The grating creaked under heavy footfalls as Emma raced through the secondary hull. She sprinted through plumes of steam and passing columns and pieces of machinery she couldn't remember the names of. The catwalk ended at the engine chamber and her quick pace never halted as she clambered down the balcony stairs.
There were more flashing buttons than one would see on a typical day in the engine room and fewer engineers at their posts. In fact, all nonessential personnel were ordered out of the area due to the catastrophic danger in their midst. The fusion reactor was its normal purple beam of light, but before Emma could breathe a sigh of relief her eyes fell on the long tunnel that was the ion generator. What was once a highway of pinkish purple light had gone dark. The crackle of electricity that had given the sublight drive life and the ship gravity had fizzled out into silence.
Well that doesn't look good, Emma thought. The rising voices battling in the engine room didn't sound too good either.
"The generator passed its inspection days before we left space port!" Leroy defended with a finger. "Yes, it is the most advanced piece of equipment in the fleet, but it wasn't made to handle a rough getaway from a tractor beam."
"Then you make it handle a tractor beam," Regina shot back with hands planted to hips. "As chief engineer you should foresee such a quandary. We have been in far worse circumstances than this. I expect you to fix this ship with the best parts!"
"And Lizard Eyes could have been gentler with her! If it wasn't for his spasmodic wheel skills we wouldn't be in this situation!"
"Rumple may be a sly snake in the grass but he is a superb helmsman. Do not fault others for your mistakes."
"Engine trouble was unavoidable! It happens to all ships – even yours, sister."
Emma saw the captain stiffen and her fingers dig into her hips. Before Regina could retort her first officer made herself known.
"What are you doing here?" Regina snarled.
"I couldn't get a decent rest with the alarms and the ship shaking like a ragdoll," she sassed. "And as far as I know I'm still this ship's first officer, so is anyone going to tell what in the seven freakin' hells is going on?" Emma crossed her arms looking from Regina to the stiff jawed engineer.
"Storybrooke sustained some damage after a most careless," Leroy spat in his captain's direction, "escape from the Korobi tractor beam. All the lurching affected certain parts of the engine. It was like shaking an iron-clad baby crib with the baby still in it. Some pretty important innards got jostled against the radiation shielding which then caused a kind of short circuit." He handed Emma his datapad. Several locations on the engine map flashed with yellow exclamation marks and were captioned with warnings that made Emma's eyebrows rise. "The ion generator has failed as a result. Soon there's going to be no way to keep the ship's gravity intact now that the power couplings have died."
Emma continued to frown at the offensive data. She bit her lip and ventured a glance at the engineer. "That doesn't sound too bad," she said half-heartedly.
Regina threw in flatly, "Tell her about the other thing."
Emma looked at the captain worriedly.
"The only way to restart the generator is by throwing the manual switch." A hand rubbed his short, scraggly beard. He grimly explained, "Someone's going to have to go into that passageway. The switch is located a half a mile in."
Emma's mouth remained open until it had something worth sharing. "Well who the fuck designed that?!"
"Don't look at me! It was like that when I got here!"
"But you, Chief Engineer Leroy, could have made some adjustments!"
Regina stood there watching her bickering officers. Since his promotion years ago Leroy had been extremely protective of his work. Claiming he knew the engine room like the back of his hand, he let no one including his engineers touch any part of his engine. He was proud of his alterations and always made sure his people and his captain knew it. She knew Leroy was protecting his baby just like she protected her baby. Her ship was just as much hers as the engine was Leroy's.
And then there was Emma who had been on the ship for all of two days and seemed to treat Storybrooke as much a home as Leroy and Regina. She wondered how the two officers could be so protective of their ship and still manage to fight about her.
"Enough!" Regina held up a hand to halt their bickering. "If we do not come up with a plan within the hour this ship will be melting in the photosphere of the nearest star. Now if dying in 5,800 degree heat is on your to do list for the day then please carry on." Regina waved her hand lazily as if she couldn't care less.
