Child of a Stargazer
(from the Chronicles Universe)
"The wind blows hard against this mountainside,
across the sea, into my soul.
It reaches into where I cannot hide,
setting my feet upon the road."
-Kyrie, Mr. Mister
"Lieutenant Greyer, report to my office."
Jonathan "Quicksilver" Greyer got up from his station at Ops and walked down the hall to the commander's office. At the door labeled "Commander Stargazer (Private)" he stopped and knocked. "In," called a gruff voice. He opened a door and stepped in.
The office was a scene out of the past. Blinds hung askew in a window, and books were set in dusty shelves. A cobweb stretched between one wall and a light fixture. But Jonathan knew it was all a cover for the sophisticated equipment that the commander didn't choose to look at. He was as much of an anachronism as the office, with rolled sleeves and a loosened collar. But here and there, bits of modern time were apparent, in the metal encasing one hand, and the half-dome partly covering his face. Jonathan stopped in front of the desk and saluted. "You asked to see me, sir?"
"So I did Lieutenant, so I did." He cleared his throat. "I am expecting an officer today from Admin. for a routine inspection today, one Lieutenant A. Starr. He's supposed to be arriving any moment, and I'd like to have you meet him in the hangar and show him the way up here. I'd like to impress the lad a bit. Show him our finest officer."
"Well, sir, I'm sure I'll do my best. Is there anything else I need to know?" Jonathan asked.
"Well, the lad seems to be quite an up-and-comer. Finished the Survival Weekend in record time, and every station inspected so far reports that Starr is on the fast-track to a big chair. Hope he's got the rocks for it." They both chuckled for a moment.
"I'll get right on it, sir," Quick said, and left.
He arrived at the hangar as Seymore's space hack was settling on the landing pad. As he walked over to the cab, a figure emerged, and he was shocked. "A. Starr" was not going to have the rocks to sit in a command chair, but she did have an extremely nice figure. He shook his head and walked over. "Lieutenant Starr?" he asked, although he doubted it could be anyone else.
"The same. And you?" she asked, holding out a hand. Her voice was smooth and low, like fine cigars and old brandy.
He shook her hand. "Lieutenant Jonathan Greyer. At your service."
Lieutenant Aurora Starr smiled. "Just what I need. Maybe you can explain some of the...quaint...customs out here." She was about to continue when thick black smoke from the cab wreathed them both, and they coughed for a moment.
Aurora watched as the cab headed out of the station, and turned to the officer who had met her. "Is there some kind of deficit of meat that would create an illicit market in fish?" she asked.
Jonathan was thrown for a minute, trying to comprehend what she was asking. "Oh, you mean Zeke. No, that's just a thing with him. He offers everyone fish, for purchase or rent with easy terms and no down payment. Did he eat it after you refused?"
"Yes. It lead me to believe he wasn't too serious about the transaction."
"That's Zeke through and through. I guess he wants to make sure no one else wants it first. Can I get your bags?"
"Welcoming committee and porter in one? Are you stretched that thin up here?"
"Just want to help a pretty lady," he replied. "Lift is in the north wall over there." He led the way to the heart of the station.
"Bluegrass to SprintHawk. Come in SprintHawk. Over."
"This is SprintHawk. What's up, Mike? Over," replied Corporal Krysten "Skyedansuer" Barter. From the next console over, Sergeant Emily Hart, "SteelHart," frowned. Skyedansuer was entirely too flighty for a serious mission, even something like routine patrol. She grimaced and returned to her work.
"How's it going out there, SprintHawk? Anything to report? Over."
"No," she said. "It's clean out here. I'm going to take another run by the Light-year Limit, then pack it in. It looks like Mon*star and his gang found someone else to bother today. Over."
"Good to hear." Colonel Michael "Bluegrass" Merino looked conspiratorially from side to side. Only SteelHart was still on duty, and she seemed preoccupied with her own console. "How about we play a little hooky after you get back? We can grab some food from the mess and take five on Bedlama. Over."
"I'll buy that," she replied. "See you in a couple of hours. Out"
Bluegrass started to hum to himself as he wrapped up at his station. Emily glanced over at him, then back at her own work. "Sounds like someone's going to have a good time tonight, hmmmm?" she cooed.
"'Hart, I don't even wanna get into it with ya," Bluegrass said with finality.
"What? Do I have to wait and find out from Will what happened? Was she good, how many times, what are her *special* skills? Men always tell other men these things. I know that," she purred.
"For the last time, I'm not sleeping with her. I have no intention of sleeping with her unless and until we get married, so shut yer damn yap. You ain't got no business pryin' into my life," he snapped.
"Come on, Cowboy...Don't you want something to compare her...talents with, as it were?"
Bluegrass jumped from the chair. "Keep your filthy mind out of my business and yer yap shut, of I'll shut it for ya." He stormed from the room.
Emily smiled to herself. "Ride 'em, Cowboy," she whispered.
"So I understand you're with Administration, Lieutenant. Do they keep you busy there?" Jonathan asked as they walked through the station.
"This is actually my first assignment. I just graduated last week," she replied.
"Really? I understood you were quite a phenomenon, working your way up to command."
"I took every extra training duty I could beg, borrow, or trade for, and I got a reputation for being hard-nosed," she explained.
"Do you like that kind of reputation, or is it something you want to get away from?" he asked.
"I worked hard to be known for being tough. I wouldn't give it up for the world." They stopped outside the commander's office. "Thank you, Lieutenant. Maybe we'll have the chance to talk again later."
"I would greatly enjoy that, Lieutenant. Good luck with the commander. He's a little crusty, but he's the best at his job," Jonathan said.
She smiled distantly, then knocked on the door, and entered. Jonathan waited a moment, then went back to Ops.
Aurora entered the office, walked up to the desk, and saluted. "Lieutenant Starr reporting, Sir."
The commander waved a hand negligently. "At ease, Lieutenant." He looked up from his paperwork. "Good Heavens!" he exclaimed. "Who are you?"
She tilted her head a fraction of an inch. "Lieutenant Aurora Starr. I was ordered to report for a routine inspection. Surely you received a copy of these orders, Sir."
Commander Stargazer blinked. Something about her tugged at his memory, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "Of, course, Lieutenant. I just wasn't expecting, ummm, ahhh, you see..."
"A woman, Sir?" she finished.
"Well, since you said it, no, I wasn't. I thought anyone with your service record would have to be, ahhh, well..." he trailed off again.
"Male?" she finished again. "Let me assure you, Commander, I can do an excellent job. I haven't turned down an assignment or left one incomplete yet, and I'm not about to start now, whether or not you can work with me."
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant. I seem to have underestimated you. Can we begin again?" he asked.
"Certainly, Commander. Many older men find themselves threatened by a young female officer. But I can certainly work around it if you can," she said smiling smugly.
Commander Stargazer decided to let it go by without comment. "So tell me a little about yourself, Lieutenant. Where are you from?" Maybe if he kept her talking, he could pin down what seemed so familiar.
"I'm from San Antonio originally, but I grew up in Frostbite Falls, Montana," she said conversationally. _I hope this gives him a real earful,_ she thought.
The words were almost like a blow. San Antonio and Montana were two places he was very familiar with. His wife was from San Antonio, and their younger daughter had been born there. Frostbite Falls was his hometown, and they had moved there shortly after Aurora's birth. Aurora. He hadn't seen her in 20 years. He tried to recall the toddler he had left behind. Demanding was the only word that came to mind. She had always wanted her own way, and couldn't be put off. She had inherited Carolyn's sweet face, with a will of iron. _Oh, Carolyn. I'm sorry. I should have turned them down. I should have stayed with you and the girls._ He looked again at the young Lieutenant, and suddenly it hit him. She was the image of Carolyn, though with dark hair and eyes. "You know, Lieutenant, you bear an uncanny resemblance to my wife. And my younger daughter must be about your age, although I haven't seen her in years." He continued to stare at her, trying to put the pieces together. "I know you!" he blurted out.
"Do you?" she asked, arching one eyebrow. This revenge would be exceptionally sweet. "I'd imagine you've been here since I was a very little girl. How could you know me, Commander?"
"You're my daughter. My sweet little Aurora. You have to be. You look exactly like my wife, Carolyn," he insisted.
"You mean your ex-wife, don't you? You left her with two small children to chase this obsession. You have no daughter. Not anymore," she hissed viciously.
"What do you mean ex-wife? I couldn't divorce her to save my life. Your mother is the most important thing in the universe to me, and you and your sister are my pride and joy."
"How can you say that?" she breathed. "You ran away, you left us, you never loved us. We needed you, *I* needed you, and you weren't there. Amy DIED and you weren't there. How can you possibly know me when YOU WEREN'T THERE?!" she screamed.
"Little one, please don't be angry with me. I didn't want to go. They would have scrapped the project if I hadn't left. No one else was willing to try it."
