A/N: OK, wow. This story as been attacking my mind for some time now, so I've decided to finally write it.
I hope you guys like it, it's pretty SciFi. And I'm a huge space nerd, but I'll be the first one to admit that not everything will make sense or seem possible in this. OK, enough blabbing.
P.S. I do not own Rizzoli and Isles nor do I take profit for writing this story. I do however own the Ship Hapsha and her pilot Konif.
Universe 378
"CAPTAIN JANE C. RIZZOLI. SEX: FEMALE. AGE: 33 YEAR, MARK: 2451. YEAR, END: 2456. NOW EXITING CRYOSLEEP," said a robotic voice as Jane's eyes snapped open. Everything was blurry and the mask on her face made it hard to breath. Tubes ran along her arms and back. Gasping Jane ripped off the face mask; it floated uselessly around her neck. Her body was shivering uncontrollably. Coughing loudly, her saliva formed into little balls and floated away. Jane's legs bumped around in the small tube as they twitched in the zero gravity. Suddenly she was gasping for breath, quick gasps not being able to get enough air into her screaming lungs, her heart racing. I need to calm down. She told herself. She slammed her hand against the small hexagon glass door. It flashed a soft blue as it recognized her and opened.
She tried to push off into the tunnel before her, but all the tubes prevented her. Forcefully, she pulled them out of her Omnicuff, letting out a small cry of pain as the needles exited her skin and ripped off the mask, untangling herself from all the tubes. She floated out of her sleeping tube, her limbs jerking around at their own accord. She grunted as her body made contact with the wall opposite of her sleeping chambers. Luckily she had the sense to put her hair in a ponytail before she was frozen, she felt it floating around behind her, sprawling out. Jane coughed loudly, as her lungs got used to breathing again. Her muscles felt frozen and she gasped in pain as she flexed her hands, trying to thaw them out a little more. Her skin looked raw and pink, as if someone had just got done scrubbing her body with steel wool. Jane looked away and down the long tunnel. The sleeping chambers stretched along either side of her; each filled with her sleeping crewmates. Jane looked down at her Omnicuff, a soft green light blinked slowly. Clicking on it, her Holoscreen popped up with all her messages, there was a recent one from her pilot, Konif. She clicked on it and there was a bing sound as the channel connected.
"Konif, report." Jane's voice was rougher than usual, and she coughed again trying to clear it. Her body lurched with the sudden act; she gripped the railing to hold herself still.
"We just reached the outer edge of our destination, NGC 7968. We should be there within a few weeks. Speed just under 20,000 O.L.Y. Gravity should come back on in normal regions of the ship as soon as you wake up the engineers and give them the green light." Konif clicked buttons as she talked, making sure the ship stayed steady.
"How are the status reports on the medical team?" Jane floated down the tunnel reaching a set of lockers in the middle, opening hers' up.
"They're up and about, Captain. I think one's heading your way now." Sure enough a voice sounded behind Jane.
"Captain Rizzoli, it's nice to see you awake." Jane looked over her shoulder, her dog tags floating around her neck. She blinked several times, trying to clear the fog that rested over her eyes.
"Dr. Pierce. How's your team?" Jane looked back down to her Holoscreen with Konifs' face still on it. She gave a small salute and disconnected, giving Jane and the doctor privacy.
"Good, considering being in cryosleep for five years." Jane turned back around towards her open locker. Inside was her uniform, a full body outfit called the Simitu Suit, with the phrase "Captain Jane Rizzoli, Hapsha." stamped across the chest, her identification badge that allowed her access to anywhere in the ship, boots, her armor set that clipped on over the suit, a sonic rifle, a photo of her family and another one of Jane and Konif. Jane slipped her bare legs into the outfit smiling at the familiar feeling of the fabric go over her legs. She zipped it up, the suit buzzing as it turned on, recognizing Jane. She shivered as an electric charge ran the length of the suit and the suit's lights came on, they gave off a purple color, to match the dark grey of the outfit. On her left wrist the suit showed her shield capacity and what her E.E.O, emergency environment/oxygen, supply was. It blinked red. Should probably recharge that. On her right, her Omnicuff sat out, shining so often with blue words and then going blank again. Jane pushed herself around so she could face Dr. Pierce, now fully clothed.
