Lucas took his place on the bridge. The bustle of excitement surrounded him as the ship rushed towards the source of the distress call. Captain Hudson just stood at his normal spot, the normal gruff expression on his face. Lucas wondered what went on inside the strictly business officer. He never knew.
"Coming up on source now, Captain." He announced as the ship appeared on his sensors.
"Open a channel, mister O'Neill." The captain barked. Lucas heard his friend say 'aye' and punch away at his communications board.
"No response, sir. I think whoever's over there is not awake to reply." Tim spoke after about a minute.
"That's a quick deduction, Mr. O'Neill." Hudson spoke gruffly. The communications officer turned to his captain guiltily. The captain smiled at him, his normal grin that bared his front teeth. Sometimes it looked like he was about to frown, then the corners turned upward.
"Let's verify it. Ford, take a team and a launch." Hudson ordered. The first officer nodded and signaled to Lieutenant Henderson and to Lucas. The two officers sprang up and followed their leader to the launch bay.
With a clank, the launch doors slid up. Ford shone his flashlight on the door.
"Lucas, can you get that open?" he asked. Lucas nodded and headed to the panel next the door. He tapped the panel a couple times. The door rolled aside and revealed the interior of the vessel. The atmosphere was somewhat dreary and the air was somewhat stuffy. Lucas gasped slightly as the warm thick air hit his face.
"Thanks." Ford smiled as he spoke. Lucas smiled back weakly. The team advanced forward into the silent compartment.
"Repair teams, see what you can find out. Lucas, let's head to the bridge." Ford ordered. Lucas nodded. He had known Commander Ford ever since he came aboard Seaquest, and he was just now getting used to be ordered around by him. Ford wasn't as much of a military man as Hudson, but he was much more than Lucas himself or Tim.
The pair veered away into a separate hallway that the repair teams were headed. The vessel had been identified as the Paradise, captained by a Terri Meridian. Lucas wasn't sure, but he thought he saw Hudson grimace when he heard that last name. He knew he had heard it somewhere before, but he couldn't put his finger on it. The ship itself was a typical civilian ship. Lucas examined the schematics on the trip to the rendezvous.
They entered the bridge, which was too large to be called a cockpit but wasn't nearly the size of Seaquest's bridge. Ford nodded to Lucas, which was the signal to split up. Lucas nodded back. He wasn't military, but he knew how to behave as if he were. They looked around and his eyes fell on the command chair. He reached it before Ford did and he peered around the back.
There wasn't anything there.
"You'd think the captain would be here." He murmured.
"Maybe she's down somewhere in the ship, trying to fix it." Ford replied.
"There." Lucas pointed. Ford followed his gaze to see a young woman crumpled over next to an open console. They both rushed over to where she lay. Ford did his best to hold her up slightly. He rested her upper body on his thigh and then took her pulse. Lucas squatted nearby.
"She's alive, but we had better get her back to Seaquest." Commander Ford spoke gravely. Lucas nodded.
"Come on. Let's get her to the launch." Ford continued. Lucas nodded again, just once. Then he stood up from his crouch to help Ford carry her, but the buff commander had already lifted her and was carrying her towards the launch. All -Lucas could think about was how good-looking she was. With brown hair and brown eyes, she was a sight for sore eyes after staring at Captain Hudson all day, every day this week. Hudson didn't even have hair. Well, a little.
Lucas returned his attention to the panel they had found her by. It appeared to be a power circuit that she was attempting to repair. Only now, he couldn't see anything seriously wrong with it. He picked up the dropped tool and started to complete her adjustments. He didn't think Ford wanted to accompany him, but his PAL chirped with the commander's voice.
Lucas kicked himself for assuming and headed to the launch.
When her eyes opened, Terri Meridian saw a ceiling she'd never seen before. She looked around. She saw a black young woman attending to her bio readouts. On the other side of her, she saw a man that somehow she recognized, even though she knew she'd never met him before. He was talking to another man, much younger. Cute, with blond hair and piercing eyes.
"Where in the hell am I?" she muttered. Every one in the room jumped as her words pierced the semi-silent atmosphere. She started to sit up when the woman placed her hand on her shoulder with a restraining force to it.
"In bed, where you will stay for a little while longer." She spoke softly. Terri stared at her with annoyance and after a pause, she replied.
"You're a doctor, aren't you?" she grunted. The woman smiled and nodded. Terri returned the smile and went back like the doctor pressed. She then sat up and kind of leaned against the pillow behind her. She turned her gaze to the familiar man and his protégé.
"And I only suppose you're the captain. Here to reassure me, then grill me about what happened, right?" she spoke with the annoyance lingering in the back of her tone. The younger man gave a small laugh but stopped after receiving a look from the first one. "And you don't have a sense of humor." She muttered.
"My name is captain Oliver Hudson. You're aboard the Seaquest." He spoke with the voice of a true naval officer. She chuckled to herself.
"That explains a lot." She muttered. Hudson glanced back at Lucas then returned his gaze to the brown-haired young woman sitting in front of him.
"How? What does it explain?" he asked confusedly. She glanced at him.
"Nothing. Nothing important." She replied with a grin. "So Doc, can I leave?" she turned to Dr. Perry.
"I thought we already settled this." The doctor replied with a friendly tone.
"No, not really." Terri spoke innocently. "I want to get back to my ship."
