade on my watch?" he groaned to himself,
sadly.
"... and our top story tonight concerns the mysterious 'Space Object'
discovered a few days ago by a backyard stargazer. NASA officials have
denied reports that the object seems to have fired engines, and is now moving
rapidly..."
"Oh my God... Aikea! It moved! It moved!" Leona shouted excitedly.
"It moved?" Aikea replied, zapping in beside her on the couch.
"How? Like with engines? ...Or just a change of drift?" she asked, staring
at the TV.
"They said it fired engines... but the big guys said 'no way'... in
fact, there's the NASA guy now."
"Listen..." Aikea hushed, leaning even closer to the set.
Leona huffed to herself and got off the couch, more than just a
little offended. Wordlessly, she walked into the kitchen and poured herself
a coffee, then sat alone at the small dining table.
Aikea continued to stare at the TV, and became even more anxious when
the anchorman promised more new Hubble shots after the break.
"Kuso!" Aikea spat, zapping into the kitchen. "Leona! They're
going to show..." she blurted, then noticed the expression on Lee's face.
"What's wrong, Lee?"
Leona only looked up at her over the rim of her mug, and sighed
quietly. "Nothing... Go ahead, Aikea." she droned, flatly.
"Lee..." Aikea almost whined, looking at Leona pleadingly. "I hate
it when you do this... What did I do?" she continued, clapping her palms
together.
"I was trying to tell you what happened, and you told me to shut
up... That hurt, especially after I called you in when the story came on."
Leona replied, bitterly.
Aikea bit her lip, realizing that she had indeed been very rude to
Leona. In the back of her mind, however, she noted that Leona was starting
to act more like a lover than a friend with each passing day.
"Gomen ne, Reona-chan." she replied quickly, bowing deeply.
"Please, forgive me... I just got too excited... again. Baka!" she
continued, bapping her forehead.
Leona smiled quickly behind her mug at Aikea's response. She loved
to hear Aikea talk Japanese, as it gave her a strange sensation... almost
like a thrill. In the last while, she had been letting it slip more often,
which Leona figured was just her getting more comfortable. She also knew
that Aikea was aware of how much she liked it, and was using that knowledge
right now. She thought it was sort of neat. Inwardly, she wished she could
speak it, too.
"You know I can't stay mad at you anyway... You're just to damn
cute. Or.. what is it...? Kawaii?" Leona finally replied, smiling
resignedly.
"Well... I am sorry, Lee... this thing is really bugging me." Aikea
continued, meekly.
"I know.. It's like it's taking you over or something." Leona
agreed, sadly. "I worry about you, you know." she added, softly.
"Thanks, Lee... I needed to hear that." Aikea smiled, floating over
and hugging her soul-mate.
A few minutes later, they were back on the couch, Aikea curled up
against Leona's side, head on her shoulder. As promised, the news item came
on featuring the latest pictures from the Hubble Telescope, and as she had
been every other time, Aikea was disappointed at the quality. She was just
about to turn the set off when a different set of pictures came on. Leona
could hear her gasp in shock.
"Ano... Kuwabarakuwabare!! Reona! Kore wa JI I BI NI shiriezu
Raideru!!" she yelled, grabbing Leona's arm and shaking it excitedly.
"Whoa, Girl!! What the hell did you just say??" Leona blurted,
stunned by Aikea's outburst.
"Gom.. Sorry! That's a D-E-B-2 Series Raider! Just like the ones
that used to launch outside my office! Kuso... What the hell is it doing
here??" she corrected, glancing at Leona with wild eyes.
"A... Raider? What's that? A ship of some sort?"
"Hai! A very special one. Those vehicles are designed for either
rescue missions or 'surgical excisions'. They're fast, powerful, and carry
enough firepower to fight a small war! But... the first ones weren't
constructed until 2089... which means... Chikusho! They must have jumped
time somehow!" Aikea replied excitedly, grabbing Leona's shoulders and
looking her in the eyes.
"Uhh.. this is getting a little deep for me, Aikea..." Leona
remarked, suddenly getting a creepy feeling about the whole situation.
"Aarrgh! This is going to drive me nuts! Leona... This could be
great news, or it could be terrible; I have to get on that Raider somehow!"
Aikea asserted, zipping erratically around the room as she spoke.
Leona, becoming dizzy from watching her flit around, finally reached
her limit. "Aikea, for the love of pete, stop doing that! You're making me
dizzy!" she demanded, holding the sides of her head.
Aikea, a bit uneasy about the tone in Leona's voice, slowly settled
for a landing beside her.
"I'm sorry, Lee... but this is too big to let go by." she began,
taking Leona's hands in hers, and forcing her voice to be calm. "Somehow,
a vehicle from my century has ended up in yours. According to all the theory
of Time Travel that I've ever read, this is a disaster. It could be much
worse if there's anybody alive in it. Somehow, I've got to get on that
Raider and find out what's going on... or, destroy it before the wrong people
get their hands on it. It's critical that nobody from this century gets any
more exposure than they already have."
Leona smiled at that, surprising Aikea.
"I know what you mean this time. I've read a few books like that
myself, and I agree with you. But... there's no way to get up there. This
century doesn't have all the fancy the toys yours does." she explained,
sadly.
"That's right... I can't just charter a transport, can I?" Aikea
replied, thoughtfully. "Well, I have to figure out something... and figure
it out fast."
Leona looked at her for a minute, then started to grin smugly. "Hah!
I caught you!" she accused, touching Aikea's nose.