"How soon do you think we can turn the gravity on? Konif said that we should be reaching our destination in a few weeks or so. That is if we don't run into anything." Dr. Pierce smiled remembering the last mission he was on a mission with Captain Rizzoli and the ship Hapsha. They were just doing a routine sweep of the outer Orb cloud at the edge of their solar system, when they spotted a ship wreckage. Capt. Rizzoli had recognized it as a lost ship going by the name of Ares, it had disappeared long ago. They boarded it, hoping to repair it and bring it back home, but they encountered a lethal creature, the Flux. A disgusting thing that when believed to be dead, would tear itself in half and keep coming at you. Capt. Rizzoli had risked her life in order to save her team, bearing the scar down her back where its sharp tongue had sliced through her armor, shield and skin like it was nothing. After bleeding over everything Rizzoli personally pressed the button that launched a nuke at Ares, destroying it forever. His Captain's voice brought him out of his memories.
"I'm sorry, what?" Jane huffed a little and pushed herself away from the lockers, floating down the long tunnel of frozen crewmates, Dr. Pierce right behind her.
"I said, have you woken up head engineer Kate Larsson yet?"
"No Ma'am, Ship Pilot Konif and I were going to let you make that decision." Jane merely shrugged. She floated past Larsson's tank not stopping herself, Dr. Pierce hesitated. "Captain, aren't you going to wake her up?" Jane looked over her shoulder, stopping herself before a small glass door. The words AIR PASSAGEWAY were written over it.
"No. I want to check in face to face with Konif first and make sure everything in the engine room is up and running as it should." Jane placed her hand over the glass, there was a flash of light as the door scanned her hand and then with a hiss it opened. "Dr. Pierce, I will see you shortly. No doubt you need to prepare for all the sick people that are coming out of Cryo."
"Don't think this is my first time waking up from Cryosleep with you aboard." Jane looked sharply at him. He smiled and held up a silver tube, green liquid inside it. She set her face to stone as he floated over to her. She held out her right arm to him, wrist up. Dr. Pierce slid his bare thumb across her Omnicuff. It flashed a dull red before with a hiss opened, bearing its guts. Panels were inside, along with wires that ran the length of it flashing lights. There with a series of needles resting in Jane's arm, a small silver port rose up allowing the Doctor to push the vial into it, administrating the green stuff into her arm. Jane hissed as what felt like fire raced through her veins. Suddenly her eyes focused and her limbs stopped twitching. Dr. Pierce gave Jane a smug smile as she quickly closed her Omnicuff, feeling better.
He saluted Jane with the accustomed three fingers to your temple, which Jane returned before slipping past the open glass door before her. I hate this thing. Jane thought to herself as air running through the passage launched her forward fast. The hair on the back of her neck stood up as the wall's magnetized to her suit, keeping her body from smashing against the walls, tears streaming out of her eyes from the speed, traveling the length of the ship to the H.C.C. Jane let out an "oomph" as the magnets suddenly stopped her travel, allowing her to float out of the now open glass doors. She entered sideways into the massive room that was nearly half a mile around. Without gravity this part of the ship is only accessible with the Air Passages. Straightening herself out she spotted Konif strapped into her chair, orange holo screens up. Graphs and numbers flashed across them, her gloved left hand running across a dial and her other swiping away an image from one of the outer cameras.