"Spoken like a true captain." The doctor replied. Terri smiled. Hudson was oblivious to the conversation. His thoughts were somewhere else. Lucas was slightly nervous. It was if he weren't even there.
"And who are you?" Terri asked, directed her gaze to the shy science officer.
"Uh, I'm Ensign Lucas Wolenczak." He replied after a short pause.
"An ensign? What do you do on this ship?" she asked. He looked at his captain who didn't give any sign whatsoever.
"I'm the chief science officer." He replied after another short pause.
"Low rank for a chief science officer." She paused. "How's my ship, Wolenczak?" she asked, almost defiantly.
"It's functioning. Other than that, it's a mess." This was a question he could answer much more confidently. She nodded. He than couldn't help himself.
"What happened to it?" he asked shakily. She looked at him and chuckled.
"I have no clue. One minute I'm scanning the reef, next the systems started shutting down, one by one." She replied as she inspected the medical readouts that hung on a clipboard next to her bed. Dr. Perry sighed.
"I don't see anything on here that says I can't go back to my ship." She directed to the doctor. Perry looked at her wearily. She took the board back and looked it over.
"If you feel any pain, anywhere. . ." she spoke as if she were giving up. Terri grinned, and Lucas couldn't help it. He smiled too. "You come right back here." She added sternly. Terri nodded and turned to get out of the bed. Dr. Perry put a hand on her shoulder.
"I mean it." She spoke even more sternly. Terri nodded.
"I know. I swear on my mother's grave." Terri replied. Hudson looked at her abruptly, only to meet her eyes, as they had been waiting for his. She turned her head away and slid out of the bed. The doctor handed her Terri her jacket, which was a brown leather merchant's jacket. Terri clasped it in her hand as if it were something precious. She put it own and jumped to her feet.
"Now, how do I get back to paradise?" she said gleefully. The officers stared at her blankly. "My ship? The Paradise?" Lucas smiled and Hudson exhaled.
"This way." The captain held out his hand to lead the way. She nodded thanks and followed his lead.
"The propulsion circuitry is fried. We'll need some new chips." The words belong to Terri as she slid out from the machinery that Lucas and Ford had found her by.
"All right. What kind?" Lucas asked. She glanced at him.
"Oh, standard green B-53's. Two ought to do it." She replied as she wiped her hands with a rag. "We're also gonna need some oil tubing reinforcements. Five, at least." She added as she wiped the last spot of oil off her fingers. Lucas nodded and smiled.
"What are you grinning about?" she said playfully as she flicked a drop of oil at him. He jumped and smiled a little broader. She grinned back.
"Did I miss something?" Captain Hudson asked as he strode on to the bridge of the small ship.
"Inside joke, I guess. What are you doing here, Ollie?" she asked after a pause. He paused at the name she applied to him. She could feel the heat building behind his eyes.
"Mr. Wolenczak, would you mind giving us a second?" the captain asked, trying to avoid blasting at the young scientist.
"Actually, I have to get some supplies from the storage unit." The ensign replied as he stood up. Terri watched him leave then returned her gaze to the perplexed captain who had found a seat in her command chair.
"I'm afraid I can't let you sit there. There's another chair right over there." She pointed as she spoke. Hudson contemplated not moving for a minute, then stood up and proceed to the chair she indicated. She stood up and proceed to the chair he had just vacated. She sat in it and leaned over the panel beside the chair.
"What can I do for you, Ollie?" she spoke the name as if she'd been doing it for years, and she knew how much it annoyed him. He stifled his temper and sighed.
"Was your mother's name Janet?" he asked slowly.
"I think you know it was." She replied coolly. He fingered the arm of the chair absentmindedly.
"And your father?" he asked. She smiled and looked at him. He looked at her innocently.
"I never met my father, Ollie." She replied as she turned back to her console. She paused, then looked back at him. "Do you know why my friends call me Tom?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
"No."
"My mother gave me my father's first name as my middle name. My initials spelled out Tom due to it." She informed him with a grin. He shuddered slightly.
"What was your father's first name?" he asked nervously.
"Oliver." She responded as she stood up and left him alone in the small control room.
"Did you find those B-53's yet?" Terri asked as she leaned down into the supply bay. Lucas, startled, looked at her and shook her head.
"How do you find anything in this place?" he asked, clearly frustrated.
"I have a system." She replied as she slipped through the trapdoor. He felt her arm brush past his as she reached for a box on the shelf in front of him. He blushed when he realized it clearly read 'Chip green B-53' on the front.
"It's called reading." She joked. He turned to face her and reply, but he couldn't think of a witty response. For when he turned, he turned face-to-face with her, his eyes locked with hers. They stood there for a second, just staring at each other when a noise interrupted the silence.
"Am I interrupting?" Tony Piccolo asked with a grin as he peered down into the supply bay. Terri looked at him, then back at Lucas then back at Piccolo.
"No. I was just heading back to the bridge." She replied softly. Tony pulled out of her way and let her pass. He then peered back in and addressed Lucas.
"Now me, I'd would have made my move." Tony spoke with a grin. Lucas glared at him.
"Leave me alone, Tony." He replied bitterly. Lucas climbed out of the bay just in time to see captain Hudson board the launch.
"Why was he here anyway? He doesn't supervise repairs." Tony asked. Lucas shrugged. He had no clue. Maybe he'd ask Terri later. He headed to the bridge to help her with the B-53's. After all, she had forgotten the oil tube reinforcements.