"YOU SHOULD HAVE LET THEM SCRAP IT!! YOU SHOULD HAVE SCRAPPED IT YOURSELF!!" She dropped into a chair and passed a hand across her eyes, then continued in a more normal tone. "You threw everything you had into this, and left your family to twist in the wind. How can we be important to you when you weren't around?"
The commander ran a wearily hand down his face. "I was fooling myself. Every time I locked up some criminal, I'd say, 'There's one less evil in my family's world.' I thought I could go back and pick up where I left off, that you wouldn't notice a couple of years. And it turned into 5 years, then ten. Now it's been 20 years, and all I have to show for it is an angry daughter who would just as soon have no father. When did I get so old?" he asked himself.
"Don't try the 'poor old me' routine. I have no interest in your pathetic mouthings designed to gain my sympathy," she snapped.
"I'm not interested in your sympathy, either, young lady, so I'll thank you to keep a civil tongue in your head. I'm sorry to see that a daughter of mine is such a cold-hearted wench," he snapped back.
"I told you before. I'm NOT your daughter."
"What a pity that you have no choice in the matter, child." He passed a weary hand across his face. "What do you want? It can't be money. I always sent your mother more than enough. Although you've lost your trust fund by attending the Academy. Maybe that is all you want."
"I wouldn't touch your filthy lucre to save my life. And although it's none of your business, my financial situation is more than adequate. My fiancé left me more than enough property to last me quite a while. And I'm on the fast-track to command, remember? I know it pays very well. So no, you can't buy me off," she said smugly.
"My job, then. Well, I can just save you the trouble of getting me fired and retire. It's really no hardship. I can return to Montana and we can try to put this family back together."
"Please rest assured that if you return to Montana, I will never so much as pass through that state. I want to know why you abandoned us," she revealed, and began to sniffle.
_She's not so cold after all,_ Stargazer thought. _It was one hell of a good show, though,_ he considered with pride. "I thought I was protecting you," he said dejectedly. "All of you. And I guess I was wrong." He waited a moment as she wiped her eyes. "So, where do we go from here?" he asked.
"I do my job and go on." she replied, wadding her tissue and throwing it away.
"Well, I still want my daughter, even if she doesn't want her father," he said softly.
Aurora considered for a moment. "I'll have to give it some thought," she finally said.
"I guess I can live with that, at least for now. Quicksilver will assign you some quarters, and my staff is at your convenience. I really hope we can work this out, but if you really want nothing to do with me, I'll find some way to live with it."
"We shall see, Commander," she said, rising. Aurora saluted and left. Commander Stargazer sank into his chair and dropped his head into his hands.
Bluegrass waited for the SprintHawk in the hangar. He watched as it settled on the landing pad and powered down. The hatch popped open and he brought the boarding ladder out. A lavender-armored woman with chestnut hair popped out and scrambled down to the floor. She threw herself into Bluegrass's arms and hugged him fiercely. He indulged her affection for a moment, then pulled free. "Come on, Krys," he protested. "I don't want anyone gettin' the wrong idea 'bout us. If the big wigs get a whiff of anythin' happenin' they'll split us up faster 'n two tens at a blackjack table. An' that inspector from the Academy is here. She's supposed to be one heck of a hard case, to boot. We can't afford any slips now."
Krysten smiled brightly. "Well, I'm due for a couple of days R&R. What about you?" she asked.
"I'm clear unless the lady inspector wants a ride somewhere. Why?"
"Well, if we aren't here, then we can't get caught in anything, right?"
"I see where you're goin' but I'm not sure I like it. If we get caught takin' a vacation together, we'll be in ever more hot water then if we got caught kissin' in a dark corner." He saw her eyes light up at that. "Don't even think about it. I like your job too much to get you into that kinda trouble," he said sternly.
Krysten's face became calculating. "Is it really our fault if we happen to be in the same place at the same time? I mean, if you and Will had leave at the same time, wouldn't you get together and raise a little hell?"
"Watch your language," he said routinely. Breaking Krysten of swearing was quite a trial.
"Okay, fine. Raise Cain, all right?" He nodded. Krysten went on. "Then you might get a slap on the wrist and told to cover the damages. So if we happen to be taking a break on Bedlama, and see a few sights together, who is really going to care? And if we just happened to run into each other at the resort...?"
Bluegrass could see several holes in her logic, but when Krysten wanted something, she was like a dog with a bone. Well, if she wanted a tourist weekend on Bedlama, who was he to say no?. He could keep it innocent enough, separate rooms, different floors, and he knew he really couldn't deny her anything. "Okay, we'll take a little trip, but we do it my way. Separate rooms, and plenty of public places, okay.?"
She pecked him quickly on the cheek. "Whatever you say, Bluey," she agreed, smiling winsomly.
He checked his wrist-chronometer. "You have 15 minutes to get whatever you want to bring together and get back here. And for Heaven's sake, avoid the inspector."
She raced off without a word.
Bluegrass stared after her. _I hope I'm not makin' a mistake,_ he thought.
She was back in the hangar with her overnight bag and two minutes to spare. He loaded it into the cramped cargo compartment with his bag and a wicker picnic basket. Then he helped Krysten into the passenger seat and jumped into the pilot's chair. "All secure back there?" he asked.
"Locked in and ready to go," she replied happily.
"Then hold on. We're takin' the scenic route," he announced, and engaged the engines. They rocketed down the tunnel and out the portal to space. Krysten let out a squeal as Bluegrass put the SprintHawk through a series of barrel rolls. "Hang on, honey, we're not done yet," he called, straightening the ship out. He reversed direction on the rolls, and squealed again. "Well," he said, "it's such a short trip, I had to do something to make it interesting." He slowed through Bedlama's atmosphere, and landed in a grassy area outside the capital city. He popped the hatch, climbed out, then helped Skyedansuer down to the verdant meadow. "Will this due for lunch?" he asked.
"Very well," she replied, looking around. They were on a slight rise, and the city sprawled out below them a few hundred meters away, along a crescent of white sand and clean blue water. "I didn't know there was a beach here," she said in awe. "I would have brought my suit."
"Will'd have a fit if he had to spend a day diggin' sand outta your joints," Bluegrass reminded her.
"Oh, yeah," Krys said. "The armor. Well, it was a fun daydream while it lasted. Maybe we can come back sometime without the monkey suits."
"Maybe," Michael agreed dubiously. A fully flesh-and-blood Krysten was a bit too tempting even to think about. He turned back to the ship and dug out the hamper. "So, what about we get set down and have some grub?"
She agreed, and they spread a blanket and settled down to eat.
After lunch, Bluegrass stretched out on his back and dropped his hat over his face. "I don' know about you, but I feel like forty winks before we try to tackle anythin' else," he said, his voice muffled.
Krysten stretched out next to him on her belly, pillowing her chin on her arms, and stared out to sea until she, too, drifted off. Neither was disturbed by the roar of an engine far overhead, nor did they hear the footsteps approaching their position.
"Well, look what we have here," sneered Hardware. "Sleeping SilverHawks. Get over here, you cowards. They can't hurt you if they're asleep." Melodia and Pokerface came a little closer. "What are we going to do to him?" she asked shrilly.
"Not too much. He's helpless without his Lazer'Tar. She's another matter entirely. We have to put a fix on some of her more exotic tricks," he said, slipping a metal band carefully over her head. He cut the strap to Bluegrass's instrument, lifted it away carefully, and threw it to Melodia. "Here. Don't say I never gave ya nothin'."
She caught it with more luck than skill, and plucked a couple of experimental chords. They raced away, creating havoc across the country-side. The noise roused Krysten a bit, and she slowly blinked awake, to find herself staring straight at Hardware's feet. She managed to nudge Michael enough to wake him before the cold muzzle of an energy-pistol was pressed against her temple. She rose slowly along with Bluegrass, and they stood, back to back, and surrounded by mobsters.
"Y'all must be pretty dumb to try a stunt like this so close to HawkHaven. Are you that interested in a turn in the pokey?" Bluegrass blustered. He knew he wouldn't get a chance to reach his communicator, but if Krysten could get through telepathically, all they had to do was hold out for a few minutes at most. He waited to feel the familiar sensation of Krysten broadcasting a message to all SilverHawks, but there was nothing. Then the air in front of him started to blur, then cleared, but nothing had changed. "What's wrong?" he asked tensely over his shoulder.
"I don't know. I can't reach my empathic abilities." She raised a hand to her head, touching the strange headband. Both her head and hand received a stinging shock. "Ouch!" she cried.
"The voltage will double each time you touch it," Hardware said clinically. "The fourth one should knock you on you little birdie butt, so I'd use 'em sparingly, ya know?" He cackled evilly, rubbing his broad palms together.
"Shit," Krysten said under her breath, and for once, Michael didn't correct her. The cause was definitely sufficient.
"I think were 'bout down to one choice," he said over his shoulder at Krysten.
