Vengeance Lost_Ardent Redux Saga_Episode 1 Page 4

  After Cassia played the message, the screen had returned to the changing view of the surrounding star system as they slowly drifted through the area. There were no clearly formed planets located within PS703. The Barrens, as this sector was referred to, was mostly dust and asteroids. A distant star locked the relatively small space debris in orbit. They had drifted closer toward the star, their trajectory taking them closer to a dense asteroid belt.

  A nudge of Jag’s elbow brought Dani out of her trance. “Let’s try to think of something more cheerful for a bit, yes?”

  “What’s the first thing you’re going to do when we get rescued?” Cassia asked as she offered a bag of dehydrated fruit to Jag.

  He held up a hand and wrinkled his nose. “I'm going straight to the best restaurant wherever we end up and ordering everything on the menu. What about you?”

  “A nice, long bath.” She sighed. “How about you, Cruz?”

  “I'm going to find a comfortable bed,” he signed.

  “Your turn, Howard.” Cassia smiled, working her way around the circle.

  “I imagine the first thing I’ll do is talk to someone at HQ about what they’re planning on doing with Alaska’s Vengeance. I hate to say goodbye, but, well, you’ve seen her.”

  Dani nodded as she glanced around the bridge. “First thing I’m going to do is find out what exactly happened. I need to know everything about the state of PS683, our men, and the Louisiana.”

  The crew fell silent once more.

  Jag was the first to speak out. “I don’t think—”

  Dani cut him off. “I just need to hear it. I need to know.”

  Jag nodded. Another moment of silence passed. “Another round, then?”

  Without a word, everyone held up their cups for a refill.

  ***

  Dani stood a few inches away from the main screen, squinting. It had been several hours since their celebratory drinks, and she was on watch, alone. She hadn’t been able to sleep since they received the response from Captain Veron’k. Instead of relief, her mind was filled with worry.

  She pursed her lips and wrinkled her brow before sneaking past her sleeping crew back to her station. Not wanting to wake anyone again, she quietly eased into her chair and began a long-range scan. She lightly drummed her fingers on her console while she waited for the scan to run. Her eyes remained locked on a tiny object amid the ice and rock of the asteroid belt.

  If it hadn’t been for a random glint from the distant star as the object came into view from behind a large asteroid, she would have never seen it. Now, her mind filled with questions. How long has it been there? What is it? Why didn’t I notice it before?

  Dani attempted a few deep breaths as she waited what felt like an eternity for the scan.

  Finally, as the scan completed, she accessed the results, minding each keystroke to ensure the others didn’t wake to her worry.

  According to the data, the object seemed to be a ship, more or less. It was smaller than Alaska’s Vengeance on her best day, but the ship was old and appeared to be pieced together. An utter lack of lifeforms aboard the tiny vessel eased the threat from her mind.

  Dani breathed a sigh of relief. While the object itself didn’t appear to be a threat, its presence raised a few red flags. She still wanted to know more about it and, under different circumstances, she may have investigated. However, navigating into the asteroid belt without primary engines was a recipe for disaster.

  She absentmindedly flipped through the rest of the long-range scan data until something else caught her eye. Leaning toward the screen at her station, she zoomed in and read the scan data. It was a Galactic Conglomerate ship. A smile crossed her lips. Their rescuers were here at last.

  Dani fired up one of the thrusters to spin Alaska’s Vengeance enough to center the forward cam on the ship. The repositioning woke Jag, despite her best efforts to be gentle.

  “What’s going on?” he slurred groggily.

  Dani nodded toward the screen.

  “Oh, hey, there they are.” Jag sat up a little straighter before a puzzled look spread across his face. “Why aren’t they getting any closer?”

  Dani frowned. She had the same thought but had hoped it was just her impatience shining through. “I don’t know.”

  She accessed the communications system and attempted to open a line to the other ship.

  “This is Captain Dani Devereaux of Alaska’s Vengeance of the Galactic Conglomerate. Do you read?”