Oliver Hudson punched some keys on the computer that sat, mostly unused, on his desk. The file he requested blinked on to the screen. A picture of a woman, not too unlike Terri, hung in the corner of the dossier. The name: Meridian, Janet. His mind raced a mile a minute. All he could think about was what Terri had told him earlier.
Twenty-seven years ago, two things happened. First, he met Janet Meridian. They were attracted to each other right off, and they ended up having a one night stand. He was young and reckless then. Not the strong, dutiful officer he was now. He and Janet had just joined the navy, and they knew they were going to be assigned away from each other.
Second, a child named Terri Meridian was born. He never knew that second fact until seventeen hours ago, when the captain of the Paradise was identified. He realized that Meridian wasn't exactly a popular last name, and that it sparked the memory of his short-lived love affair with a young ensign named Janet. From what Terri had told him today, he could honestly believe that he was Terri's father. From her attitude around him, he knew was true.
He did his best with the computer as he tried to call up the medical information that Dr. Perry had collected earlier. He asked the computer to try to find any sort of match between Terri's file and his own. The results only furthered his belief. He had a daughter. He's had a daughter for twenty-seven years, and he never knew.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he thought aloud, knowing his question was directed to a ghost.
"Because-" a voice sounded behind him. He spun to see Terri standing in his open door. "She was afraid you wouldn't be as happy as she was. She was afraid you didn't want to be a father." She continued. He stared at her blankly. "The door was open."
"I know. I forgot to lock it." He replied slowly. She nodded, but remained in the doorway.
"You shouldn't forget things like that if you're gonna think aloud." She said.
"How'd you get back on board?" the captain asked.
"I only had one green B-53 chip. Lucas said he'd get some from Lucas, and I thought I'd check on you." She replied.
"I wasn't aware I'd need checking in on."
"If someone told me I had a kid I never knew about-" she started.
"It's a little different for you." He retorted.
"Granted, but I think maybe I'd want to talk about it nonetheless." She snapped back. He returned his gaze to the computer and recalled Janet's file. Terri looked at it.
"I grew up on military vessels." She started, paused than continued. "When she died for her ship and crew five years ago, I didn't sign up like I planned. I bought the Paradise and became a scientist." When she stopped, Hudson didn't say anything.
"I don't want anything from you, captain. If I did, I would have called you five years ago. All I want now is what I've been getting. Your help." She spoke to break the silence. Hudson noted that she didn't call him 'Ollie'. He turned to reply but the doorway was empty. She was gone. He turned back to the dossier. 'Died: July 24, 2028.' What could he have done to tell Janet that he was scared of those things.
He pulled up Terri's file and looked it over. It included the information she told him about when she had purchased the Paradise. One fact in her file that intrigued him was that she was aboard the Quest during the battle of Raneau, a famous battle with the Chaodai two months before they closed their borders. He wondered how Lieutenant Kimura would feel about that. Maybe he wouldn't ask. It would be a controversial conversation.
"Do your fancy UEO chips work?" Terri asked as she punched keys on the console.
"They're no different from yours. They just have the letters printed on them." Lucas retorted.
"Yeah, fine. Say, how's the Comm system?" she called in to the speaker. Her voice reached the repair team in the bowels of her ship.
"Just fine. Expecting a call?" Tony Piccolo replied on the other side.
"As a matter of fact, I am. Stick to your business, Piccolo." She replied. She switched the Comm off and clicked a few keys on a via-link behind her chair. A beep sounded and she sighed with relief.
"Captain, there's a signal coming across the Macronesian border." O'Neill reported as Hudson strode on to the bridge, searching for a distraction.
"Let's hear it." He replied gruffly.
"Well, sir, it's not directed towards us." O'Neill answered. Hudson looked at him.
"Well, who's it directed to?"
"It's headed for the Paradise."
"Are you over there betraying me?" a familiar voice rang in Lucas' ears. He couldn't place it. He looked to Terri, who was putting on a headset. He gave her a look, asking what she was doing.
"No, Alex. We'd have to be allies for me to betray you." She spoke into the mike of the headset. Lucas gasped. The name to the voice. Terri was talking to Alexander Bourne, president of the Macronesian alliance.
"Seaquest to Wolenczak. What's going on over there? We've got a Macronesian signal heading to the Paradise. Now we're registering a response. Who's talking to who down there?" Hudson's voice chirped through his Pal. Terri glanced in Lucas' direction and smiled.
"You're causing quite a ruckus over here, Alex." Lucas heard her say.
"Uh, this is Lucas, sir. I think, I'm not sure, but I think that Terri is talking to President Bourne." The silence was enough of an answer. "I think I'll ask. Lucas out." He switched off the Pal before Hudson could say another word. He stood up and walked over to Terri, who was still chattering into the headset. He looked on to the screen and there he was.
President Bourne was sitting at his desk, filling out papers while he chattered with Terri, his voice reaching her headset, so Lucas couldn't tell what he was saying. Bourne looked up and saw Lucas. He smiled and his lips moved.
"Alex says hello." Terri spoke in such a tone, that Lucas could tell that the comment might have been a little more colorful. Lucas stared at her.
"Alex? What's going on here?" Lucas asked her. She looked at him and held up a finger.
"Alex, I'm going have to call you back. Apparently, it's a crime to talk to you right now." She spoke into the headset. 'Alex' nodded and his lips formed once again silent words. The screen blinked off and Terri slipped the headset off her neck.