Their hackles fell and Leroy shrugged at Emma. Emma curtly nodded to the sign of peace. Silence fell. No one dared speak up and consign anyone to their death.
"Well there's no question," Emma stated, chin held high. She swallowed hard. "It's me that's going in there."
Regina's head quickly turned. Her forehead wrinkled in doubt as she stared at Emma, but she did not say anything.
Leroy warned her, "If you're stuck in there when the generator starts you'll get zapped by the power couplings and go numb to the point of whole body paralysis. You'll be stuck indefinitely – or until the heat of the drives fry you and blow you out of the ventilation system by your ashes."
"Very subtle, Leroy, thanks. I think I've been warned sufficiently." Emma gathered her long hair up and into a pony tail.
"Miss Swan," Regina stepped up to Emma, putting on her best armor and speaking in her most superior tone, "I forbid you to go in there. As your commanding officer I am ordering you to rescind your bid to volunteer."
Emma stared for a moment, her eyes quietly testing the armor. "I'm not interested in my image if that's what you're worried about. I don't care about my reputation," she explained matter-of-factly. "You can take the credit for all I care. I'm sure you'll come out of this smelling like a rose anyway. I just want to save this ship, Captain." Her meaning solidified with deliberate words and steadfast eye contact. Emma's voice dropped so only Regina could hear. "I want to save my home."
"We have engineers for this sort of thing. The last thing this ship needs is an underqualified girl with a hero complex."
"I guess it's a good thing I'm good with engines and I consider myself an anti-hero." Emma flashed a smirk. "Flawless resume, wouldn't you say?"
A few technicians helped Emma into her harness. The straps lay over her shoulders and clicked to the center of her belt, the thigh straps meeting there as well. The harness was packed with special properties that resisted the pull of electrical couplings. The tunnel was dead of power, however no chances were taken as it was possible a few lingering charges were left in the coils. Though an adequate safety precaution, the harness would yield little protection if its wearer was caught in a high powered magnetic field that initiated five minutes after the manual switch was thrown – just one of many drawbacks that iced Emma's gut.
Regina watched from the side, stewing with narrowed eyes and digging nails that almost broke the skin. Her fury was so immense she couldn't think straight. What gave Emma the right to put herself in a position that would kill herself – or worse, make her out to be a hero? If anyone should sacrifice their skin it should be Regina. She told herself the day Storybrooke was commissioned to her that if anything befell the ship she would go down with it. She would strap her body to that captain's chair and go spiraling into oblivion with the one thing that she loved, the one thing she was famous for. But why was it that when the opportunity presented itself she did not throw her hat in the ring? Why did Regina not volunteer to go through the ion generator and give her ship its best chance? Did she believe Emma was that best chance? Is that why Regina was being such a good sport?
She was too paralyzed in the moment. Something inside her, a plummeting sensation or a weightless free fall, caused the words to stay before they even left her lips, before they even formed a logical sentence in her mind. She had felt this feeling. She had remembered how it felt for her blood to freeze in her veins and her breath to still. For her chest to feel the weight of a hundred g-forces bearing upon it. This paralyzing fear was a hazy memory from so long ago, but Regina still experienced it like one was met by a most familiar and unwelcome friend.
"Remember," Leroy told Emma after handing over a flashlight, "once that switch is flipped you better high tail it back here. You'll have five minutes before the couplings heat up and ignite. I would suggest taking it at a run if you ask me."
Emma smiled and slapped a hand to his shoulder.
"Are you out of your blasted mind?" Regina demanded after a furious pacing. Her eyes were wide and rolling with fire. "You could get killed!"
"I'm touched by your concern. Really."
"I'm concerned about the integrity of this ship. One graze against those power couplings and you'll go limp as a dead fish. I don't know what a body in that tunnel will do to the generator. For all Leroy knows the sublight drive could explode and take us all with it."