The H.C.C, Hapsha command center, was three levels tall and the reinforced windows stretched the length of it, showing the vastness of space. If Hapsha were to encounter a threat, Jane could give the command to cover them up with metal plates and then holographs would appear in the place of the windows, allowing them to keep attacking and not feel the threat of the glass breaking. Konif's chair sat at the center of the second level. Large Holoscreen's sat before her showing her everything she needed to know. A chair sat on either side of her and three more below her. Konif has dubbed the people who sit there "Her Minions." Each with their own specific jobs, assisting her with whatever she needs. The third floor swept out underneath them. It was dark and eerier with no one down there. Chairs lined the edge of it, allowing you to sit back and relax when needed. Computer's lined the ground, all of which Jane over looked from her position on the first floor, in her captains chair.
"Konif, how's it going up here?" She turned around in her seat so she could salute Jane. Her dark red hair floated around wildly and her small body pressed against the restraints with each movement.
"It goes well Captain. I don't know why you always insist in coming up her whenever we get out of Cryo though." She shot Jane a grin, who smiled back at her.
"And I don't know why you always insist in calling me Captain." Konif waved her hands around, putting on an upper class accent.
"Because, it's more proper. Mmmmyeees." Jane laughed at her best friend who chuckled along with her.
"If you don't stop calling me Captain I may have to call you by your first name." Konif gasped as her hand froze on the holo dial, her eye's narrowing.
"You wouldn't dare." Jane smiled and wagged her finger at her.
"I just might. I'm going to go check on the engine room and then hopefully connect with the Luna Base, updating them with everything." Konif turned in her seat again, calling after Jane before she could launch herself up to the first floor, ignoring the stairs.
"Oh, and Jane. You look like a stick, go eat something."
"You don't look any better yourself," Jane threw back with a smile. She heard a gruff and a mumbled, "fuck you." as she made her way to the top floor. The light's turned on as the sensors picked up Jane's movement. She smiled as the first floor of the H.C.C. came to life. In the very center of the whole floor was a large holograph of the ship Hapsha with computers lining it, constantly updating the people who work there on the ships status. It was one of the largest fighters in the fleet, being able to house up to 3,000 crewmen, with room to spare. Jane pushed herself over to her control station, the Captain's panel. It over looked the entire room, she could see everything from her vantage point. Jane stilled her movements when a voice spoke,
"Captain Rizzoli. So good to see you awake." The ships VI announced, its robotic voice echoing throughout the whole H.C.C.
"Thank you Andi." The Analyzing Networking Data Interface VI gave Jane the chills. It's always watching the H.C.C.
"It appears that Doctor Pierce and Specialist Pilot Olga Konif-" There came a shout from below her of anger as Konif heard Andi use her first name. "Have been woken up from Cryosleep. Should this unit go about making sure the rest of the crew is awakened also Captain Rizzoli?"
"No, I want to check the rest of the ship's functions before we shake the beehive." Jane had her Holoscreen from her Omnicuff up, making sure all the schematics were updated from the Captain's command panel.
"As you wish Captain." Jane pushed away from the command panel and headed off towards the air passageway that would lead her to the engine room. She gripped her stomach this time as she was thrusted forward. I need to eat something soon. She thought to herself as the magnets stopped her movements. There was a loud humming coming from her right and as the hexagon shaped glass doors opened it got louder. There was the engine room. Gravity never reached this room so the control panels lined the walls and were set at odd angles. Hapsha's engine was massive, taking up most of what made up the ships size. It groaned as she entered, as if to ask, why are you here? You don't know how to work me.
"Shut up you moody thing," Jane grumbled to herself as she floated over to the main panel making sure it matched the schematics from her Omnicuff. Seeing that everything matched, Jane swiped her hand across the cuff, making it go blank again. She looked down at it. Her name was stamped into the bottom part of it, other than that it was dark silver, just like her suit. But if you shifted it just right a dark blue sheen covered it, letting you know that it was on. Jane ran her thumb over it and a square section on it popped open with a small hiss. She grabbed in and flipped it up, revealing the inside of it. There, the needles were stuck into her arm, for how long, she couldn't remember. They monitored her heart beat, stamina, sickness and anything else you can think off. But that's not what she cared about. She reached around the needles and grabbed something she hid there, her Mother's wedding ring. Her fingers fiddled with it. She missed her family greatly. The memory of her mother giving it to her the first time suddenly surfaced.