"All right, what's the problem?" Terri asked. Lucas' mouth dropped open.
"The problem is you're chatting with the president of the Macronesian alliance as if he were one of your close personal friends. You call him by his first name." Lucas replied as if she had committed some horrible crime.
"I know about his presidency, we are close friends and he calls me by my first name too." Terri replied. He couldn't tell what was in her voice, but there was something. It felt like she was amused and annoyed at the same time. She got up and headed for the navigation circuitry they had been working on.
"You are close friends with the president of the Macronesian Alliance?" Lucas asked with a disbelieving tone. She glanced at him with a grin.
"His name is Alexander Bourne, not 'the president of the Macronesian Alliance'. That's all you refer to him as." She spoke, the amusement surging up into her voice. Lucas stared at her. She then asked: "Hand me the B-53, will you?"
Lucas grabbed the green chip from off the nearby console and handed it to her. She took it and crawled into the cramped compartment and inserted the chip into an empty slot that was formatted for just that program. Once she was sure it was set in there right, she slid out of the compartment and met face to face with Lucas again.
This time Lucas didn't wait for Piccolo or anyone else to interrupt. He drew her in close and pressed his lips to hers. His arms slid around her and hers around him. They stood there, holding each other even after their lips parted. He felt warm inside, and though he didn't know it himself, she did too. And it wasn't long before their lips connected again.
Hudson sat in his quarters, The Red Badge of Courage rested in his hands. He wasn't reading it, but he felt comfortable with it there. It was a constant in his life, and now constants were hard to come by. His life was changing. He had just discovered he had a daughter. A twenty-seven year-old daughter. He had missed all her firsts: her first word, first step, first car. Then he wondered if she ever had a first car. He had missed twenty-seven years of her life. After missing that much, was he still allowed to call himself her father?
Now, according to Ensign Wolenczak, it appeared his daughter was close friends with Macronesian President Alexander Bourne. His daughter was friends with one of his enemies. Well, he couldn't say enemies. He would be fired for saying enemies. The UEO had a treaty to uphold. That treaty ordered him to pay polite respect to President Bourne. What greater respect could Bourne have from him than the friendship of his daughter?
Come to think of it, Bourne had probably known Terri longer than Hudson knew her, longer than Hudson knew Terri's mother. Hudson didn't know how he felt about the relationship between the sinister dictator and the girl he just discovered was his own flesh and blood.
As he flipped absentmindedly through the pages, he though about Terri's words. 'I don't want anything from you, captain. If I did, I would have called you five years ago.' He didn't know if that was comforting or disconcerting. Did this girl not want a father? Or worse yet, had she found a father figure in Alexander Bourne?
Hudson didn't know why all of sudden it mattered to him. He never really thought about being a father. He knew he didn't want to be one thirty years ago, and that it never even occurred to him two days ago. Now there was no avoiding it. It was fact now.
Not an issue that he should consider, an issue that he needed to look inside himself to discover his true feelings about it. He looked, and all he could find was that even though he had just met this person, he felt fatherly about her. He felt as if it was a part of him to protect her, to listen to her, to be a father to her. He felt as if now that he was a father, it was time to be a father. He wanted to. He could see that, feel that now.
He knew that to every one else, he was a somber naval officer who didn't care about anything but duty, and maybe the lives of his crew members, the integrity of his ship. He knew they all thought that he wasn't human. Just a robot who loved the navy so much that he never took the uniform off, literally, metaphorically or otherwise.
His mind continued to babble on as he stood up and put the book back on the shelf. He started to unzip his uniform and head towards his bed when the Comm link on his desk chirped. He sighed and pressed the button that allowed him to respond.
"Hudson here. What now?" he failed to filter out the annoyance in his voice. He was tired and his crew wouldn't allow him ten minutes to sleep.
"Sorry to interrupt, sir, but Secretary General McGath is calling for you." O'Neill's voice sounded through the speakers. Hudson sighed.
"All right. Patch it through to the vid-link." He replied. He turned to face the vid-link. McGath's face blipped on to the screen. Hudson had seen his face several hundred times, mostly after he became captain of the Seaquest.
"Do you ever sleep, sir?" he asked as politely as he could, though the question in itself broadcast a rude message.
"Yes, I do, captain. My turn to ask a question. What are you doing out there?" the head of the UEO retorted. Hudson glanced at him, his normal expression of anger with confusion mixed in.
"We received a distress call from the independent science vessel Paradise. We intercepted, found the captain unconscious and began to assist. We're out here helping her fix her ship and trying to find out what happened to it. What do you mean?" he asked at the end of his somewhat lengthy answer. McGath sighed.
"The UEO has received a message from the Chaodai." McGath informed the perplexed captain. Hudson's eyebrow raised.
"I thought they closed back up after the incident with Lieutenant Kimura." Hudson spoke with surprise.
"They did. Apparently they're claiming responsibility for what happened to your science ship out there. They told us to tell you to abandon the ship and it's captain so that they can come and claim it." McGath replied. Hudson was taken aback. What did the Chaodai want with Terri and the Paradise?
"Why do they want to claim it? Did they say?" In Hudson's reply, his voice had a spark of his concern. He didn't know if McGath knew about his relationship to Terri Meridian, but he wasn't going to say unless asked.
"Apparently, this captain, Terri Meridian was aboard the Quest during the battle of Raneau. Raneau was a hero to the Chaodai. They probably want to take their revenge, or some idiotic thing like that." McGath could sense the tone of Hudson's voice, but he resolved to ask later.