"What?" she asked.
"Surrender," he replied, raising his hands. It was the last thing either of them could remember for some time.
The mobsters bundled them into their vehicles and blasted off for Brimmstar with the SprintHawk in tow.
Aurora lay on the bed in the guest quarters and stared at the ceiling, trying to decide what to do regarding her father. She started to ramble, addressing the remarks to her late boyfriend, a habit when she was feeling doubtful. "Well, Steven, I got this far. I met the man; I talked with him; I tried to get the poison out of my system, like you used to say. So what do I do now? He says he still wants a daughter, even if I don't want a father. The problem is, I'm not sure if I want a father or not. He can't make up what I've lost without him, but I'll just keep losing more and more if I don't do something. I wish you were alive, still," she said, tears running out the corners of her eyes. "This is one of those days I need your strength to lean on, and all I can do is be strong for myself. Anyway, what do I do? Do I let him in, or do I leave the old man to twist in the wind the way he left me." She was silent a moment, contemplating faster than coherent thought. "I've gained nothing if I don't try, right? And if I do try and it doesn't work, then I gave it a shot, and I wasn't meant to have a father. I guess I can live with it," she said as her eyes drifted shut.
Krysten awoke with a stabbing pain in her head. She reached up to touch it and found that her hands were chained, as well as her feet. She slid down the wall to sit, and found that her chains stopped her just short of resting. Wearily, she pushed herself back up and looked across the cell at Bluegrass. He was still unconscious, head drooped forward, and hanging against his chains.
"Michael!" she called out softly, trying not to attract attention from outside the cell. He stirred a little in his restraints, but didn't respond.
"Michael!" she shouted, more loudly this time. This drew attention from outside, and someone pounded on the door.
"Shaddup in there!" came Hardware's shout, then he continued in a more normal tone of voice. "They're awake, boss. Or at least one of them is. We can go ahead whenever you're ready."
Krysten heard the voice that responded, and her heart sank.
"Very good, Hardware," replied Mon*star. "Why don't you light up our little prizes, and we'll see what they're worth." A bright light illuminated the room, and Krysten winced in pain. Then she heard Mon*star start to speak again.
"All personnel to Ops, on the double!" Commander Stargazer's order echoed through the station. Feet came pounding from all parts of the station, and Stargazer was pleased to see that Aurora had responded to his summons, as well. "Incoming message," he said tersely as they assembled.
"Stargazer," Mon*star growled from the screen, that hate plain to see on his face, as well as glee, with lines of static rolling through his image. "I have something of yours, something I think you'll want back." The screen blanked for a minute, then the static was replaced by a picture of Skyedansuer and Bluegrass, chained to a wall. Melodia stood in the cell with them, and yanked on Krysten's hair to expose her face.
"Commander," Skye yelled. "Whatever he says, don't do it! You can't-" Her face was replaced by Mon*star's gloating one.
"Well, Stargazer. Now you know what I have. I want access to the Bank of Dolar. Once I have what I want, I'll tell you how you can get what you want. You have one hour." His image faded, and Stargazer shut off the communicator.
"Options, people?" he asked.
"Signal's coming from Brimmstar," SteelHart said. "No way we can break them out of there."
"Maybe a split offense," Will suggested. "We can cover Dolar to get Mon*star and Brimmstar to rescue Skye and the Cowboy."
"A good plan, Sergeant, but we don't have enough personnel to pull it off," the commander replied. He looked over at his daughter, who stood out in her blue uniform. "Well, Lieutenant, what's the regulation on this?"
"Fill out the requisite reports and request two new personnel for the station. Terrorists cannot be catered to." The others stared at her in disbelief. "I'm sorry about the loss of life, too, but these are the rules. If you don't like it, talk to him," she said, indicating her father, then marched out of the room. The group stare shifted from her to the commander.
"It's a lot different in the field than in your den, that's all I'll say. And I wouldn't write off Skyedansuer and the Colonel just yet. Together, they just might be resourceful enough to get themselves out of this."
Skyedansuer heard the cell door slam shut after Melodia, and the light in the cell dimmed considerably, but didn't go out altogether. She glanced at Bluegrass, who was stirring more in his restraints. "Michael!" she whispered urgently. He looked up blearily for a second, then his head dropped forward again. "Well, it was an improvement," she said to herself. She ran an internal diagnostic, trying to assess the damage that had been done, blessing the strange fusion of metal alloy and mortal flesh that told her much more than "it hurts here." Her shoulder and arm jets were out of order; she could see that much from dents in her plating where they had been hit and disabled, and every time she tried to access her telepathic abilities, the ache in her head intensified. "Michael," she whispered even more urgently, "snap out of it!" His head rolled up and he blinked his eyes open.
"Where are we?" he asked, voice blurring just a bit.
"Brimmstar," she replied succinctly. "You remember Bedlama? Getting captured?" He nodded. "Well, this is the next phase in a hostage situation. Mon*star wants to trade us for access to Dolar. We have an hour to get out of here before it happens. If the commander doesn't deal, and I'd bet that he won't, we'll have to be killed as an object lesson, or at least one of us. Frankly, that doesn't appeal to me."
"Me either, kiddo. Me either. So what do you want to do?"
"I'm not sure. My lasers are all knocked out, and I still can't teleport. What have you got on-board?"
"Enough nav charts to choke a horse. I'm not built for combat, Sweetie, not on my own at least. I'd need Hot Licks to pull off anything at the very least. What about your heels?"
"What about them? They're maneuvering jets, not-" she broke off, seeing where his thoughts were going. "You're brilliant. I may be able to tune them to a laser frequency. Give me a minute." She ran her diagnostic program again, focusing on the jets built into the heels on her plating. "They're on-line," she said, her head tilting a fraction of an inch as information poured into her mind from the armor interface. "Okay, I'm going to engage them." There was a hiss from near the floor, and she rose several inches, to the limit the chains would allow.
"Looks like we're on the right track," Bluegrass said as she hovered.
"Quiet," she snapped, unnaturally sharp. "This isn't easy." She frowned, concentrating, and the discharge from her heels sharpened and focused, and she settled to the floor. "Okay, here we go. Let's see if I can reach anything with these." She lifted one foot experimentally, and after much swearing which Bluegrass studiously ignored, she succeeded in freeing her left foot. She quickly went to work on her right, then kicked her feet up, one at a time, to hold them just under the chains to the wrist restraints. Once free, she quickly went to work in Michael's bonds. As she worked on his wrist, her internal sensor warning went off. "Damn," she whispered.
"What?" he asked, urgency creeping into his tone.
"My power supply is dwindling fast. This takes a lot of power." As she said it, her jets sputtered and failed, just as the chain broke loose.
"Damn," Bluegrass echoed. "Oh, well. Time for plan 'B,' I guess."
"What's plan 'B?'" Krysten asked hopefully.
"I'm not sure yet," he replied. "Give me a minute."
Aurora knocked softly on her father's door, then slipped inside. He was behind the desk, staring out at the stars, and turned as she approached. "How's your inspection going?" he asked. "Are my recruits being helpful enough?"
"That's not why I'm here, really," she replied. "May I sit?"
"Certainly. Make yourself at home," he said, a bit startled by her cordiality.
"Are you really going to let those people sacrifice themselves for nothing?" she asked bluntly.
Stargazer sighed. "I haven't given up hope that they will return, if that's what you're asking."
"It is not. Are you going to let your team sit and do nothing, and watch an experienced pilot and a kid who shouldn't even be here buy it for the sake of your regulations?"
"That's what I wrote, isn't it? 'No terrorist will be given credence, nor will his or her demands be met. Civilian hostages will be rescued if at all possible.' I never wrote anything about military hostages"
"Why not?" she asked pointedly.
"I was a very different person, sitting in my den at midnight, writing the plans for this division. I wanted experienced troops, who knew the risks, and were willing to make sacrifices when necessary. Now, I get my pick of college kids who half the time haven't even been off-planet. I was naive in my expectations, and now, I'm going to pay the price. And weren't you in favor of writing them off, and requesting replacements?"
"I'm a hard-assed inspector. It's what people expect. The policing authority can't recommend breaking the law." She was silent for a moment, then was more subdued. "And you're right. It's not the same here. Things often look different on Earth, and then you get here, and it's not what it seemed. That's the other thing I wanted to see you about. I'm going to recommend that you have a liaison officer posted here."
"What in the known universe is a liaison officer? I never wrote any specs for that."
"Just what it sounds like. Someone who negotiates what Earth wants with what will work here. The idea is to create a happy medium, where everyone gets a little of what they want. It's not a big deal, really. You'd probably get one eventually, anyway. This just puts you on the top of the list. Other than that, there's not much that will change. I'm going to advise that you get some tech updates, also, but they are all positive improvements, so it shouldn't hurt too bad."
"So you're about done, then?" he asked, a bit of sadness in his voice.