Emma rolled her eyes, knowing Regina was referring to her fried body in the tunnel. Boy, Emma mused, someone wasn't shy about wanting her demise.
Tinkering with his instruments Leroy perked to the sound of his name. "For all Leroy knows?" He glared at his commanding officer none too lightly as they were in his house. "Aw, well thanks for the vote of confidence, Cap'n. You know if it wasn't for my rugged good looks and stout frame it'd be me going in there."
"I guess it's a good thing I'm not pretty then," Emma retorted, looking Regina in the eyes.
And with that she hiked up her utility belt and made her way into the tunnel.
"That foolish girl," Regina mumbled.
Leroy stood beside her, his arms also crossed on his chest. "Foolish, yeah," he snorted. "But definitely pretty, don't you think?"
Regina didn't reply. She was too busy holding the fading blonde hair in her sights.
With the power couplings down there was no magenta electricity to light her path. The tunnel, curved at its sides and as wide as a whale shark's mouth, was pitch black and eerily silent. Using her flashlight Emma aimed its beam at the floor, watching her step amid the coils and tubing.
The hair of her skin stood on end, but it was not due to hair raising fear. Just moments ago the entire tunnel was humming with energy that could power a brown dwarf star. After the rattling the ship took the coils fizzled out, thereby powering down any electricity once flowing through it. There were still traces of current in the air as evidenced by the loose hairs rising out from her pony tail. Emma smelled it, too, the smoky wisps still growing from the coils. She didn't have to guess how hot they were; she had worked many jobs in her youth in various speeder repair shops. Much of her time was spent around couplings and generators, so she was familiar with their blistering temperature upon contact. Emma had a few scars to prove it.
Her boot suddenly got hooked under some tubing and she tripped. Her elbows broke the fall, but her palm fell on one of the coils. There was a faint sizzling, and a whiff of burning flesh tickled her nose.
"Blast!" she cried, whipping her hand back. A series of curses left her mouth and echoed down the metal tunnel.
She rose to her feet and held her injured hand out from her body. There was no time to examine the damage. If the ion generator was not fixed within the hour then Emma would have more serious burns to worry about. Eyes stained with tears, she cringed through the throbbing pain and picked up her pace.
At exactly a half mile in she came upon the circuit box Leroy told her about. It was located directly at the center of the tunnel on the floor and wedged between some coils and tubing. Without a second's pause she unlocked the protective case, flipped it open, and reached in. She felt around for the switch. It was deep and dark, and Emma's other hand was too incapacitated to hold up the flashlight.
"Come on…" she moaned, reaching furthering in. "Where are you damn it?!"
Her hand finally came in contact with a thick, rubber handle. She pulled hard until it made a 180 degree turn. She withdrew her hand and waited for confirmation.
A clicking of metal rang from below her, echoing and then fading to silence. Blonde hair blew softly against her neck tentatively and then more strongly. Emma heard the whirl of the ventilation system and knew she had just minutes before she was that limp fish Regina went on about.
"Five minutes until ion generator ignition," came a robotic female voice, confirming Emma's ETA.
Her long legs flew across the tunnel floor. By the light of her shaking flashlight Emma weaved around obstacles and hurdled the glowing couplings.
"Four minutes until ion generator ignition."
Emma let out a growl. The massive generator surrounding her groaned through its commencing start up. Her very bones shuddered to the thrumming engine. Her skin felt the coils heating up while her hair stood on end. Soon her harness would be useless against the power coupling's magnetic field.
"Two minutes until ion generator ignition."
"I know! I know!" Emma shouted through labored pants. "Blast!"
Through perspiration stung eyes she could make out the light at the end of the tunnel. So blasted ironic, Emma thought. Her thighs were jelly. She thought she'd collapse at any minute. Her breath came in quick and loud for she could hear it echo in her thudding ears. Her chest burned, her hand burned, her skin was tingling against the purple glowing coils around her. She just wanted to be free of it.