"You don't have to give it to me Ma, I'll be fine." Jane tried to push the ring back into her Mother's hand who didn't take it back.
"It'll keep you safe Janie. It's good luck. And you know that's all I want." Jane hugged her mother as her Father walking.
"Jane? What are you doing here? I thought Hapsha leaves in a few minutes?"
"The ship can't leave unless it has a Captain right?" Jane joked with her father as he hugged her. There was a sound of feet as someone ran down the hallway.
"Don't go Jane!" said her middle brother, Frankie. He was a grown man and by the sweat that was running down his chest it looked like he had ran all the way here from his house.
"Frankie I have too." Jane frowned. Suddenly Frankie thrusted something at her, a small Holotablet.
"Frankie what's this?" Jane looked down at it, there showing up on the screen for all to see were recruit papers for The Orion fleet. Jane snapped her head up.
"Frankie! You joined the fleet?!" Jane threw her arms around her brother as her mother gasped, ripping the Holotablet out of her hands.
Jane shuddered, exiting the memory. I'll see you soon enough. Due to the shift of the Universe and how long it takes to travel across it, what's five years in Cryo sleep for Jane is only five months for the people back home. She clutched the ring and put it back inside the small compartment shutting it. Jane pushed herself off the panel floating back over to the Air Passage. She exited feeling even more nauseous than before. She grabbed the wall and held her stomach for a few minutes. A voice made her jump.
"Captain Rizzoli." She snapped her head around facing the head scientist floating there in his Simitu Suit, Omnicuff glowing a dark red.
"Doctor Charles. What are you doing out of Cryo?" Jane faced him, hands behind her back, face blank.
"I had Andi put a timer on my tank just like yours, I wanted to be awake before everyone else, and making sure everything is in the right place."
Jane narrowed her eyes. Doctor Jeff Charles was a royal pain in her ass. His science team had hired Hapsha from The Orion Fleet and dragged them all the way out here to fiddle with some instruments while they floated around a black hole. Jane knew they were trying to observe their closest parallel Universe, Universe 201. But she didn't understand is why they needed to be so close to a black hole to do this. Dr. Charles had tried to explain it to her once, but she was too busy to fully listen.
"That seems reasonable. But if you'll excuse me I need to use the Holoroom." Jane shot back. She gripped the wall and pushed off of it, heading over to the black sliding doors. She heard Jeff grumble something as she floated away but decided to ignore it. With a soft hiss the doors slowly opened revealing a medium sized domed room. There was a pathway that led out into the middle of it, she floated over to it and positioned herself over it, wiping her hand across the panel. The room was dark, the walls black with soft blue lights in it, and she blinked a little as the table turned on with glowed orange. She tried to keep her body as still as possible as suddenly the room hummed, the doors closing behind her. She clicked on Orion fleet headquarters, luna base. The walls in the room slowly started to move, spinning faster and faster as they scanned her, then a flickering image appeared all around the walls, so it was like she was standing in the middle of the room. Everything had a dull look to it though, like it was all layered on top of each other, no real sense of depth. People were walking, talking to each other. Some ran by needing to get somewhere, and then suddenly Admiral Jones showed up before her.
"Captain Rizzoli. I'm glad to see you checking in. Although I don't know why you're calling me, it seems that your gravity is still off?" He raised an eyebrow at her, a hidden smile tugging at the corner of his lips. She saluted to him formally before replying.
"Admiral Jones you know that protocol states I have to report as soon as I have exited Cryo." A woman walked up to the Admiral and handed him a Holotablet, when she noticed Jane's holographic form standing there she smiled. Admiral read the tablet for a few seconds before saying something under his breath towards the woman. Her smile dropped and she ran away.
"Well, I hope everything is all as it should be?" He turned his attention back towards Jane.