"Yes. As soon as there is a pilot available, I'm leaving. My new orders should be coming through any time today or tomorrow morning."
"What about us?" he pressed. "I was hoping we could be a family again."
"I know, and I wanted to try, but it would be like having a long-distance love affair. There would be calls and letters all the time, then they would dribble off, and we would still be where we are now. I'm sorry, Commander. For what it's worth, I do appreciate the offer, now that I've had a chance to think about it. But it can't work." She got up and quietly left, and Stargazer returned to staring out the window, letting one tear slip down his cheek.
"Bluegrass, we're running out of time. What is plan 'B?'"
Bluegrass thought a second longer. "Could you remove this thing if you could use your telepathic abilities?"
Skyedansuer considered a moment. "I don't know. Maybe." She examined the manacle around his wrist. "I don't think I can pick the lock. I'd need to be able to see it. I might be able to pull the pin out of the hinge. But I can't use my abilities. This thing Hardware put on me is blocking them, and every time I try to pull it off, my headache gets worse."
"What if I pulled it off?" Bluegrass asked.
"I don't imagine it would feel any better, but you might be able to do it. At this point, I don't think we have much of a choice. Do it," she said, lowering her head. Michael grasped the band, and Krysten howled, then slumped to the floor, unconscious. But the metal band hung in Michael's hand, sparking a bit in the dim light. He twisted it between his hand until it crackled, and with a pop, blew out all together. He tossed it into a corner to smolder and knelt next to Krysten, his right hand still attached to the wall by a short chain. He stroked her hair with his left.
"Come on, Honey. We don't have any time for you to take a nap now. You've gotta wake up and keep going. We can't let Mon*star use us as leverage." She moaned a bit and stirred. "Good girl. Come on, you're gettin' there." She managed to force her eyes open and look at him.
"Okay, that really hurt," she murmured.
"You did good, Skye. But we ain't got no time to waste. Can you get this thing open now?" he asked, shaking the chain.
"Yeah, I think so. I just need a minute to get my head together, as it were." She stood up, a little wobbly on her feet. "Let me see it," she said. She wrapped her hands around the shackle and closed her eyes a moment. Michael felt it grow warm, then hot, and bit back a yelp as the heat became painful. Then, with a pop, it sprang open to reveal his chaffed and singed wrist. Krysten opened her eyes to see the result and gasped.
"Oh, God, I'm sorry, Michael. It wasn't supposed to do that. I must still be messed up from the device."
"I'm not mad. It'll heal, and we can get out now. I imagine it will feel about 100 percent better once we get to the other side of that door. Do you want to try the same thing on it?" he asked.
"No way. We don't need to be trapped in here with a raging inferno."
"Not a problem," Bluegrass said, moving to the back of the room. "We'll just use old-fashion brute force. Wish Will was here. We could use him now."
"I wish we were where he is," Krysten said, moving to the back to the room to join him. "On three?" she asked.
Bluegrass nodded. "One..."
"Two..." she said.
"Three!" the shouted together, barreling for the door. They crashed into it, shoulders first, and heard some very satisfying snapping noises.
"Well, we're on the right track, anyway," Michael grumbled, rubbing his shoulder. "Let's keep at it." They pounded on the door again and again, each time hearing more cracking and groaning from the dry wood. "One more," Michael gasped. They staggered to the back of the room, caught a breath, then, with a determined look, charged the door once more. The old wood finally gave, and they found themselves on top of it, surrounded by a cloud of dust. Michael staggered to his feet and pulled Krysten up. They were along in a dark hallway that stretched away to the right and left. To the left, all was pitch dark, but dim light shone from the right, wanly illuminating a staircase. "Up and out," he said, pulling Skyedansuer with him.
They crept through the upper hall, on the lookout for Mobsters, but encountered no one. "This is bad," Krysten whispered. "It shouldn't be this easy."
Michael nodded. "Just keep quiet, and we'll find the SprintHawk and leave." They crept up to an open doorway.
"I'll check it out," Krysten whispered. "Wait here." She slipped away before Michael could stop her. He cursed silently until she reappeared silently before him. "Here," she said, pulling something out from behind her back and handing it to him. It was his Lazer'Tar. "That's Melodia's room," she said, jerking her thumb back over her shoulder. "She's not there, so I was able to grab that and get a quick look at the layout for this place. The SprintHawk should be this way," she said, pulling him to a corridor on the right. They stole down it, coming within earshot of Mon*star's throne room, where chaos seemed to reign. They stole past on silent feet, and found themselves in the hangar. They scurried to the SprintHawk, and Bluegrass helped Skyedansuer into the cabin. He was climbing the ladder when he heard a gasp from the doorway. He glanced back over his shoulder to see Yes-man, hands waving and tail writhing. "Start the pre-flight, we've been spotted!" he shouted, jumping into the pilot's seat and slamming the canopy.
"Boss, Boss!" yelled Yes-man. "It's the SilverHawks. They're getting away! Stop, SilverHawks, stop!"
Michael keyed the controls and blasted off, the force throwing Skye and him against the seatbacks.
"Go, you fools!" cried Mon*star. "Stop them! Bring them down! I want their lifeless corpses at my feet! Begin the transformation!"
Bluegrass raced the SprintHawk toward HawkHaven, taking advantage of every second's worth of lead on their pursuers.
"Radio's out!" Krysten called from the back. "I can't raise the station."
"We'll find some way to let them know, just hang in there," Bluegrass called back. He barrel-rolled around a line of strafing fire, then looped around to get in behind the firing ship. A few shots from the cannon sent Hardware and Buzzsaw lopping off into the dark galaxy, and Bluegrass threw more power into the engines. A shining light flew in closer, and they cheered. Somehow, Tallyhawk had locked in on their location and found them. They could see his relay beam stretching away across the sky, and relaxed. HawkHaven would soon know they were alive.
"They're alive!" shouted the commander, bursting out of his office. "Tallyhawk found them and is leading them back. Radio seems to be out on the SprintHawk, but they don't look too awful for a pair of escaped prisoners." He disappeared back into his office, chuckling. "I knew they'd make it."
Aurora went to the commander's office the next morning at his request. "What can I do for you, Commander?" she asked after knocking.
"I have your new orders from HQ. They just came across a few minutes ago." He handed her a packet of papers, still warm from the fax machine.
"Do you mind if I read them here?" she asked.
"Not at all," he said, shaking his head. He took a sip of coffee and watched her reaction. His morning dispatches had contained a reference to her orders, and he knew their contents.
Aurora scanned the lines quickly, taking in the acknowledgment of her report, with commendations for speed, and then stopped after the new directive. "This can't be correct," she murmured to herself.
"It is correct."
She looked up. "Excuse me?"
"The orders are correct, Lieutenant Stargazer." He sighed. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked sadly.
"I wasn't sure I wanted you to know. I wanted to make you figure it out, and if you couldn't, you couldn't. But that doesn't explain these new orders. I was told the Angel Cluster would be my next assignment. And how do you know it's correct?"
The commander shrugged. "I'm getting a new liaison officer. Why wouldn't they tell me? Looks like we're going to get that time together, after all. Do you still want to go on like we are?" he asked.
"I suppose I can try, if you can," she answered. "What about your crew? Are you going to tell them?" she asked.
"I'd like to. They're bound to ask questions if I don't. Would you mind?"
Aurora thought about it. "No. I wouldn't mind It might be nice to be someone's daughter again." She smiled. "I don't want to find myself grounded, though."
Stargazer smiled. "I think we can manage without that. Come on. Let's introduce you to the rest of the crew properly."
The SilverHawks were assembled in Ops when Commander Stargazer appeared with Aurora. He cleared his throat, then addressed the crew. "Everyone, this is our newest officer, Lieutenant Aurora Stargazer, who is filling the new position of Liaison officer. She is an exceptional student, the top graduate in this year's class, and I have the distinct pleasure and honor of being her father." There was a ripple of excited murmuring through those assembled. The commander caught sight of Krysten's broad grin. "Corporal Skyedansuer, I'm assigning you to help facilitate the lieutenant's transfer." He turned to Aurora. "I'll see you later about having your things brought up, okay?"
Aurora smiled. "That'll be fine. Thank you...Dad." She hugged him tentatively, and he returned it.
"Go on, now," he whispered in her ear. "I love you, Aurora."
*THE END*
Silverhawks(tm) and all related characters, places, and names are property of Rankin-Bass and Lorimar Telepictures. USED WITHOUT PERMISSION. THIS STORY IS NOT FOR SALE OR PUBLICATION, AND IS NOT INTENDED TO CONSTITUTE AN INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHTS OR AN ACT OF PLAGIARISM. Original story (c)Copyright 1998 Marianne Shade. Aurora Stargazer is the sole property of Marianne Shade. Krysten Barter (Skyedansuer) is the property of Melissa McCook, and is used with permission.