"Sixty seconds until ion generator ignition."
The ground vibrated and Emma almost lost her footing. Everything was shaking, the ground, the walls, her hands, and her heart. With a scream she dived the last few feet, arms outstretched and eyes aimed for the one waiting for her in the bright light.
Her breath caught in her throat as she watched Emma sprinting towards the opening, towards her. The woman was flushed with exhaustion, panting with a face contorted in pain. She spied the blistered, discolored right hand. Regina's heart thudded over the system countdown.
"Ten seconds… nine seconds…"
Regina felt her foot move forward of its own volition. She felt weighed down and sluggish, as if everything around her was occurring in slow motion. Everything slowed down, but that damn woman's voice was still counting.
"Five seconds… four seconds…"
Later she would say she was caught up in the moment… that it was a result of adrenaline… that it was because she feared the worst for her ship. But in that moment, with heart stopping mid-beat and eyes filling with saline liquid, Regina truly believed she would be alone forever. It was a feeling, like the one of a plummeting sensation or a free fall. A feeling she was experiencing more and more the past few days.
"Three seconds… two seconds…"
Regina thought it was her screaming. A hand went to her own mouth but there was no vibration.
"One… ignition."
A flash of light reflected in brown eyes that insisted on remaining open. There was only bright white light which changed to yellow… then pink… and then a purple. Regina saw a silhouette against the backdrop of a violet sunrise. She saw a pair of green and a mane of blonde. The silhouette drew nearer until it landed in a heap at Regina's feet. Her face felt the heat of the ebbing dawn and she remembered how to breathe.
A bellowing howl rang through Medbay. The nurses and physicians all turned their heads towards the noise. When the source of the scream was identified they chuckled and went back to work.
"Gods damn it, Doc! Are you still hungover?!"
Whale gave the woman a baleful look and continued waving the scanning device.
"OOOUCH!" cried Emma. "Fucking Jesus Jupiter, can you be a bit gentle? My hand is, like, cooked well done here."
"If you don't hold still and stop your cursing you'll have more to worry about than this fried and crispy limb of yours." Whale paused to make sure none of the nurses were eavesdropping. He spoke in a low whisper. "The new chief is a real stickler for protocol. The last time someone took some god's name in vain she cut them down to size."
"You don't like her because she replaced you."
"That, too."
"Anything else to report?" Emma couldn't help but ask. She was first officer, of course. "Been nipping from the swill, again?"
Another yelp sounded. Everyone turned to Emma who was cringing with tears in her eyes and Whale who was smiling cheerfully. They all went back to their work.
"Fuck, man, this is cruel and unusual punishment!" Emma tried to jerk her throbbing hand away and started looking around the medbay. "Where's Dr. Blanchard? I want her."
"Cut it out. Little Miss Doctor is –"
"Right here," came a squeaky female voice from behind. "Doctor Whale, I think the surgical instruments need another polish. I can finish up here."
Emma stared after the departing sandy haired doctor. He was muttering about something else he'd like to give a shiner to.
"The guy's a sick masochist."
"There's nowhere else for him to go." Mary Margaret took the wrist of Emma's hand and gently applied a salve. "What would you have done?"
"Thrown him out the airlock?"
Mary Margaret gave a disapproving frown.
"Seriously," she shrugged innocently, "we could have dropped him off at the nearest star. The guy looks like he could use a good tan."
"Emma," came the admonishment. The pixie-haired doctor wacked the tender flesh enough to sting.
"Damn," Emma groaned and bit her fist. "How did you people get your doctor's license? Talk about poor bedside manner."
"How did I get such a stubborn, foul-mouthed patient, hm?"
"I'm your friend. I should automatically get special treatment."
"Aw," she cooed, "do you want those cartoon bandages? That's a very, very special treatment only asked for by children." The bandage roll (plain white in color Emma noticed with relief) was taken from the tray. Mary Margaret then proceeded to wrap the palm, wrist to knuckles.