"Yes, Sir. Pilot Konif says that we should be reaching NGC 7968 in a few weeks and I will be waking up Engineer Kate Larsson as soon as I'm done reporting to you, Sir." There came some shouting from the Admiral's side of the call and he looked around. He shouted back at them.
"Well don't just stand there, send in fleet seven to take care of it!" More people ran by the holograph. Jane's curiosity peeked.
"Sir, if I may?" Admiral Jones nodded. "What is going on?" Admiral paled a little.
"Nothing you should be worried about Captain Rizzoli. Just focus on getting Hapsha up and running and get back as soon as you can." He saluted her and clicked out of the call. Jane was thrusted into darkness; she could hear the walls groan as they slowed down coming to a stop. She floated there for a second longer thinking. If it was really bad, I know Casey would call Hapsha back. Jane turned back towards the table, shutting it off. She pushed her way back into the main science laboratory again, Dr. Charles nowhere to be seen. Jane was shot forward in the Air Passageway. As she pushed herself out she called Dr. Pierce with her Omnicuff.
"Will you meet me by Kate Larsson's Cryotank, I think we should wake her now, get her to turn on the gravity and then wake everyone else up. Is your team almost ready?"
"Yes, I think we are. I'll see you in a few minutes." She closed out of the call and went back over to her locker. Now that the gravity was going to be turned back on she figured she should probably put on her boots. A few minutes later Dr. Pierce crawled out of the Air Passageway. Jane stayed back as Dr. Pierce fiddled with the dials on the door. There came a loud draining sound as the frozen liquid was thawed instantly followed by a hacking sound as Kate coughed. The glass door opened allowing her to detangle herself before floating out. Jane averted her eyes. Kate was clad in nothing but a tank top and her underwear, skin pink, limbs jerking. She gasped and let out another round of coughing. Dr. Pierce quickly grabbed her wrist and slipped the silver vile with the same green liquid in it into Kate's Omnicuff. Her limbs stopped jerking almost instantly and she hissed.
"I hate going in that thing." She noticed Jane floating a little ways away and quickly saluted her, formal as always. "Captain Rizzoli." Her accent always fascinated Jane. Kate was from one of the first settled planets, Illeth.
"Engineer Larsson." Jane saluted her back. Dr. Pierce and Jane hung back allowing Kate to get dressed in her Simitu suit before speaking with her.
"We are just waiting on you to give the green light so we can turn on the gravity and start to wake everyone else up." Jane swiped her hand across her cuff, screen's coming up. She sent the data that she had gotten on the engine over to Kate's cuff, which glowed green.
"It seems you already did my job." Kate said with a smile. Jane nodded her head a little bit.
"Anything I can do to speed up the process, I want everyone to be at their top shape before we near the black hole."
"So we're still goin' through with it then, eh?" Kate asked her, eyebrow rose.
"Of course we are." Dr. Pierce shot in before Jane could answer.
"Look. Dr. Connor," Doctor Peirce smiled at the use of his first name. "You do know as we near this blasted thing a lot of people are going to start getting sick. I don't know why you volunteered to do this." Before the Doctor could answer Jane said,
"He didn't volunteer. He is assigned to Hapsha, wherever this ship goes he goes." Connor grumbled a little, but quickly perked up.
"It still is fascinating though don't you think Kate? I mean being able to actually observe a parallel Universe with the use of the black hole, truly fascinating." Jane paid closer attention to their conversation, truly hearing why they are here in plain talk.
"Yes it is, but I don't know why we need to risk such a marvelous ship like this. We could just send a bloody probe all the way out here and then look at Universe 201 through that." Kate shrugged a little.
"I don't think we could." Jane finally spoke up. Connor and Kate looked at her. "I'm told that Dr. Charles is planning on opening a viewing portal." Her two shipmates exchanged looks.
"That man is crazy." Kate said smoothly. "Why would he want to do that? Doesn't he know that that could tear a hole through, like, everything?"
"I think that's why he wants to do it this far out and close to a black hole. So it doesn't really damage our Universe very much." Connor answered.