"What did you tell them?" Hudson replied almost shakily.
"Miss. Meridian is not allied with the UEO. We have no choice. She's not one of our people. We can't protect her." McGath responded.
"She was twelve years old during the battle of Raneau. Her mother was a naval officer for the UEO. We have a choice. You know Chaodai diplomacy. There is none." Hudson snapped. McGath felt the heat now.
"What's going on here, captain? Did I miss something?"
"Yes you did, McGath. I'm not giving her up." Hudson replied, cooling off a little. He hit the switch that flipped the screen off before McGath could respond. He zipped back up his uniform and grabbed his Pal, which he was required to have with him at all times. He left his quarters and headed to the bridge. On his way, Lt. Kimura appeared in view.
"Ah, Lieutenant. We have a situation arising." He spoke to her and she stopped to listen as he summarized what McGath had just tried to order him to do and why.
"The Chaodai?" Terri exclaimed dumbfounded. On the screen in front of her Hudson nodded. "They did this? Why?"
"Because of your involvement in the battle of Raneau." The captain replied somberly.
"That was fifteen years ago!" she exclaimed again. Lucas looked up from his panel. Piccolo had interrupted their 'encounter' an hour earlier and slowly they returned to work. He had reported to the captain what Terri told him about President Bourne and Hudson was less than thrilled. Now Terri talked to Hudson through her headset and whatever he was saying really upset her.
"What's going on?" he asked as he approached her. She glanced at him and sighed with a rough smile. She held out her hand and he took it. She squeezed it affectionately.
"It appears I'm to be condemned for being on the wrong ship at the wrong time." She replied. Lucas grew a confused look. She just sighed and said "I'll explain later." He nodded and returned the squeeze. Their hands parted and they returned to what they were doing.
"So what's gonna happen here, Ollie? Are you guys gonna leave?" Terri asked into her headset. Hudson couldn't help but notice that she had reverted back to calling him Ollie.
"Of course not. But we need to find a way to get you out of the Chaodai's sights. We didn't fare too well in our last encounter with them." He replied. O'Neill couldn't help but notice that they had a strange attitude towards each other. Something serious had happened in the past two days. Not counting what Piccolo had told him about Lucas and Terri. It seems that this scientist was destined to stir emotions out of the crew.
First, she and Lucas practically fall in love within two days. Second, she's friends with Piccolo straight off. Granted that Piccolo is a pretty friendly person. She sparked human emotion out of Captain Hudson for some reason no one knew . . yet, and now it appears she was one of the only four survivors of the battle of Raneau. There just seemed to be a mountain of information about this person they had set out to rescue. This person they had to rescue again, both times from the wrath of the Chaodai.
"Why not do what Tim did with Lieutenant Kimura? Give them the ship without the pilot." Commander Ford suggested.
"I don't know if that would work with a ship this size. They might check it." O'Neill offered. "Or not. I'm not the expert on the Chaodai." He added, glancing at Lt. Kimura. The past between them was not forgotten, but they were crewmates now. He had to work with her now, despite the pain he felt when he thought about she had come to be a crew member on this ship.
"The only reason they would search the ship is if they didn't trust us to leave her behind." The lieutenant responded. Hudson nodded.
"Will they trust us to leave her behind?" Hudson asked. "I don't know. I don't think they will." She replied.
"So I'm as good as dead." Terri sighed. Hudson glared at her abruptly.
"You are not. We just need to make them believe we left you behind." He grunted.
"Would they settle for a fake life signal? I'm not too happy about them blowing the Paradise, but what choice do I have?" Terri commented though a moment of thought passed before she offered it.
"They might, but we need a back-up plan in case they don't." Kimura responded immediately. Hudson agreed, nodding accordingly.
"Great idea. I'm up for anything at this point. I would like to live to see tomorrow." Terri spoke with a hint of sarcasm.
"Captain, I'm detecting four signals heading this way. If I had to guess, I'd say they're Chaodai sub-fighters. ETA twenty minutes." Lieutenant Henderson reported.
"The clock just sped up." Terri whispered.
"All systems functional. Ironic, isn't it?" Terri added as she tapped the final keys on the panel. It was ten minutes until the Chaodai arrive. Lucas nodded and sighed.
"Let's go." His voice was somewhat somber. She smiled and nodded. She tapped a few more keys and smiled. She stood up and they headed for the launch. Her hand slipped into his and they just sort of held each other. When they reached the port, she hesitated.
"Come on. It's the only way." Lucas whispered. She looked at him and nodded sadly. They headed into the launch. Once they reached inside, she stopped, as if making up her mind. As Ford was hitting the release switch, she ran and ducked beneath the door. She ran into the Paradise, leaving the Seaquest crewmembers behind her.
Lucas cried out behind her and she turned around. She smiled at him and winked. She grabbed a Comm link and spoke into it.
"It's not the only way, Lucas. In fact, I got a better one. I'll see ya in fifteen minutes." She said. "Trust me. I will survive." She added. Lucas didn't know what to do, but when she smiled at him, he didn't know what he could do. "Trust me, Lucas." The words rang through again.
"I will." He heard respond. It was his voice talking in the Comm link and his hand pressed the talk-back button. He felt Ford's heated glare behind him. "I will, Terri." His voice continued.
Terri smiled and turned away. She now had to get out of this alive.