(from the Chronicles Universe)
"The wind blows hard against this mountainside,
across the sea, into my soul.
It reaches into where I cannot hide,
setting my feet upon the road."
-Kyrie, Mr. Mister
"Lieutenant Greyer, report to my office."
Jonathan "Quicksilver" Greyer got up from his station at Ops and walked down the hall to the commander's office. At the door labeled "Commander Stargazer (Private)" he stopped and knocked. "In," called a gruff voice. He opened a door and stepped in.
The office was a scene out of the past. Blinds hung askew in a window, and books were set in dusty shelves. A cobweb stretched between one wall and a light fixture. But Jonathan knew it was all a cover for the sophisticated equipment that the commander didn't choose to look at. He was as much of an anachronism as the office, with rolled sleeves and a loosened collar. But here and there, bits of modern time were apparent, in the metal encasing one hand, and the half-dome partly covering his face. Jonathan stopped in front of the desk and saluted. "You asked to see me, sir?"
"So I did Lieutenant, so I did." He cleared his throat. "I am expecting an officer today from Admin. for a routine inspection today, one Lieutenant A. Starr. He's supposed to be arriving any moment, and I'd like to have you meet him in the hangar and show him the way up here. I'd like to impress the lad a bit. Show him our finest officer."
"Well, sir, I'm sure I'll do my best. Is there anything else I need to know?" Jonathan asked.
"Well, the lad seems to be quite an up-and-comer. Finished the Survival Weekend in record time, and every station inspected so far reports that Starr is on the fast-track to a big chair. Hope he's got the rocks for it." They both chuckled for a moment.
"I'll get right on it, sir," Quick said, and left.
He arrived at the hangar as Seymore's space hack was settling on the landing pad. As he walked over to the cab, a figure emerged, and he was shocked. "A. Starr" was not going to have the rocks to sit in a command chair, but she did have an extremely nice figure. He shook his head and walked over. "Lieutenant Starr?" he asked, although he doubted it could be anyone else.
"The same. And you?" she asked, holding out a hand. Her voice was smooth and low, like fine cigars and old brandy.
He shook her hand. "Lieutenant Jonathan Greyer. At your service."
Lieutenant Aurora Starr smiled. "Just what I need. Maybe you can explain some of the...quaint...customs out here." She was about to continue when thick black smoke from the cab wreathed them both, and they coughed for a moment.
Aurora watched as the cab headed out of the station, and turned to the officer who had met her. "Is there some kind of deficit of meat that would create an illicit market in fish?" she asked.
Jonathan was thrown for a minute, trying to comprehend what she was asking. "Oh, you mean Zeke. No, that's just a thing with him. He offers everyone fish, for purchase or rent with easy terms and no down payment. Did he eat it after you refused?"
"Yes. It lead me to believe he wasn't too serious about the transaction."
"That's Zeke through and through. I guess he wants to make sure no one else wants it first. Can I get your bags?"
"Welcoming committee and porter in one? Are you stretched that thin up here?"
"Just want to help a pretty lady," he replied. "Lift is in the north wall over there." He led the way to the heart of the station.
"Bluegrass to SprintHawk. Come in SprintHawk. Over."
"This is SprintHawk. What's up, Mike? Over," replied Corporal Krysten "Skyedansuer" Barter. From the next console over, Sergeant Emily Hart, "SteelHart," frowned. Skyedansuer was entirely too flighty for a serious mission, even something like routine patrol. She grimaced and returned to her work.
"How's it going out there, SprintHawk? Anything to report? Over."
"No," she said. "It's clean out here. I'm going to take another run by the Light-year Limit, then pack it in. It looks like Mon*star and his gang found someone else to bother today. Over."
"Good to hear." Colonel Michael "Bluegrass" Merino looked conspiratorially from side to side. Only SteelHart was still on duty, and she seemed preoccupied with her own console. "How about we play a little hooky after you get back? We can grab some food from the mess and take five on Bedlama. Over."
"I'll buy that," she replied. "See you in a couple of hours. Out"
Bluegrass started to hum to himself as he wrapped up at his station. Emily glanced over at him, then back at her own work. "Sounds like someone's going to have a good time tonight, hmmmm?" she cooed.
"'Hart, I don't even wanna get into it with ya," Bluegrass said with finality.
"What? Do I have to wait and find out from Will what happened? Was she good, how many times, what are her *special* skills? Men always tell other men these things. I know that," she purred.
"For the last time, I'm not sleeping with her. I have no intention of sleeping with her unless and until we get married, so shut yer damn yap. You ain't got no business pryin' into my life," he snapped.
"Come on, Cowboy...Don't you want something to compare her...talents with, as it were?"
Bluegrass jumped from the chair. "Keep your filthy mind out of my business and yer yap shut, of I'll shut it for ya." He stormed from the room.
Emily smiled to herself. "Ride 'em, Cowboy," she whispered.
"So I understand you're with Administration, Lieutenant. Do they keep you busy there?" Jonathan asked as they walked through the station.
"This is actually my first assignment. I just graduated last week," she replied.
"Really? I understood you were quite a phenomenon, working your way up to command."
"I took every extra training duty I could beg, borrow, or trade for, and I got a reputation for being hard-nosed," she explained.
"Do you like that kind of reputation, or is it something you want to get away from?" he asked.
"I worked hard to be known for being tough. I wouldn't give it up for the world." They stopped outside the commander's office. "Thank you, Lieutenant. Maybe we'll have the chance to talk again later."
"I would greatly enjoy that, Lieutenant. Good luck with the commander. He's a little crusty, but he's the best at his job," Jonathan said.
She smiled distantly, then knocked on the door, and entered. Jonathan waited a moment, then went back to Ops.
Aurora entered the office, walked up to the desk, and saluted. "Lieutenant Starr reporting, Sir."
The commander waved a hand negligently. "At ease, Lieutenant." He looked up from his paperwork. "Good Heavens!" he exclaimed. "Who are you?"
She tilted her head a fraction of an inch. "Lieutenant Aurora Starr. I was ordered to report for a routine inspection. Surely you received a copy of these orders, Sir."
Commander Stargazer blinked. Something about her tugged at his memory, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "Of, course, Lieutenant. I just wasn't expecting, ummm, ahhh, you see..."
"A woman, Sir?" she finished.
"Well, since you said it, no, I wasn't. I thought anyone with your service record would have to be, ahhh, well..." he trailed off again.
"Male?" she finished again. "Let me assure you, Commander, I can do an excellent job. I haven't turned down an assignment or left one incomplete yet, and I'm not about to start now, whether or not you can work with me."
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant. I seem to have underestimated you. Can we begin again?" he asked.
"Certainly, Commander. Many older men find themselves threatened by a young female officer. But I can certainly work around it if you can," she said smiling smugly.
Commander Stargazer decided to let it go by without comment. "So tell me a little about yourself, Lieutenant. Where are you from?" Maybe if he kept her talking, he could pin down what seemed so familiar.
"I'm from San Antonio originally, but I grew up in Frostbite Falls, Montana," she said conversationally. _I hope this gives him a real earful,_ she thought.
The words were almost like a blow. San Antonio and Montana were two places he was very familiar with. His wife was from San Antonio, and their younger daughter had been born there. Frostbite Falls was his hometown, and they had moved there shortly after Aurora's birth. Aurora. He hadn't seen her in 20 years. He tried to recall the toddler he had left behind. Demanding was the only word that came to mind. She had always wanted her own way, and couldn't be put off. She had inherited Carolyn's sweet face, with a will of iron. _Oh, Carolyn. I'm sorry. I should have turned them down. I should have stayed with you and the girls._ He looked again at the young Lieutenant, and suddenly it hit him. She was the image of Carolyn, though with dark hair and eyes. "You know, Lieutenant, you bear an uncanny resemblance to my wife. And my younger daughter must be about your age, although I haven't seen her in years." He continued to stare at her, trying to put the pieces together. "I know you!" he blurted out.
"Do you?" she asked, arching one eyebrow. This revenge would be exceptionally sweet. "I'd imagine you've been here since I was a very little girl. How could you know me, Commander?"
"You're my daughter. My sweet little Aurora. You have to be. You look exactly like my wife, Carolyn," he insisted.
"You mean your ex-wife, don't you? You left her with two small children to chase this obsession. You have no daughter. Not anymore," she hissed viciously.
"What do you mean ex-wife? I couldn't divorce her to save my life. Your mother is the most important thing in the universe to me, and you and your sister are my pride and joy."
"How can you say that?" she breathed. "You ran away, you left us, you never loved us. We needed you, *I* needed you, and you weren't there. Amy DIED and you weren't there. How can you possibly know me when YOU WEREN'T THERE?!" she screamed.
"Little one, please don't be angry with me. I didn't want to go. They would have scrapped the project if I hadn't left. No one else was willing to try it."