"Funny," Emma replied flatly, "but that's not what I was implying."
"You are kind of a child."
When the bandage sufficiently covered her entire palm the ends were tied into a knot. Mary Margaret made sure to tighten it more than necessary.
Emma bit the side of her cheek and slammed her uninjured hand to the bed. "All I'm asking for is a little kindness."
"Is that what you gave the captain?"
Emma froze. "Regina?"
There was laughter in reply. "Yes, Emma. Is there another captain on this ship?" Mary Margaret saw her friend's motionless expression which quickly turned away. "Are you alright? Did something happen?"
"No," the voice was a hoarse whisper aimed at the floor, "nothing. I'm fine."
"You're not usually this guarded," the doctor pointed out suspiciously. Then her head dropped as she began picking at the bandage roll. "At least not around me."
"Excuse me," a young woman with red cheeks and a freakishly large smile approached. She asked the patient, "Are you First Officer Swan? The one everyone's been talking about? Did you really save the entire ship and the crew?" Her voice rose to an excited screech by the last question.
"No."
Mary Margaret covered a hand over her chuckle.
Ever since getting admitted to Medbay Emma had been bombarded with crewman of all age, rank, and department. Word had spread of the second-in-command's heroic efforts in resetting the ion generator and saving them all from being melted by a blistering star. Visitors would approach her with congratulations and perfuse thanks. "Are you her?" they would ask excitedly or "Were you the one who saved us all from that hell?" and Emma would reply with a hurried, "Nope." She neither considered herself the savior type nor liked the attention.
The woman in uniform looked from one to the other with an expression of confusion. "But…"
"No," Emma said simply. "I think she went that way. Now scram!"
With a rattle the curtain closed on its metal rail, cutting off the stammering crewwoman from the doctor and her irritable patient.
"Emma…" Mary Margaret chided. She tried to be firm but the sight of her flustered friend put a smile to her face. It was clear Emma would do just about anything to divert the spotlight.
"Don't these things close any more tightly?" Emma whined, fiddling with the curtain. "I feel like a specimen under a microscope." She peeked through one of the openings. "They keep watching me…"
"Well you did save our lives. What you did down in that generator was very risky. You should feel grateful to be alive."
"Oh, I'm grateful. I just don't like being treated like a god. I ran a half mile in less than five minutes and burned my hand in the process. That's not hero material. That was just some klutz who can run fast."
"Emma," Mary Margaret chuckled, shaking her head. She patted the bed. "Come sit down. You're still my patient. And you didn't tell me what happened between you and the captain after that heroic escape."
"I didn't? I thought I told you already."
"No," drawled the doctor, eyes narrowed, "you skillfully dodged my questions just like you did with that poor fan of Emma Swan's."
Emma shrugged, crossing her arms and carefully minding her wrapped hand. "There's nothing to tell. Regina and I supervised the system check. When Leroy confirmed the engine was running with all pistons firing I came straight here to get my hand wrapped. Then I got stalked by a dozen or so crew, considered taking out a restraining order on a few, and I was unnecessarily abused by two doctors."
Mary Margaret attempted to use her best motherly tone, a scolding she reserved only for her dear friend. "That sarcasm, young lady, will get you in trouble one day."
"I think you spoke to soon," Emma snorted haughtily. "Remember that one time…?"
"Oh, I remember all the times, Emma. I just hope you learn from them one of these days."
"Okay, Mom."
"You can go to your quarters, young lady," Mary Margaret sassed right back. Emma made a face but was interrupted with a glare. "I can pull rank, too. That salve needs time to work. And stop itching! Leave the bandages alone until tomorrow morning when I can examine the skin. Get some rest. Otherwise I can stick you with a sedative when you're not looking and you can crash right here where all your fan girls and boys can see."
"Geez, Doc!" Emma rose from the bed quickly. "Hostile much?"
"Are you sure there was nothing else you wanted to talk about?" asked Mary Margaret gently. "Nothing about the captain?"