"Computer, give me an audio update on the impending arrival of the Chaodai." She announced to her now functional interactive computer relay.
"Confirmed. Arrival of Chaodai sub-fighters in seven minutes, forty seconds." The computer replied. She nodded for no particular reason.
"All right. Let's get to work." She whispered.
"What do you mean, she ducked under the doors?!?" Hudson yelled louder than Ford had heard before. "Even she knows that's committing suicide."
"Sir." Lucas spoke, after standing still and silent for the duration of Hudson's lecture.
"What?!?" the captain snapped back.
"She said to trust her. Now the Chaodai will be here any minute. I say we back off to a place where the Chaodai won't be provoked by our presence and wait for her to contact us." Lucas continued, not affected by the captain's anger. Hudson glared at him.
"Trust her? I trusted her to come to the Seaquest. She didn't." he barked back. Lucas sighed.
"I know. But I trust her to keep her promise." The ensign replied. He was taking a big step, talking to his superior like this. It was Hudson's fault that he was in this uniform anyway.
"She promised you that she'd 'see you in fifteen minutes'?" Hudson confirmed. Lucas nodded. Hudson headed for the door but stopped at Lucas.
"If we don't find her in fifteen minutes, you're fired." He muttered into the ensign's ear. Hudson then went through the door, leaving Lucas nodding with a small grin on his face.
"Right."
The Chaodai commander eased into a steady position above the Paradise. He pressed the Comm button and chanted in his native language the words that told the person inside he was boarding the vessel. He latched his ship to the hull port and grabbed his gun.
The port door slid open revealing the inside. The air was somewhat hot and stuffy. He ventured forth, cursing his superior for giving him the mission to enter the ship to verify the pilot was still aboard. He jumped when a voice boomed over the ships speakers in a language he barely understood.
"Hi there. Welcome to Paradise." He interpreted. He knew it must be the voice of his prey. "Come and find me." The voice taunted. He grunted and continued into the ship. He turned round a corner and searched the hallway. Nothing. He slowly slipped down the corridor, searching every centimeter his eyes could see.
Captain Hudson paced the bridge of the Seaquest. The massive ship hung behind a small underwater ridge. O'Neill listened in on the Chaodai channel. The tension on the bridge was thick. He could feel the sweat roll down his forehead. He glanced at Lucas, who was looking slightly uncomfortable in his seat. The ensign smiled weakly when he spied the captain's glance.
"Sir, the Chaodai officer says he's back in his ship. He says-" the Comm officer paused. Hudson stared at him, searching his face.
"He says he found the criminal and has taken care of her." O'Neill finished somberly. Hudson's expression hardened. He looked back to Lucas. The science officer's eyes were tearing.
"The Chaodai ship is reports he can't leave the Paradise. The port is malfunctioning." O'Neill reported. Hudson continued to stare at Lucas. Hudson didn't even look at the screen. He heard the computer sound out the blips that meant the Chaodai had fired upon the Paradise. He looked at lieutenant Henderson. She shook her head.
"They destroyed their own ship." Ford muttered.
"Of course they did." Kimura spoke coldly. Hudson didn't say anything.
"Sir, if I may." Lucas' shaky voice sounded in the captain's ears. He looked to the young officer.
"What?" Hudson replied, almost as shakily.
"The fifteen minutes aren't up yet." Lucas exclaimed softly. Hudson smiled weakly.
"Very well." He spoke with a apprehensive style. Lucas nodded. Ford smiled weakly. Just then a strange tapping filled everyone's ears. It was faint, but it was definitely nearby. The bridge crew searched around, looking for the source.
"Captain! Open the moonpool!" Lucas shouted. Hudson glanced at the door to the moonpool and his mouth dropped open. Lucas ran over and hit the lever for the moonpool hatch. Terri's head popped out of the opening and gasped.
"Took ya long enough." She muttered. Lucas offered his hand but she held up a finger.
"Permission to come aboard, Ollie?" she asked as she tried to maintain her position in the water. He smiled and nodded.
"Only if you tell me how the hell you got here."
"Hi there. Welcome to Paradise." He interpreted. He knew it must be the voice of his prey. "Come and find me." The voice taunted. He grunted and continued into the ship. He turned round a corner and searched the hallway. Nothing. He slowly slipped down the corridor, searching every centimeter his eyes could see.
He didn't see Terri, however, as she slammed the B-53's metal box down on his head. He went down with one blow. She smirked and grabbed his gun. She then dragged the unconscious commander back to the designated destination.
Once on board the Chaodai vessel, she put the unconscious pilot in his chair. She used the computer compilation that she made of his voice. His warning was more than enough to create a computer generated message in his voice. Her recording simply told the enemy ships that the prey had been taken care of, and that the port was malfunctioning.
She set the timer of her recorder to transmit in two minutes. Once that was done, she set off to the Paradise. She slid into her version of the moon bay and grabbed a re-breather and a pair of goggles. She slipped both on and managed to get out the diving port. She counted on the fact the Chaodai wouldn't be watching the diving port. She didn't know if the Seaquest would be or not.
Once outside the ship, she met Darwin. She had met him before when she visited Seaquest. She did her best to signal she wanted to go to Seaquest. Strangely enough, he understood and led her to the moonpool on the bridge. There, she started to rap on the window/door as she realized she had only a minute left on her tank. A minute later, they opened the tank.