"YOU SHOULD HAVE LET THEM SCRAP IT!! YOU SHOULD HAVE SCRAPPED IT YOURSELF!!" She dropped into a chair and passed a hand across her eyes, then continued in a more normal tone. "You threw everything you had into this, and left your family to twist in the wind. How can we be important to you when you weren't around?"
The commander ran a wearily hand down his face. "I was fooling myself. Every time I locked up some criminal, I'd say, 'There's one less evil in my family's world.' I thought I could go back and pick up where I left off, that you wouldn't notice a couple of years. And it turned into 5 years, then ten. Now it's been 20 years, and all I have to show for it is an angry daughter who would just as soon have no father. When did I get so old?" he asked himself.
"Don't try the 'poor old me' routine. I have no interest in your pathetic mouthings designed to gain my sympathy," she snapped.
"I'm not interested in your sympathy, either, young lady, so I'll thank you to keep a civil tongue in your head. I'm sorry to see that a daughter of mine is such a cold-hearted wench," he snapped back.
"I told you before. I'm NOT your daughter."
"What a pity that you have no choice in the matter, child." He passed a weary hand across his face. "What do you want? It can't be money. I always sent your mother more than enough. Although you've lost your trust fund by attending the Academy. Maybe that is all you want."
"I wouldn't touch your filthy lucre to save my life. And although it's none of your business, my financial situation is more than adequate. My fiancé left me more than enough property to last me quite a while. And I'm on the fast-track to command, remember? I know it pays very well. So no, you can't buy me off," she said smugly.
"My job, then. Well, I can just save you the trouble of getting me fired and retire. It's really no hardship. I can return to Montana and we can try to put this family back together."
"Please rest assured that if you return to Montana, I will never so much as pass through that state. I want to know why you abandoned us," she revealed, and began to sniffle.
_She's not so cold after all,_ Stargazer thought. _It was one hell of a good show, though,_ he considered with pride. "I thought I was protecting you," he said dejectedly. "All of you. And I guess I was wrong." He waited a moment as she wiped her eyes. "So, where do we go from here?" he asked.
"I do my job and go on." she replied, wadding her tissue and throwing it away.
"Well, I still want my daughter, even if she doesn't want her father," he said softly.
Aurora considered for a moment. "I'll have to give it some thought," she finally said.
"I guess I can live with that, at least for now. Quicksilver will assign you some quarters, and my staff is at your convenience. I really hope we can work this out, but if you really want nothing to do with me, I'll find some way to live with it."
"We shall see, Commander," she said, rising. Aurora saluted and left. Commander Stargazer sank into his chair and dropped his head into his hands.
Bluegrass waited for the SprintHawk in the hangar. He watched as it settled on the landing pad and powered down. The hatch popped open and he brought the boarding ladder out. A lavender-armored woman with chestnut hair popped out and scrambled down to the floor. She threw herself into Bluegrass's arms and hugged him fiercely. He indulged her affection for a moment, then pulled free. "Come on, Krys," he protested. "I don't want anyone gettin' the wrong idea 'bout us. If the big wigs get a whiff of anythin' happenin' they'll split us up faster 'n two tens at a blackjack table. An' that inspector from the Academy is here. She's supposed to be one heck of a hard case, to boot. We can't afford any slips now."
Krysten smiled brightly. "Well, I'm due for a couple of days R&R. What about you?" she asked.
"I'm clear unless the lady inspector wants a ride somewhere. Why?"
"Well, if we aren't here, then we can't get caught in anything, right?"
"I see where you're goin' but I'm not sure I like it. If we get caught takin' a vacation together, we'll be in ever more hot water then if we got caught kissin' in a dark corner." He saw her eyes light up at that. "Don't even think about it. I like your job too much to get you into that kinda trouble," he said sternly.
Krysten's face became calculating. "Is it really our fault if we happen to be in the same place at the same time? I mean, if you and Will had leave at the same time, wouldn't you get together and raise a little hell?"
"Watch your language," he said routinely. Breaking Krysten of swearing was quite a trial.
"Okay, fine. Raise Cain, all right?" He nodded. Krysten went on. "Then you might get a slap on the wrist and told to cover the damages. So if we happen to be taking a break on Bedlama, and see a few sights together, who is really going to care? And if we just happened to run into each other at the resort...?"
Bluegrass could see several holes in her logic, but when Krysten wanted something, she was like a dog with a bone. Well, if she wanted a tourist weekend on Bedlama, who was he to say no?. He could keep it innocent enough, separate rooms, different floors, and he knew he really couldn't deny her anything. "Okay, we'll take a little trip, but we do it my way. Separate rooms, and plenty of public places, okay.?"
She pecked him quickly on the cheek. "Whatever you say, Bluey," she agreed, smiling winsomly.
He checked his wrist-chronometer. "You have 15 minutes to get whatever you want to bring together and get back here. And for Heaven's sake, avoid the inspector."
She raced off without a word.
Bluegrass stared after her. _I hope I'm not makin' a mistake,_ he thought.
She was back in the hangar with her overnight bag and two minutes to spare. He loaded it into the cramped cargo compartment with his bag and a wicker picnic basket. Then he helped Krysten into the passenger seat and jumped into the pilot's chair. "All secure back there?" he asked.
"Locked in and ready to go," she replied happily.
"Then hold on. We're takin' the scenic route," he announced, and engaged the engines. They rocketed down the tunnel and out the portal to space. Krysten let out a squeal as Bluegrass put the SprintHawk through a series of barrel rolls. "Hang on, honey, we're not done yet," he called, straightening the ship out. He reversed direction on the rolls, and squealed again. "Well," he said, "it's such a short trip, I had to do something to make it interesting." He slowed through Bedlama's atmosphere, and landed in a grassy area outside the capital city. He popped the hatch, climbed out, then helped Skyedansuer down to the verdant meadow. "Will this due for lunch?" he asked.
"Very well," she replied, looking around. They were on a slight rise, and the city sprawled out below them a few hundred meters away, along a crescent of white sand and clean blue water. "I didn't know there was a beach here," she said in awe. "I would have brought my suit."
"Will'd have a fit if he had to spend a day diggin' sand outta your joints," Bluegrass reminded her.
"Oh, yeah," Krys said. "The armor. Well, it was a fun daydream while it lasted. Maybe we can come back sometime without the monkey suits."
"Maybe," Michael agreed dubiously. A fully flesh-and-blood Krysten was a bit too tempting even to think about. He turned back to the ship and dug out the hamper. "So, what about we get set down and have some grub?"
She agreed, and they spread a blanket and settled down to eat.
After lunch, Bluegrass stretched out on his back and dropped his hat over his face. "I don' know about you, but I feel like forty winks before we try to tackle anythin' else," he said, his voice muffled.
Krysten stretched out next to him on her belly, pillowing her chin on her arms, and stared out to sea until she, too, drifted off. Neither was disturbed by the roar of an engine far overhead, nor did they hear the footsteps approaching their position.
"Well, look what we have here," sneered Hardware. "Sleeping SilverHawks. Get over here, you cowards. They can't hurt you if they're asleep." Melodia and Pokerface came a little closer. "What are we going to do to him?" she asked shrilly.
"Not too much. He's helpless without his Lazer'Tar. She's another matter entirely. We have to put a fix on some of her more exotic tricks," he said, slipping a metal band carefully over her head. He cut the strap to Bluegrass's instrument, lifted it away carefully, and threw it to Melodia. "Here. Don't say I never gave ya nothin'."
She caught it with more luck than skill, and plucked a couple of experimental chords. They raced away, creating havoc across the country-side. The noise roused Krysten a bit, and she slowly blinked awake, to find herself staring straight at Hardware's feet. She managed to nudge Michael enough to wake him before the cold muzzle of an energy-pistol was pressed against her temple. She rose slowly along with Bluegrass, and they stood, back to back, and surrounded by mobsters.
"Y'all must be pretty dumb to try a stunt like this so close to HawkHaven. Are you that interested in a turn in the pokey?" Bluegrass blustered. He knew he wouldn't get a chance to reach his communicator, but if Krysten could get through telepathically, all they had to do was hold out for a few minutes at most. He waited to feel the familiar sensation of Krysten broadcasting a message to all SilverHawks, but there was nothing. Then the air in front of him started to blur, then cleared, but nothing had changed. "What's wrong?" he asked tensely over his shoulder.
"I don't know. I can't reach my empathic abilities." She raised a hand to her head, touching the strange headband. Both her head and hand received a stinging shock. "Ouch!" she cried.
"The voltage will double each time you touch it," Hardware said clinically. "The fourth one should knock you on you little birdie butt, so I'd use 'em sparingly, ya know?" He cackled evilly, rubbing his broad palms together.
"Shit," Krysten said under her breath, and for once, Michael didn't correct her. The cause was definitely sufficient.
"I think were 'bout down to one choice," he said over his shoulder at Krysten.
