Vaughn Heppner - The Lost Starship

“Meta, I hope this doesn’t make you angry, but I’m going to call Captain Maddox. I want his permission for us to see Doctor Rich.”

“Does he control you, then?” Meta asked sarcastically.

“He’s the commanding officer. I belong to Star Watch. A little over a month ago, I captained an escort. When I gave an order, I expected my people to follow it. If I demand something from others, I should be willing to give it myself.”

“We’ve worked hard to save the scout,” Meta said. “That has created a bond of friendship between us. Friends help each other.”

“I agree. But this is a military vessel of the Star Watch. We have rules to govern our behavior.”

“Rules to limit you,” Meta said.

“No,” Valerie said. “The rules give us strength because we know we can trust each other. In that way, we can work together in order to accomplish a greater goal. The New Men have invaded, Meta. We have to stop them. Look what they did to your friend.”

“I don’t know what they did,” Meta said. “I haven’t seen Dana since the mine attack.”

Valerie took out a comm-unit, switching it on with her thumb. “Captain Maddox,” she said.

“Yes, Lieutenant,” he said. He was outside helping Keith weld.

“I would like permission to take Meta into medical so she can see Doctor Rich.”

There was a pause until Maddox asked, “Is there a reason for this?”

“Kindness for one thing,” Valerie said, “for another as a reward for a job well done. The engine will work, to an extent.”

“May I remind you, Lieutenant, that Meta is dangerous?”

“Ah, sir,” Valerie said, looking up at Meta. “She can hear you.”

“Do you have a reason for this request you’re not sharing with me?” Maddox asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“Very well, you may take her. But I want Sergeant Riker to join you.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“You’re welcome, lieutenant” he said. “And thank you, Meta, for helping repair the engine.”

Meta stared at the comm-unit, making Valerie wonder what the woman was really thinking.

Together with Meta, Valerie approached the robo-doctor. Sergeant Riker stood near the hatch, with a stunner in his regular hand.

This and the control room had been the two chambers sealed from Meta.

As Dana Rich lay prone, a metal dish sat over her skull. She’d received deep gashes there, as well as a broken arm, ribs and leg. In a parody of normalcy, as if she heard them, her brown features shifted into a grimace.

“She’s in pain,” Meta said. “You must give her more painkillers.”

“In time,” Riker said. “The robo-doctor is watching her now. It knows what to do.”

Meta looked back to sneer at him. “What does a machine know? She’s in pain. You must help her.”

“Have you thought that maybe the robo-doctor has analyzed that it will help her wake from the coma faster if she feels pain?” Riker asked.

“I can’t believe you’d say that,” Meta told him.

Valerie put a restraining hand on Meta’s right arm. The Rouen Colony woman looked up sharply. Valerie took her hand away.

“Sorry,” the lieutenant said.

“No…” Meta said, after a moment. “I’ve… I’ve been on Loki Prime four long years. They were nasty and brutal years. It’s… It’s hard to remember how normal people react.”

“You’ve been under pressure far longer than that,” Valerie said. “Your concern for Doctor Rich—it’s good she has a friend like you.”

Meta stared at Valerie, finally nodding. The two of them turned to study Doctor Rich. Finally, Meta’s shoulders sagged. It was the first sign she’d shown of being tired.

“I’m exhausted, Valerie. I’m sick of…” Meta trailed off, waving her hand. “All my life, I’ve lived under other people’s rules. I don’t remember the last time I did something for myself. Dana… she’s a hard woman. She’s ambitious and driven like your captain. She’s angry at the universe.”

Valerie wondered if she might also be angry at life. That would mean she had something in common with Doctor Rich.

“I’m tired of being trapped by situations,” Meta said. “There’s something else, too. I don’t know if I’ve ever shared this with anyone. Vengeance doesn’t relieve you of pain like you think it should. Instead, it twists your heart with bitterness. This past week, I’ve had a lot more time to think than I normally would. With these repairs… I do some of my best thinking while working…”

Valerie nodded sympathetically.

“What I’m saying is that I don’t want anything more to do with wars and conquest, with knives and assassination. I thought I’d help Dana achieve her vengeance. But now, I’d rather slip away to somewhere quiet.”

“The New Men aren’t going away, Meta. They’ve infiltrated the Commonwealth. They’re attacking the Oikumene. Oh, it’s probably just the first stage so far. Yet that means the war will likely last a long, long time.”

“A lifetime?” asked Meta.

“Do you mean your lifetime, as the war won’t reach you while you’re alive?”

“That’s perceptive. Yes. That’s exactly what I mean.”

Valerie first pretended to think about it. Then she faced Meta. “What good is that, really? I mean slipping away and building a life for yourself knowing that it’s all built with cards that will soon tumble away? I want to build a better world, to give my children more than I had.”

“You want to have children?” Meta asked.

“Someday.”

“You’d bring them into this evil universe?”

“Someone has to fight the good fight,” Valerie said, “to keep the human race alive.”

Meta pursed her lips. Then she took several steps closer, putting a hand on Dana’s arm. On the table, the doctor’s grimace lessened.

“She feels you,” Valerie said. “Maybe she can hear us.”

“Dana,” Meta said. “ Can you hear me?”

Nothing happened.

“Dana,” Meta said. “Would it be better to find this alien starship as Maddox wants or to… do what we planned?”

Valerie would have liked to know what those plans were. She didn’t want to interrupt the moment, though. Was Meta really considering helping them? Did it make a difference that Dana Rich was in a coma? Did…

Valerie’s mouth opened in shock. She turned to stare at Sergeant Riker. He met her look with innocence. Had Captain Maddox believed he could turn Meta their way without Doctor Rich always giving her negative opinion? In other words, had Maddox prolonged the injuries and kept Dana in a drugged coma?

Valerie hoped Maddox wasn’t that ruthless.

Riker looked away.

Valerie wasn’t sure, but a guilty look seemed to come over the old man.

“Do you think she’ll survive her injuries?” Meta asked.

Valerie groped for the right words. She couldn’t dare tell Meta her suspicions. Finally, she said, “I think the odds are good.”

Meta nodded and turned back to the unconscious doctor.

“That’s long enough,” Riker said. His voice was softer than before. “It’s time to go,” he added.

Meta nodded before heading for the hatch. “Thank you,” she told Valerie. “I appreciate this.”

“You’re welcome,” Valerie said. “Maybe we should get back to work.”

Meta said nothing more as she exited the medical room.

Captain Maddox sat down in the control room. Fatigue made his eyelids heavy. For the last few days, he’d been berating himself for failing to see the ploy with the hidden mine. Looking back, it was obvious why the enemy had been near the Class 3 Laumer-Point.

Well, he couldn’t help that now. In this new star system, they limped toward the next Laumer-Point, hoping to leave before the destroyer appeared by working its way here through other jump routes. Had the enemy made it through the unstable point? Saint Petersburg’s destruction would be a great stroke of luck.