Hudson reviewed Terri's story over in his mind. He was back in his quarters, The Red Badge of Courage back in his hands. The constants were back. His life was restoring itself. It was different than three days ago, but the constant were slowly returning. And yet, he still felt the need to hold the leather-bound book in his hands. It hadn't changed. Nothing about it had.
A knock at the door brought him back to reality. He placed the book on the table next to his chair, gave it a soft pat and stood up.
"Come in." he announced. The door creaked open revealing Terri in a UEO jumpsuit.
"Like my threads?" she asked playfully. He smiled.
"Yeah, looking good." He replied. She smiled back. She entered and looked around. Her eyes fell on the book.
"The Red Badge of Courage." She announced seriously as she picked it up.
"Have you read it?" he asked, hoping his own daughter had read his favorite book.
"Can't say I have." His heart sank. She glanced at him and smiled. "Hits ya hard I guess." She added. He give a short nod. She smiled again and placed the book back on the table. She sat down in the chair and rested her hands on the arms.
"So comfy." She spoke with a smile. He nodded. She stood up and continued to look around. She stopped and looked directly at him.
"What do I do now?" she asked. He didn't know, and she could tell by looking in his eyes. She continued. "I'd ask to stay here but according to Lucas, you don't take civilian crew members and I'm not about to sign up for the navy."
Hudson smirked at this. Both her parents were navy c.o.'s and she still wouldn't consider the navy. It was in her blood, and she didn't feel it. A thought occurred to him.
"How many people on this ship know I'm your father?" he asked softly.
"How many people did you tell?" she fired back.
"None." He replied.
"Than that's the grand total cause I didn't tell anyone." She spoke as she moved around the room. She found a resting place in his chair once again.
"Why not the navy?" he asked.
"Because of what happened on the Quest. That was enough to swear me off the navy for ten years. Then when mom died in action, that was enough for me forever." She replied, a touch of bitterness in her voice.
"What happened on the Quest and to your mother could easily happen to you staying here. What does the navy have to do with it?"
"I don't know." She responded, staring him straight in the eye. "I don't know, but it has something to do with it."
"I tell you what. Put in eight hours a day, and I'll let you stay." He said. She stared at him. "You'll have to take orders and wear the jumpsuit, but you don't have to sign up."
"And let me guess, I get a rank and a salary too?" she replied with phony excitement. He smiled. "I may as well sign up for the navy."
"Why not? Maybe one day you'll be a captain like your ma and pa." He sat down in the desk chair as he spoke enthusiastically.
"It was her first mission as captain that she died. You weren't very encouraging with that comment." She replied.
"I'm sorry, but I think you and the navy would suit each other."
"I can't align myself with the UEO. Not certainly, anyway. Not while Bourne and I are still friends."
"Are you kidding? They'll love you for being friends with the pres--"
"Is that all he's referred to around here? The President of the Macronesian alliance?" she exclaimed, voice full of annoyance.
"That's what he is." Hudson replied calmly. She smiled and nodded.
"Granted. Anyway, are you going to sit here all night trying to convince me to join the navy? Should I get the old Village People record?" she asked after a pause, the grin taking a somewhat permanent residence on her face.
"Village People?"
"Never mind." She waved her hands, signifying it's non-importance. He shrugged and fingered the desk.
"Eight hours a day, uniform, rank, salary and following orders?" she repeated aloud. He glanced at her. "Is that it that's required?"
"That's it, though orders get a bit rough sometimes." He replied.
"No training? What kind of authority would I get? Would I have to start as an ensign?" she probed him. He could tell if she got the answers she wanted, she'd sign on in a second.
"No training, though you have to pass the officer's test, which shouldn't be a problem. The rank and authority depend on your expertise, experience and the deal I can cut with Secretary General McGath." He responded coolly.
"You mean that because you're my father, you're going to try to influence the odds in my favor." She interpreted. He shrugged.
"Then I'll wait until you're done talking to this McGath guy to decide." She stood up before she declared this. She sighed and the smiled returned.
"Request permission to divulge our little secret to select persons." She stated, trying to sarcastically mimic the naval procedure. He smiled.
"Permission granted, I guess. I'll be telling McGath sooner or later. It'll go into your file, and the world will know." He spoke the last four words in feign drama. Her smile broadened again.
Lucas sat down at a chair in the crew mess. He picked at the meager arrangement of food he had selected for himself. He wasn't extremely hungry, but he decided he'd better eat something. He didn't see Terri come through the door behind him. She smiled her trademark smile and walked up behind him. Her hands went over his eyes.
"Guess who?" she whispered softly in his ear. He smiled.
"A girl I can't stand to be away from?" he whispered back. Her hands slid off his eyes and her arms went around his neck. They kissed each other softly and sweetly. She then took the seat next to him.
"Why'd you want to talk captain Hudson?" he asked. She picked at his food with her fingers. Out of the corner of his eye, Lucas could see the crewmembers watching them. Smiling at them.
"Cause he's my father." She replied calmly. He looked at her abruptly. She smiled and popped some food in her mouth. He stared at her deeply, and she held up some food right in front of his lips.
"Open up, come on." She giggled. He smiled, took the food in his mouth and began chewing.
"Your father?" he asked as soon as he swallowed the bite. She nodded. "Seriously?" he affirmed. She nodded again. He sighed.
"It's not gonna interfere with our relationship, is it?" she asked innocently. He looked at her and smiled.
"Of course not." He answered. He leaned over and kissed her softly. He ignored the sounds his mind told him were other crewmembers gossiping about the two young people.