"What?" she asked.
"Surrender," he replied, raising his hands. It was the last thing either of them could remember for some time.
The mobsters bundled them into their vehicles and blasted off for Brimmstar with the SprintHawk in tow.
Aurora lay on the bed in the guest quarters and stared at the ceiling, trying to decide what to do regarding her father. She started to ramble, addressing the remarks to her late boyfriend, a habit when she was feeling doubtful. "Well, Steven, I got this far. I met the man; I talked with him; I tried to get the poison out of my system, like you used to say. So what do I do now? He says he still wants a daughter, even if I don't want a father. The problem is, I'm not sure if I want a father or not. He can't make up what I've lost without him, but I'll just keep losing more and more if I don't do something. I wish you were alive, still," she said, tears running out the corners of her eyes. "This is one of those days I need your strength to lean on, and all I can do is be strong for myself. Anyway, what do I do? Do I let him in, or do I leave the old man to twist in the wind the way he left me." She was silent a moment, contemplating faster than coherent thought. "I've gained nothing if I don't try, right? And if I do try and it doesn't work, then I gave it a shot, and I wasn't meant to have a father. I guess I can live with it," she said as her eyes drifted shut.
Krysten awoke with a stabbing pain in her head. She reached up to touch it and found that her hands were chained, as well as her feet. She slid down the wall to sit, and found that her chains stopped her just short of resting. Wearily, she pushed herself back up and looked across the cell at Bluegrass. He was still unconscious, head drooped forward, and hanging against his chains.
"Michael!" she called out softly, trying not to attract attention from outside the cell. He stirred a little in his restraints, but didn't respond.
"Michael!" she shouted, more loudly this time. This drew attention from outside, and someone pounded on the door.
"Shaddup in there!" came Hardware's shout, then he continued in a more normal tone of voice. "They're awake, boss. Or at least one of them is. We can go ahead whenever you're ready."
Krysten heard the voice that responded, and her heart sank.
"Very good, Hardware," replied Mon*star. "Why don't you light up our little prizes, and we'll see what they're worth." A bright light illuminated the room, and Krysten winced in pain. Then she heard Mon*star start to speak again.
"All personnel to Ops, on the double!" Commander Stargazer's order echoed through the station. Feet came pounding from all parts of the station, and Stargazer was pleased to see that Aurora had responded to his summons, as well. "Incoming message," he said tersely as they assembled.
"Stargazer," Mon*star growled from the screen, that hate plain to see on his face, as well as glee, with lines of static rolling through his image. "I have something of yours, something I think you'll want back." The screen blanked for a minute, then the static was replaced by a picture of Skyedansuer and Bluegrass, chained to a wall. Melodia stood in the cell with them, and yanked on Krysten's hair to expose her face.
"Commander," Skye yelled. "Whatever he says, don't do it! You can't-" Her face was replaced by Mon*star's gloating one.
"Well, Stargazer. Now you know what I have. I want access to the Bank of Dolar. Once I have what I want, I'll tell you how you can get what you want. You have one hour." His image faded, and Stargazer shut off the communicator.
"Options, people?" he asked.
"Signal's coming from Brimmstar," SteelHart said. "No way we can break them out of there."
"Maybe a split offense," Will suggested. "We can cover Dolar to get Mon*star and Brimmstar to rescue Skye and the Cowboy."
"A good plan, Sergeant, but we don't have enough personnel to pull it off," the commander replied. He looked over at his daughter, who stood out in her blue uniform. "Well, Lieutenant, what's the regulation on this?"
"Fill out the requisite reports and request two new personnel for the station. Terrorists cannot be catered to." The others stared at her in disbelief. "I'm sorry about the loss of life, too, but these are the rules. If you don't like it, talk to him," she said, indicating her father, then marched out of the room. The group stare shifted from her to the commander.
"It's a lot different in the field than in your den, that's all I'll say. And I wouldn't write off Skyedansuer and the Colonel just yet. Together, they just might be resourceful enough to get themselves out of this."
Skyedansuer heard the cell door slam shut after Melodia, and the light in the cell dimmed considerably, but didn't go out altogether. She glanced at Bluegrass, who was stirring more in his restraints. "Michael!" she whispered urgently. He looked up blearily for a second, then his head dropped forward again. "Well, it was an improvement," she said to herself. She ran an internal diagnostic, trying to assess the damage that had been done, blessing the strange fusion of metal alloy and mortal flesh that told her much more than "it hurts here." Her shoulder and arm jets were out of order; she could see that much from dents in her plating where they had been hit and disabled, and every time she tried to access her telepathic abilities, the ache in her head intensified. "Michael," she whispered even more urgently, "snap out of it!" His head rolled up and he blinked his eyes open.
"Where are we?" he asked, voice blurring just a bit.
"Brimmstar," she replied succinctly. "You remember Bedlama? Getting captured?" He nodded. "Well, this is the next phase in a hostage situation. Mon*star wants to trade us for access to Dolar. We have an hour to get out of here before it happens. If the commander doesn't deal, and I'd bet that he won't, we'll have to be killed as an object lesson, or at least one of us. Frankly, that doesn't appeal to me."
"Me either, kiddo. Me either. So what do you want to do?"
"I'm not sure. My lasers are all knocked out, and I still can't teleport. What have you got on-board?"
"Enough nav charts to choke a horse. I'm not built for combat, Sweetie, not on my own at least. I'd need Hot Licks to pull off anything at the very least. What about your heels?"
"What about them? They're maneuvering jets, not-" she broke off, seeing where his thoughts were going. "You're brilliant. I may be able to tune them to a laser frequency. Give me a minute." She ran her diagnostic program again, focusing on the jets built into the heels on her plating. "They're on-line," she said, her head tilting a fraction of an inch as information poured into her mind from the armor interface. "Okay, I'm going to engage them." There was a hiss from near the floor, and she rose several inches, to the limit the chains would allow.
"Looks like we're on the right track," Bluegrass said as she hovered.
"Quiet," she snapped, unnaturally sharp. "This isn't easy." She frowned, concentrating, and the discharge from her heels sharpened and focused, and she settled to the floor. "Okay, here we go. Let's see if I can reach anything with these." She lifted one foot experimentally, and after much swearing which Bluegrass studiously ignored, she succeeded in freeing her left foot. She quickly went to work on her right, then kicked her feet up, one at a time, to hold them just under the chains to the wrist restraints. Once free, she quickly went to work in Michael's bonds. As she worked on his wrist, her internal sensor warning went off. "Damn," she whispered.
"What?" he asked, urgency creeping into his tone.
"My power supply is dwindling fast. This takes a lot of power." As she said it, her jets sputtered and failed, just as the chain broke loose.
"Damn," Bluegrass echoed. "Oh, well. Time for plan 'B,' I guess."
"What's plan 'B?'" Krysten asked hopefully.
"I'm not sure yet," he replied. "Give me a minute."
Aurora knocked softly on her father's door, then slipped inside. He was behind the desk, staring out at the stars, and turned as she approached. "How's your inspection going?" he asked. "Are my recruits being helpful enough?"
"That's not why I'm here, really," she replied. "May I sit?"
"Certainly. Make yourself at home," he said, a bit startled by her cordiality.
"Are you really going to let those people sacrifice themselves for nothing?" she asked bluntly.
Stargazer sighed. "I haven't given up hope that they will return, if that's what you're asking."
"It is not. Are you going to let your team sit and do nothing, and watch an experienced pilot and a kid who shouldn't even be here buy it for the sake of your regulations?"
"That's what I wrote, isn't it? 'No terrorist will be given credence, nor will his or her demands be met. Civilian hostages will be rescued if at all possible.' I never wrote anything about military hostages"
"Why not?" she asked pointedly.
"I was a very different person, sitting in my den at midnight, writing the plans for this division. I wanted experienced troops, who knew the risks, and were willing to make sacrifices when necessary. Now, I get my pick of college kids who half the time haven't even been off-planet. I was naive in my expectations, and now, I'm going to pay the price. And weren't you in favor of writing them off, and requesting replacements?"
"I'm a hard-assed inspector. It's what people expect. The policing authority can't recommend breaking the law." She was silent for a moment, then was more subdued. "And you're right. It's not the same here. Things often look different on Earth, and then you get here, and it's not what it seemed. That's the other thing I wanted to see you about. I'm going to recommend that you have a liaison officer posted here."
"What in the known universe is a liaison officer? I never wrote any specs for that."
"Just what it sounds like. Someone who negotiates what Earth wants with what will work here. The idea is to create a happy medium, where everyone gets a little of what they want. It's not a big deal, really. You'd probably get one eventually, anyway. This just puts you on the top of the list. Other than that, there's not much that will change. I'm going to advise that you get some tech updates, also, but they are all positive improvements, so it shouldn't hurt too bad."
"So you're about done, then?" he asked, a bit of sadness in his voice.