  Tension rose as she waited for a response. Her shoulders and back tensed as she stared expectantly at the screen. Every passing second felt like an eternity, and the longer she waited, the more obvious it became that something was wrong.

  The crew began to stir once more, looking to Dani expectantly.

  She narrowed her eyes at the GC ship once more and re-sent the message.

  “Well that’s weird.” Cassia stretched. “Why aren’t they ans—oh, incoming message.”

  “Half screen, please.”

  Captain Veron’k appeared on the screen.

  This is Captain Dev’ya Veron’k of Triak’gue, a Galactic Conglomerate ship. We are awaiting our next orders. Please stand by.

  The blue, giraffe-like face blipped off the screen.

  “Stand by?” Jag scratched his head.

  “Orders?” Cassia's voice wavered.

  Dani had the same questions but maintained a stoic appearance. “The Gi’ran are very procedural. I’m sure they’re just going by the book. Cassia, keep an eye on that ship,” Dani instructed.

  Dani sat back in her seat, kicking her boots up on her console again. She folded her hands in her lap and took a deep breath, trying to appear relaxed despite her impatience. She had worked with the Gi’ran before. They followed rules as they were written, leaving no room for interpretation. The species was great in certain roles, but this was the first time Dani had encountered a Gi’ran ship. She assumed they were given the task of patrolling this section of space due to their inability to make quick decisions without direction from authority.

  Minutes stretched into hours as the crew of Alaska’s Vengeance sat and waited. Dani tried to maintain a non-worried appearance. Jag paced the bridge while Cruz watched him, frowning. Cassia nibbled on her fingernails. Howard had taken a seat at Jag’s station and was looking over the ship’s damage in more detail, mumbling quietly to himself.

  “This is bloody ridiculous,” Jag mumbled as he made another lap through the bridge.

  Dani sighed and took her feet off her console. “Just try to relax.”

  “They’re treating us like criminals; you realize that, don’t you? They’re just far enough away that our blasters would have minimal impact if any at all.”

  “Well, we aren’t going to try to shoot them...”

  “The thought must have crossed their minds if they’re just sitting there like that.”

  “I'm sure they’re just taking extra precautions. They may not understand exactly what happened in PS683 or how we got here. There are a lot of unknowns, and Captain Veron’k is likely trying to protect her crew. I’d probably do the same thing.”

  “No, you wouldn’t,” Jag snorted, stopping in front of the main screen.

  Dani knew he was right—she wouldn’t have waited to rescue someone for her own safety—but she decided to let the conversation die there and turned her attention to Howard.

  “How’s it looking over there?”

  “It’s not great. Not great at all. The airlock is just completely gone.” Howard sat back in the chair, shaking his head. “I’m not sure how we’re all going to get off this ship alive.”

  “Can’t we just use the suits?” Cassia pointed toward a closet in the bridge.

  “Sure, some of us can. There are only four suits in there, my darling girl. You forget, I’m not normally on the bridge. My suit is back in the engine room still.”

  Dani bit her lip and accessed the life-support reserves on her screen. “I can reroute life support
to the rest of the ship again, but to level everything out is going to take almost all the resources we have left. With the air circulation and purification system down—”

  “You mean gone,” Howard interrupted.

  “Right, gone, then you won’t have much time to get to your suit and gear up.” Dani’s eyes drifted to Howard’s wound. “I’ll go. You can wear my suit, and I’ll get back there and get yours.”

  “That’s mighty flattering of you, dear, but I don’t think your suit will fit me.” Howard chuckled as he shook his large belly.

  “I’ll do it.” Jag approached the closet. “My suit will be snug on you, but it should fit. Plus, I’m in a lot better shape than you, old man. I’ll be able to get there in no time.”

  “It’s going to be close, Jag,” Dani warned. “Howard can wear your suit, you could probably squeeze into mine, and I’ll go back and get Howard’s.”

  “No, you’re far more valuable than I am. Besides... they’ll need you to explain how we got through that wormhole.”