"What? Caught me how?"
"Simple... who's thinking like a mortal now?" she grinned, winking.
"Thinking... Kuso! I get it. You're suggesting I teleport aboard it,
right?"
"Bingo! Can't see a reason why not."
"Good thinking. Only thing is, it might be too far away for that...
at least right now." Aikea noted, thoughtfully.
"Only one way to know for sure... Go on; Try it!" Leona encouraged,
smiling.
Sighing slowly, Aikea stood up in front of Leona and straightened her
skirt. "Okay... here goes!" she announced, fading from sight. A second
later, she was back. "No good, Kiddo... I haven't got the range. I should
be able to once it gets closer, though... I know that much now."
"Well, that's a start, isn't it? Hey.. do you think I can go with
you? I'd love to see the inside of that thing."
"I.. suppose. Together, we can teleport your body, but remember...
it's human. If there's no atmosphere, or a radiation leak or something, it
could die."
"Oh.. I never thought of that. I guess you'd have to check it out
first, then."
"No Problem. Well, I guess we just have to wait, ne?" she sighed,
finally sitting again beside Leona.
"Sure.. that's about the only thing you *don't* do well." Leona
quipped, flashing Aikea a cheesy grin.
The next three days were agonizing for Aikea, as she intently watched
the images and listened to the speculations of the scientists et al over what
they were dealing with. Each day seemed an eternity, as she grew
increasingly worried about how close the Raider was drifting to Earth. She
was deathly afraid that it would somehow be identified as a vehicle from the
future, and that could corrupt the natural course of events.
On the third day, she sat as nervously as usual beside Leona,
watching yet another report. This time, when the pictures were shown, Aikea
thought she noticed something.
"Kuso! They cut away to fast!" she spat, angrily.
"What? Did you see something?"
"Yes. I thought I could see the registration number. I can tell
who's supposed to be on it by that."
"You can? How?"
"Easy. I know all the crew rosters for all 20 Raiders. It was
supposed to be classified information, but I got it anyway." She grinned,
smugly.
"I imagine you did." Leona replied, dryly.
"Ohhh.. here comes that picture again." Aikea noted, and moved
closer to the set.
"Well? Make it out?" Leona asked, hopefully.
"2... 2... 1... Oh, my god..." she responded, falling back from the
set with a thump. Her face drained as she looked up at Leona, mouth gaping.
"Aikea... what is it?
"Leona... That's... Mikati's Raider…... she breathed, flabbergasted.
"Mikati? Who is that?" Leona inquired, a feeling in her gut telling
her she didn't really want to know the answer.
"Ano... She was... my girlfriend..." she answered, still staring
into space.
Leona couldn't reply. The words struck her like a knife that buried
itself deep in her heart. Stunned, she sank back on the couch as her mind
wrestled with this new development, not entirely sure what it was going to
mean to her. She had been used to having Aikea totally to herself, but
suddenly, that was no longer the case. And much to her surprise, the thought
of an old girlfriend being in the picture deeply disturbed her.
Abruptly, Aikea jumping in front of her startled her out of her
reverie.
"Leona! We have to get on that Raider! If anyone's still alive, we
have to try to help them!" Aikea blurted, eyes wide with panic.
"Yeah.. okay..." Leona replied numbly. Aikea didn't notice Leona's
emotional state, being too wrapped up in her own excitement and panic.
"C'mon, Lee... let's get up there!" Aikea urged, almost dragging
the stunned Leona to her feet.
"Ahh... is it safe?" Leona blurted, Aikea's plans suddenly sinking
into her preoccupied mind.
"We'll have a quick look when we get there... We'll be able to tell
if anyone's alive inside it, and that will tell us."
"Okay..."
"All right... I have to hold on to you while we do this, so we'll
stay together. One thing though.. We better put you in a Guild Uniform so
they don't get too crazy about you." She asserted, stepping back and waving
her arms. Leona felt her clothes disappear, replaced by the rich burgundy
and white of the Guild uniform. Aikea's eyes widened at the finished product.
"Wow! You look good in uniform, Lee... and a Command uniform no less.
I'll have to remember that." she winked, happily.
Leona caught herself thinking "Yeah, right... until you see Mikati
again." She regretted it right after thinking it, especially since she never
thought of herself as a jealous person. But then, she'd never felt quite
the same about anyone else as she did about Aikea, either.
"I'll take the body in, Lee... I'll know what to say if there's
anyone alive up there." Aikea stated, sliding herself in. Leona cooperated
numbly, her mind still occupied with other concerns.
"Okay, Lee.. grab hold of me, and let's give it a try!" Aikea
finally announced, raising her arms for Leona to clamp herself on. Leona
floated in behind her and wrapped her arms about the waist of her body,
meshing her fingers just in case.
"Just think about that Raider, and I'll do the rest!" Aikea
continued, excitedly.
"No problem, Aikea. Let's go." she replied, her enthusiasm not
quite what it was a few days earlier.
"Hai!" Aikea responded, and Leona noticed the room begin to fade
around her. Closing her eyes, she drew a deep breath and sighed, secretly
fearing the events to come.
====================================================================
END - Unlikely Hero Part 3 - An Original Fiction by V. Coutu
Comments welcomed, Flames Extinguished!
coutuva@vecdev.com
_____________________________________________________________
Catch all my 'Fics (and more!) at Water's Edge!
http://home1.gte.net/teseract/archive/Vic/
"No, we don't broadcast animation live any more... it
puts too much of a strain on the Artist's wrists."