"What do you mean, she's your daughter?" McGath shouted through the vid-link. Hudson had never heard him like this.
"I mean twenty-seven years ago I met a woman and one thing led to another-" He was interrupted when McGath held up his hands.
"I took biology, captain." McGath murmured. Hudson smirked to himself. McGath sighed.
"What do you want for her? A yacht? A million dollars?" he asked outright. Hudson shook his head.
"Far from it. A high rank, big salary and lots of security clearance." He replied with a tiny smile. "That's a little worse, Hudson. I suppose you want her on Seaquest too." McGath retorted.
"Permission to speak frankly?" Hudson asked. McGath smiled.
"You're asking for permission to speak frankly? You must really want this." He was amused. Hudson's eyebrow raised. "Granted, granted. What do you want to say, captain?"
"You owe me for allowing Lieutenant Commander Kimura to stick around. I think this would be a fair repay." Hudson stated.
"I owe you?" McGath enunciated. Hudson nodded a short curt nod.
"Yes sir. I didn't want to replace Fredricks with that icicle of a person, and you forced me to. She's barely fitting in on this crew, and I could use another crewmember, especially one this experienced."
"What experience?"
"She grew up on naval ships. She was at the battle of Raneau, for Christ's sake. She's close friends with Alexander Bourne. Apparently she has a lot of pull with Macronesian vessels." Hudson's blood pressure was rising.
"All right. Calm down, Oliver. I'll tell you what I'll do."
Lucas and Terri sat near the moon bay, chatting to each other and to Darwin. Lieutenant Kimura walk into the room, unnoticed by the two young scientists. She cleared her throat and received their attention.
"Hello. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you yet." Terri exclaimed, staying seated. Lucas stood up in the presence of his superior officer.
"Please, remain seated, ensign." Kimura smiled. He smiled back and sat down. "My name is Lieutenant Commander Heiko Kimura."
"Pleased to meet ya. Terri Meridian."
"I've heard that you were at the battle of Raneau." Kimura directed to Terri. Terri nodded grimly.
"Yeah, that seems to be the topic of the day." She replied. Kimura hesitated.
"Could you tell me what it was like?" she asked slowly.
"Why would you want to know?" came the response.
"I heard there were only four survivors. You're the first I've met. I've lived with the Chaodai since I was a small child. It's a great battle where I come from." Kimura tried to explain.
"Well, the Quest was just running a scan on a reef near the Chaodai border. All of a sudden, Raneau's ship the Confidence came out of nowhere and fired on us. Took out most of our systems with the first shot. Killed the captain straight off. My mother took over command.
"She ordered all hands to escape pods and had the pilot ram into the enemy. In the end, it was just me, mom, the pilot and a junior engineer. What more is there to tell?" Terri exclaimed. Lucas gave her a sorrowful look. She smiled and he smiled back.
"That's quite different than what I was told." Kimura looked shocked.
"You were probably told that Raneau was a great hero." Terri replied. Kimura nodded. "I know what I experienced. I had been on that ship for little over two years. Out of an overall complement of 216, four survived. Two hundred and twelve people died that day, and a hundred and twenty-six on the Chaodai vessel. But of the 212 that died that day on the Quest, 212 were my friends. I personally watched five die before I turned off my eyes and ears to the outside world.
"I don't think my vision is blurred on this incident. Lieutenant, I've told you enough to give me nightmares tonight. I don't know what more you want." Terri concluded. Kimura gave a short nod and turned to leave.
"I'm sorry I'm so harsh, Lieutenant. It's a sensitive issue." Terri called after her. The lieutenant stopped and looked back. She smiled.
"It was a pleasure, Miss. Meridian."
"Likewise, lieutenant."
Lucas pressed up against Terri against the wall in the quarters she'd been assigned. They kissed each other passionately, but were destined to be interrupted. A knock at her door spoiled the mood. They parted and she said the magic words, allowing whoever it was to come in. Captain Hudson opened the door and peered at them.
"Did I come at a bad time?" he asked innocently.
"It's ok. We're used to it." Terri replied. She and Lucas smiled at each other. Hudson knew what it was that passed through their eyes. He had it himself once. In one second, he knew what he didn't know before. In three days, they had fallen in love with each other.
"I talked to Secretary McGath. He gave a deal for you." Hudson started.
"A deal? What's going on?" Lucas asked, confused.
"I'll tell ya later. What'd he say?" Terri asked the captain. He smiled.
"Rank will be Lieutenant. 9 thousand a month. The same clearance as every one else on Seaquest. But you have to pass the test." He replied with a cool smile. She shrugged.
"Why not? I'll take it." she held out her hand and he shook it.
"You mean she's going to outrank me just because she's your daughter?" Lucas whined. Hudson gave Terri a short look, than just smiled and nodded.
"Congratulations lieutenant." Hudson exclaimed. She smiled then looked at Lucas.
"Thanks, dad. But Lucas and I would like to be alone for a few moments." She replied. He felt the 'dad' hit his heart. It wasn't a painful hit, just an unexpected one.
"Sure. Don't do anything I wouldn't approve of." He responded as he turned to walk out of the door. He stopped and looked back. "And your shift starts at, well, the same time as yours, Wolenczak."
With a final smile, Oliver Hudson walked out of his daughter's quarters. He headed back to his quarters, where The Red Badge of Courage and his warm bed waited for him.