  “I wasn’t asking.” Dani stood and quickly changed the subject, ignoring Jag’s glare. “Cassia, send a communication to the Triak’gue.”

  “Ready when you are, Captain.”

  “This is Captain Devereaux of Alaska’s Vengeance. Our resources are nearly depleted. Requesting immediate extraction.”

  “Incoming transmission.”

  “Half screen, please, Cassia.”

  Captain Veron’k appeared on the main screen.

  We will begin our approach if you disarm your weapons systems.

  Jag gave Dani an ‘I told you so’ glance before gently nudging Howard out of his station.

  “Weapons disarmed,” he stated after a moment.

  The red border around the status screen at Dani’s station confirmed that the weapons were in fact disabled.

  “Done. Also, we no longer have an airlock. We’ll need to improvise. I’ll have my crew suit up and we’ll need manual extraction.”

  Understood.

  Captain Veron’k blipped off the screen.

  “So much personality, that one.” Howard chuckled.

  “Looks like they’re on the move. Suit up, team. I’m going to reroute life support throughout the ship. Jag, get the crew in place at the door to my quarters. Exit through there as soon as I’m suited up.”

  The bridge bustled to life as the crew hurried to get into their suits. Cruz donned his prosthetics before stepping into his suit, turning down Cassia’s assistance after she had suited up. Jag and Howard struggled into their slightly too small suits while Dani focused on her console.

  She turned on life support in the remaining sealed quadrants and opened the vents between those areas one by one, careful to avoid any that could result in a leak. Finally, she opened the vents between the bridge and the rest of the usable portion of the ship before sitting back to look at her crew.

  Cassia’s face was twisted into an overcompensating frown as she pressed her lips together tightly, her eyes wide as they transfixed upon Dani, a titter escaping from her closed lips.

  Dani raised an eyebrow at Cassia, who nodded ever so slightly toward Jag and Howard. Dani followed her gaze to the men and suddenly understood. Both Jag and Howard were crammed into suits that were obviously a size smaller than they should have been.

  Jag was taller than Dani, and wearing her suit meant he had to keep his legs bent within the shorter legs, causing him to walk awkwardly as he circled Howard, trying to stuff the rotund man into his own suit. Cruz stood nearby, not bothering to hide the large grin on his face. Cassia, unable to contain herself any longer, chortled at the scene.

  “Do you—” Dani cut herself off to control her own laughter rumbling around in her chest. “Sorry, do you need any help?”

  “I think we’ve...” Jag furrowed his brow in concentration as he sealed the back of the suit Howard was wearing. “Got it!”

  Jag and Howard both let out a sigh of relief while the rest of the crew let loose their laughter.

  “Don’t breathe too heavily or you may bust out of that,” Cruz signed as he laughed.

  “Alright, are we ready to do this?” Dani took one last look at the screen. The Triak’gue was nearly upon them. She cut power to the screen to aid with the life support across the rest of the ship and grabbed the handheld screen as the crew gathered at the door.

  Chapter 4

  Dani accessed the door on the port-con and pressed the open button. The doors strained before finally pulling apart and sliding into the wall on either side of the door frame. She peered into the icy hall, then looked back at her crew. “Alright, I’ll go get the suit. You guys wait at the door to my quarters. I’ll try to hurry as there isn’t much air left, and with it spread out over a larger area now, it might be hard to breathe.”

  “Get going, then.” Howard shooed her out the door.

  She started off down the hallway, the rest of the group stopping at the first door outside the bridge. The icy residue had spread across the entire door. “Clean this off if you can. Otherwise I’m not sure it will open when the time comes.”

  “You got it.” Jag smiled and turned to face her awkwardly. “Be safe, and hurry.”

  Dani continued on down the hall until she reached the door to the galley. The chill quickly consumed her body and flipped the switch of urgency in her mind. There was no time to waste. She tried to open the door using the port-con, but the motors from within the wall whirred in protest as the door refused to slide.