"Yes. As soon as there is a pilot available, I'm leaving. My new orders should be coming through any time today or tomorrow morning."
"What about us?" he pressed. "I was hoping we could be a family again."
"I know, and I wanted to try, but it would be like having a long-distance love affair. There would be calls and letters all the time, then they would dribble off, and we would still be where we are now. I'm sorry, Commander. For what it's worth, I do appreciate the offer, now that I've had a chance to think about it. But it can't work." She got up and quietly left, and Stargazer returned to staring out the window, letting one tear slip down his cheek.
"Bluegrass, we're running out of time. What is plan 'B?'"
Bluegrass thought a second longer. "Could you remove this thing if you could use your telepathic abilities?"
Skyedansuer considered a moment. "I don't know. Maybe." She examined the manacle around his wrist. "I don't think I can pick the lock. I'd need to be able to see it. I might be able to pull the pin out of the hinge. But I can't use my abilities. This thing Hardware put on me is blocking them, and every time I try to pull it off, my headache gets worse."
"What if I pulled it off?" Bluegrass asked.
"I don't imagine it would feel any better, but you might be able to do it. At this point, I don't think we have much of a choice. Do it," she said, lowering her head. Michael grasped the band, and Krysten howled, then slumped to the floor, unconscious. But the metal band hung in Michael's hand, sparking a bit in the dim light. He twisted it between his hand until it crackled, and with a pop, blew out all together. He tossed it into a corner to smolder and knelt next to Krysten, his right hand still attached to the wall by a short chain. He stroked her hair with his left.
"Come on, Honey. We don't have any time for you to take a nap now. You've gotta wake up and keep going. We can't let Mon*star use us as leverage." She moaned a bit and stirred. "Good girl. Come on, you're gettin' there." She managed to force her eyes open and look at him.
"Okay, that really hurt," she murmured.
"You did good, Skye. But we ain't got no time to waste. Can you get this thing open now?" he asked, shaking the chain.
"Yeah, I think so. I just need a minute to get my head together, as it were." She stood up, a little wobbly on her feet. "Let me see it," she said. She wrapped her hands around the shackle and closed her eyes a moment. Michael felt it grow warm, then hot, and bit back a yelp as the heat became painful. Then, with a pop, it sprang open to reveal his chaffed and singed wrist. Krysten opened her eyes to see the result and gasped.
"Oh, God, I'm sorry, Michael. It wasn't supposed to do that. I must still be messed up from the device."
"I'm not mad. It'll heal, and we can get out now. I imagine it will feel about 100 percent better once we get to the other side of that door. Do you want to try the same thing on it?" he asked.
"No way. We don't need to be trapped in here with a raging inferno."
"Not a problem," Bluegrass said, moving to the back of the room. "We'll just use old-fashion brute force. Wish Will was here. We could use him now."
"I wish we were where he is," Krysten said, moving to the back to the room to join him. "On three?" she asked.
Bluegrass nodded. "One..."
"Two..." she said.
"Three!" the shouted together, barreling for the door. They crashed into it, shoulders first, and heard some very satisfying snapping noises.
"Well, we're on the right track, anyway," Michael grumbled, rubbing his shoulder. "Let's keep at it." They pounded on the door again and again, each time hearing more cracking and groaning from the dry wood. "One more," Michael gasped. They staggered to the back of the room, caught a breath, then, with a determined look, charged the door once more. The old wood finally gave, and they found themselves on top of it, surrounded by a cloud of dust. Michael staggered to his feet and pulled Krysten up. They were along in a dark hallway that stretched away to the right and left. To the left, all was pitch dark, but dim light shone from the right, wanly illuminating a staircase. "Up and out," he said, pulling Skyedansuer with him.
They crept through the upper hall, on the lookout for Mobsters, but encountered no one. "This is bad," Krysten whispered. "It shouldn't be this easy."
Michael nodded. "Just keep quiet, and we'll find the SprintHawk and leave." They crept up to an open doorway.
"I'll check it out," Krysten whispered. "Wait here." She slipped away before Michael could stop her. He cursed silently until she reappeared silently before him. "Here," she said, pulling something out from behind her back and handing it to him. It was his Lazer'Tar. "That's Melodia's room," she said, jerking her thumb back over her shoulder. "She's not there, so I was able to grab that and get a quick look at the layout for this place. The SprintHawk should be this way," she said, pulling him to a corridor on the right. They stole down it, coming within earshot of Mon*star's throne room, where chaos seemed to reign. They stole past on silent feet, and found themselves in the hangar. They scurried to the SprintHawk, and Bluegrass helped Skyedansuer into the cabin. He was climbing the ladder when he heard a gasp from the doorway. He glanced back over his shoulder to see Yes-man, hands waving and tail writhing. "Start the pre-flight, we've been spotted!" he shouted, jumping into the pilot's seat and slamming the canopy.
"Boss, Boss!" yelled Yes-man. "It's the SilverHawks. They're getting away! Stop, SilverHawks, stop!"
Michael keyed the controls and blasted off, the force throwing Skye and him against the seatbacks.
"Go, you fools!" cried Mon*star. "Stop them! Bring them down! I want their lifeless corpses at my feet! Begin the transformation!"
Bluegrass raced the SprintHawk toward HawkHaven, taking advantage of every second's worth of lead on their pursuers.
"Radio's out!" Krysten called from the back. "I can't raise the station."
"We'll find some way to let them know, just hang in there," Bluegrass called back. He barrel-rolled around a line of strafing fire, then looped around to get in behind the firing ship. A few shots from the cannon sent Hardware and Buzzsaw lopping off into the dark galaxy, and Bluegrass threw more power into the engines. A shining light flew in closer, and they cheered. Somehow, Tallyhawk had locked in on their location and found them. They could see his relay beam stretching away across the sky, and relaxed. HawkHaven would soon know they were alive.
"They're alive!" shouted the commander, bursting out of his office. "Tallyhawk found them and is leading them back. Radio seems to be out on the SprintHawk, but they don't look too awful for a pair of escaped prisoners." He disappeared back into his office, chuckling. "I knew they'd make it."
Aurora went to the commander's office the next morning at his request. "What can I do for you, Commander?" she asked after knocking.
"I have your new orders from HQ. They just came across a few minutes ago." He handed her a packet of papers, still warm from the fax machine.
"Do you mind if I read them here?" she asked.
"Not at all," he said, shaking his head. He took a sip of coffee and watched her reaction. His morning dispatches had contained a reference to her orders, and he knew their contents.
Aurora scanned the lines quickly, taking in the acknowledgment of her report, with commendations for speed, and then stopped after the new directive. "This can't be correct," she murmured to herself.
"It is correct."
She looked up. "Excuse me?"
"The orders are correct, Lieutenant Stargazer." He sighed. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked sadly.
"I wasn't sure I wanted you to know. I wanted to make you figure it out, and if you couldn't, you couldn't. But that doesn't explain these new orders. I was told the Angel Cluster would be my next assignment. And how do you know it's correct?"
The commander shrugged. "I'm getting a new liaison officer. Why wouldn't they tell me? Looks like we're going to get that time together, after all. Do you still want to go on like we are?" he asked.
"I suppose I can try, if you can," she answered. "What about your crew? Are you going to tell them?" she asked.
"I'd like to. They're bound to ask questions if I don't. Would you mind?"
Aurora thought about it. "No. I wouldn't mind It might be nice to be someone's daughter again." She smiled. "I don't want to find myself grounded, though."
Stargazer smiled. "I think we can manage without that. Come on. Let's introduce you to the rest of the crew properly."
The SilverHawks were assembled in Ops when Commander Stargazer appeared with Aurora. He cleared his throat, then addressed the crew. "Everyone, this is our newest officer, Lieutenant Aurora Stargazer, who is filling the new position of Liaison officer. She is an exceptional student, the top graduate in this year's class, and I have the distinct pleasure and honor of being her father." There was a ripple of excited murmuring through those assembled. The commander caught sight of Krysten's broad grin. "Corporal Skyedansuer, I'm assigning you to help facilitate the lieutenant's transfer." He turned to Aurora. "I'll see you later about having your things brought up, okay?"
Aurora smiled. "That'll be fine. Thank you...Dad." She hugged him tentatively, and he returned it.
"Go on, now," he whispered in her ear. "I love you, Aurora."
*THE END*
Silverhawks(tm) and all related characters, places, and names are property of Rankin-Bass and Lorimar Telepictures. USED WITHOUT PERMISSION. THIS STORY IS NOT FOR SALE OR PUBLICATION, AND IS NOT INTENDED TO CONSTITUTE AN INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHTS OR AN ACT OF PLAGIARISM. Original story (c)Copyright 1998 Marianne Shade. Aurora Stargazer is the sole property of Marianne Shade. Krysten Barter (Skyedansuer) is the property of Melissa McCook, and is used with permission.