Tymber Dalton - Bightmares

“Do you love them?” Emi asked.

Donna blushed. “I was afraid to tell them at first in real life. I didn’t want to get shot down. Wasn’t sure if they really felt like that. Then the guys came to me the day after we were paired and asked if I would consider bonded crew status with them. They didn’t have it already but said they’d do it if I would agree to it. Of course I did. On the way here from Mars, they sat me down and proposed.”

Emi felt the first truly light moment of this entire ordeal. “That’s great! When’s the wedding?”

“When we get back to Mars. Rob said he doesn’t want to risk me coming to my senses and changing my mind.” She laughed. “We’re hoping you and your guys will stand up for us as witnesses.”

“Well, duh!” Emi stood. She rounded the table and hugged her friend. “I’m so happy for you!” Emi had a thought. “You know, you could get married before we leave here. Ilse is a colony governor. She has the authority, or you can use their chaplain.”

Donna’s eyes widened as she brightly smiled. “Fuckin’ A, Emi! That’s what I love about you, girl. Always thinking. That’s why you deserved to graduate valedictorian.”

Donna insisted on going with them to the Petrovis Skye . Emi didn’t tell Rob or Donna about the hypo bolus concealed in her jacket pocket. Emi didn’t know if the Petrovis Skye’s crew included any empaths. If it did, Emi didn’t want to risk them discovering her plan.

She knew Rob had armed himself with a stunner, but Emi suspected the crew would have been warned to expect trouble.

As Rob guided the lander into the cargo bay on the Petrovis Skye , they were greeted by two armed crewmen in cadet uniforms. Before they exited the lander, Emi slipped the loaded hypo up her jacket sleeve. When searching them, the crewmen took Rob’s stunner after apologizing to him about it. They didn’t find the hypo.

Emi calmed her mind as she reached out to the two crewmen with her empathic skills. Neither of them were empaths. They were also very young, very nervous, and surprisingly, she sensed they didn’t like their captain very much.

Good thing to know.

The crewmen politely escorted them to the bridge, where Emi felt a sickening black wave of hatred from Eckhart the moment they stepped through the doorway. No matter what, he would see her three men dead. Probably her, too, even if it meant the deaths of other innocent people.

“Well,” Eckhart said, looking them over. “Have you come to tell me there’s a cure? Or are you wasting your time and mine?”

“There’s a cure,” Emi said before Rob could answer. Rob and Donna both looked at her but remained silent.

Eckhart’s left eyebrow shot up. “Really? Is that so, Dr. Hypatia?”

“It’s an allergic reaction to certain proteins, triggered by the baking process.” She could bluff with the best of them. “It only reacts to postpubescent adult men with brown eyes, because of the melanin.”

Eckhart’s own brown eyes narrowed. “You have proven this?”

“Absolutely. Come to the surface. We’ll show you. We haven’t prepared the final reports yet, but I can demonstrate.”

Emi felt a nearly overwhelming wave of relief from Eckhart’s bridge crew. They didn’t want to kill innocent people, especially not on their first mission. That would also work to her advantage.

Eckhart smiled, but the gesture didn’t touch his eyes. “If you think you’re getting me down to the surface, Dr. Hypatia, you’re crazy.”

“What are you scared of, Captain?” Rob said. “Your mission is officially over, according to your own words.” He glanced at the bridge crew, five men Emi felt would not defend their captain, then back to Eckhart. “Exactly what did you do to the trans-satellite relay anyway?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Emi felt the lie, and Eckhart’s surprise. He didn’t realize they knew about his involvement in the relay’s failure. “My mission ends when I say it ends.”

Rob turned to the navigator. “Your ship’s first jump put you at the trans-satellite relay for this region. Now it’s not working. What happened?”

The man looked stunned. “He said we had emergency orders to do maint—”

“Shut your mouth!” Eckhart roared. “All of you! Do not answer his questions!”

“Who’s the first officer,” Rob asked the men.

They looked at another young man standing on Donna’s far side. The man spoke.

“Me, sir. First Officer Smith.”

Emi spoke up. “Captain Eckhart, in accordance with ISNC and DSMC joint council regulation 10-2, I hereby relieve you of duty on the basis of mental unsoundness. I am declaring you medically unfit for duty and placing this vessel under the command of Captain Robert Elloy of the Kendall Kant , pending a hearing by the—”

“You cannot do that!” Eckhart screamed. “I am the captain!” He reached for one of the guard’s stunners. Before he could get there, Emi intercepted him and jammed the hypo into his arm. He limply fell to the deck with a sickening thud.

She turned to Smith. “What happened to your med officer?”

Stunned, he shook his head as he stared at his captain’s prone form. “Captain said he fell in cargo and hit his head while securing supplies. They were down there alone.”

“Convenient,” Rob snarked. “He was the only other officer on board with any experience and the absolute authority to relieve the captain of his command. Eckhart knew he’d get overruled once we found the connection, regardless of a cure.” He pointed to the guards. “Energy shackles on him. Now, before he wakes up. Take him to the lander. That was smart thinking, Emi.” He turned to Smith. “You answer to me , even while I’m not on board, unless I turn command over to someone else. Do you understand?”

The man nodded.

“Is this your first mission?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Welcome to space, kid. How’d you guys get so lucky to pull a mission like this?”

“Captain Eckhart is our Academy trainer and volunteered us for it. We were doing routine patrol training.”

Rob looked shocked. “You haven’t even graduated yet?”

“No, sir. We’re four months from receiving our official commissions.”

Rob swore. “I didn’t know that. I’ll send one of my men over to relieve you. He’ll be acting captain. Regulations say I can’t leave someone without a commission in charge unless it’s an absolute emergency.”

“Yes, sir.”

Rob shook his head. “No offense, but why did the ISNC let a crew of underclassmen go on a mission like this?”

“I don’t know, sir. Captain Eckhart kept us in the dark about a lot of stuff.”

“Again, convenient for him.” Rob slid into the command chair and tapped into the computer. After a few minutes, the front vid display lit up. “There,” he pointed. The display showed the Petrovis Skye’s journey from the Ganymede sector to the colony, with a stop at the relay. He activated the in-ship com link. “Attention all hands, this is Captain Robert Elloy of the DSMC vessel Kendall Kant . Dr. Emilia Hypatia has formally relieved Captain Eckhart of duty on medical grounds. I am now in command of this ship. We have taken Captain Eckhart into custody and will transport him to the planet’s surface for treatment. We’ve also isolated, identified, and treated the colonists’ infection, so your orders to evacuate and sterilize the planet are hereby suspended. While I’m off-ship, First Officer Smith is in charge until I send a replacement. Elloy out.”

He handed the command seat over to Smith. “I’ve deactivated and locked down the plasma cannon, just for your information. What you guys didn’t know is that your captain has a personal grudge against Captain Lucio and his crew.”