  “Shit,” Dani mumbled under her breath. She didn’t have time to clear every door. Luckily, the ice on the interior doors wasn’t quite as thick as it was on the door Jag was chipping away at. Dani turned back to look at her crew. She could already tell the air was getting thin. “Go ahead and seal your suits. I’ll let you know when my helmet’s on and you can open that door.”

  A quick glimpse around revealed a broken metal bar on the ground. She grabbed a cloth from her belt and wrapped it around the bar to protect her hands from the cold metal. She then used it to break away the ice that had formed around the edges of the door before trying to open it again.

  Success.

  She repeated the steps to retrace her path to the gym. Her uniform didn’t offer much in protection against the cold that intensified the further she got from the bridge. The small puddle that had coated the floor was now transformed into an ice rink. The door to the bathroom had been forced open by a frozen waterfall of ice.

  Dani climbed through the window and jumped down onto the ice. “Shit!” she cried out as her legs slid two different directions.

  “Everything okay?” Jag’s voice came across on the comm.

  “Yeah, just dandy. I’m in the gym now.”

  Jag chuckled on the comm. “That explains it.”

  She made her way across the icy floor, holding her arms out for balance before she stepped through the hole in the wall into the engine room.

  Dani sighed as she spotted the supply closet, on the other side of a pile of debris. She quickly got to work moving the various boxes and tools to clear a path. Her hands ached from the cold, but she pressed on. The locker door needed a bit of coaxing from the prybar before it opened and revealed the spacesuit.

  Dani grabbed the suit and stepped into it, pulling it up over her shoulders with ease. It hung loosely, but it would do. She placed the helmet over her head and heard it suction into place. Breathing became easier almost immediately as the inner workings of the suit kicked on. “Alright, my suit is sealed. You’re good to open that door.”

  She carefully stepped through the hole in the wall and back onto the ice. Her foot slid once more, and she caught the sharp edge of the makeshift door with her hand. She knew instantly that the metal had sliced through the suit and into her flesh as pain seized her.

  Dani bit her tongue as she pulled her hand close to her, blood already dripping from the gash in the palm of her glove. She turned and started digging through supplies as she felt the oxygen slip
away. A roll of industrial tape caught her eye, and Dani quickly wrapped it around the glove a dozen times, trying to ensure the leak had stopped.

  “All set,” Cassia’s voice rang out in her ear. “Suits are sealed, and the door is mostly clear of ice.”

  “Opening the door now,” Jag’s voice rang out through her earpiece.

  Dani inhaled deeply as oxygen returned. She could feel the warm blood coating her hand within the glove but ignored the pain. She stepped out of the hole again, careful to not make the same mistake.

  “The door is opened and the anchor system is in place. We see the Triak’gue,” Cassia announced.

  “I was kind of hoping it’d be a little closer.”

  Dani could almost hear Jag’s frown through the comm as she climbed through the gym window.

  By the time Dani reached the hall, Jag was the only one waiting inside Alaska’s Vengeance.

  “What are you still doing here?”

  “I’m not going to leave my captain behind. Besides, we’re transferring one by one and it’s not my turn yet.” He winked at her through his helmet.

  Dani approached the door and set the handheld device down before peering out. Howard and Cassia were standing in the open airlock of the Triak’gue with Gi’ran crewmembers, and Cruz was clinging to the side of Alaska’s Vengeance. He hooked the tether from his suit to the line running between the ships.

  “It’s about a thirty-foot jump,” Jag explained. “Easy enough with the tether.”

  Cruz looked over his shoulder at the open airlock, then pushed off of the hull of Alaska's Vengeance toward the Triak’gue. He soared through the open space along the tether and into the open arms of the crew on the other side.

  “You go next,” Dani ordered, giving Jag a gentle push out the door.

  He took a few steps into her quarters before kicking his legs out and walking himself toward the launch point on the outside of the ship. He repeated Cruz’s actions, and Dani watched until he was safely on the other ship.