"What about 201?" Jane inquired. Both Kate and Connor looked a little grim. Jane's face hardened. Suddenly her Omnicuff blinked, opening it up Konif's face popped up, her red hair floating around.
"Yo, Jane, where the hell is the gravity, I hate flying like this." Kate waved behind Jane's shoulder. "Ahh, I see you have wakened the nerd. Hurry up Kate and turn it on, I have to pee." Jane closed out of the call and turned back around to Kate.
"Well you heard her." Jane smiled at them as they parted. Jane heading towards the cockpit, Kate to the engine room and Connor to the med bay. Jane pushed herself out of the long tube groaning and holding her stomach. Konif turned and looked at her.
"Jesus Captain, you act like this is your first time in zero G."
"Shut up." Jane grumbled at her. Konif laughed as she shifted in her chair, the belts holding her down tugged at her.
"So, Kate's gunna turn the gravity back on then." Just then Jane's cuff blinked, Kate's round face appearing.
"Alright cowgirl's and cowboy's. Everything looks good here."
"Hey, make sure you strap that down..." came Connor's voice through the call.
"Turning on gravity in permitted areas, Wing D." There came a loud snap sound as Kate turned the lever. "Wing C." Another snapping sound followed shortly by laughter from the medbay. "Wing B." Kate grunted as she lifted the lever and locked it into place. "And Wing A." Suddenly there came a low hum followed by a groaning noise as the magnets and weights hidden behind the far walls started to spin around and around the arm they were in. Jane started to feel herself getting heavier, her stomach flopped and she smiled as butterfly's erupted in it. Konif let out a loud laugh as they slowly got heavier. Jane's feet touched the ground softly, the rest of her still felt weightless. Konif threw her a worried look, feeling the same thing.
"Larsson, what's going on?" Kate's face disappeared for a second, she grunted out.
"Give me a sec'." There was a loud groan and the wall's appeared to vibrate, suddenly Jane was slammed into the ground full force, her legs not anticipating her sudden weight. Jane quickly stood up on shaky legs as Konif unhooked the belts holding her into her chair. "Sorry about that, the weights weren't spinning as fast as they should have." The humming of the magnets and weights spinning became background noise to Jane.
"It's alright Larsson." She closed out of the call after receiving a salute from Kate. Konif stretched in her chair, letting out a yawn.
"Oh yeah... That's good." Jane rolled her eyes.
"Come on, let's head down to the medbay, they have food there." At the promise of food Konif jumped out of her chair. Walking side by side with Jane she only came up to her shoulder, her long dark red hair cascading down her shoulders.
"I don't know if it's possible but I think you're skinnier than me." Konif shot up at Jane. They stepped into the elevator at the center of the H.C.C. Clicking on the Wing C button, lights flashing in the slits at the top of the lift the only indicator that they were moving at all.
"So, how was Cassseeey?" Konif dragged out his name. Jane glared at her friend.
"He was just fine, Pilot Konif." Konif cringed at the title and Jane sighed. "He's fine I guess, didn't really act like anything happened. In fact Luna base was busy when I called, he seemed rather distracted." Konif raised her eyebrows.
"Distracted? Do you think something's happening?" Jane shrugged.
"If there was, you know damn well he would call Hapsha back."
"Would he though Jane? We're so far out here, by the time we make it back five months would have gone by again. He may not want waste all that fuel." Jane looked down at the ground, lost in her thoughts. Konif knew her well enough to drop the subject. "Ugh. I just remembered we have to eat the bean paste crap for a day." Konif threw her head back. Jane's stomach lurched at the thought.
"Gods, I hate that stuff." Jane said as they stepped off the elevator.
Please tell me what you think!
This story will jump back and forth between this Universe, 378 and what our own Universe 201. I will go into great detail exploring both of them until they meet later on.
If you have any questions please feel free to ask me them in a from of a review or PM, I am more than willing to answer.
Take care. -FTP