Emma's face scrunched, faking recollection before she shook her head and replied, "Not that I can think of."
"Alright. Get some sleep, then."
Emma thanked her friend and exited the medbay. On her way to the seclusion of her quarters Emma felt the heavy weight of guilt. The truth had always been an easy thing between the two friends. They shared a lot: their secrets, possessions, similar hairstyles at one time, and the love that two best friends' hearts warmed to. She had betrayed Mary Margaret, but felt that the truth was more damning than the lie. It was complicated, as she came to rationalize it.
What Emma didn't tell Mary Margaret was how Regina acted when she picked herself off the floor with a mangled hand and a victorious grin. She neglected to share how Regina looked when Emma stared back, panting and eyes wide with adrenaline. Emma couldn't reveal how not a word was exchanged, not a whisper as they remained inches apart with heavy eyes smoldering in the dawn Emma had ignited. Dark mahogany eyes burning with something akin to need.
It happened in the blink of an eye. Her full, inviting lips opened for words that never came. They reunited to form a thin line. It happened in the blink of an eye. But Emma saw it.
"Captain Mills, the coordinates for Triton Sector have been set. Leroy says the ship's engine is okay to go." Ruby waited a few moments. "Captain?"
Regina broke her intense gaze of the star map and frowned. "Miss Lucas?"
"Shall we take the ship to hyperspace?"
"Yes. Rumple, proceed."
"Aye-aye, Captain."
The helmsman nodded and threw the lever. Bright streams filled the forward viewport and Storybrooke made the jump.
While the officers on the bridge went about their system checks, Regina stayed at the transmission table. She dialed random coordinates on the panel and the image of a jumbled mix of stars and planets that was their galaxy widened. The hologram zoomed with a rapid pace. Stars, asteroids, and planets whooshed by until the projection halted to a random system Regina didn't recognize. The chart hung in midair above the table and displayed dozens of tiny lights. They glistened and winked as only stars could on a revolving atlas. Amid the twinkling diamonds was a yellow gold planet. It was medium-sized, tilted a few degrees on its axis, and had two small moons revolving around it. Regina guessed that it was a Class N world virtually unsustainable to human life forms due to its sulfuric properties. But she could be mistaken. There was so much that still waited, undiscovered. Vast regions of space which remained untouched by human destruction or simply life at its finest.
"Excuse me, Captain, but there seems to be a glitch in the primary sensor arrays."
Regina sighed. "What is the problem?"
"I can't run a full diagnostic until we return to port. I could do some alternate scans if we find a safe place to dock, but I don't think you want to make another unscheduled stop."
"You would be right, Mr. Nolan. However, my ship takes priority over a mere patrol mission. Inform Belle to start looking for safe port. And let's make sure its populaces are affiliated with the Commonwealth. We do not need a repeat of the Korobi incident."
"Agreed, Captain."
Regina sighed again, running a hand through her hair. She went back to her study of the holochart. Her finger went out to touch the gold planet and she watched as it went right through the visual. Three dimensional maps were ideal for navigating space. There was no such thing as an unregistered planet or misplaced star when you had a three dimensional representation of the cosmos. Every square inch of known space could be located, magnified, and studied. The three dimensional map was an excellent resource, but it was also good for bidding one's time.
A great deal had come to pass in the last 24 hours and all of it at the hands of an enemy. No, Regina thought. Emma wasn't her enemy. She may hate the woman to the core, but they were in this together – for the crew and for the Commonwealth. So many words had been said, so many looks shared, and yet 'enemies' never fit the bill. Neither did 'friends.' Regina sought meaning in their recent exchange, but found none. Her head, the part of her that kept her alive through tight scrapes, the logical part of her, insisted that there was no purpose. But there was another part, kept so hidden its owner had not known of its existence, the part hidden so deep from Regina and anyone else who came near that begged to differ.
Her eyes fluttered shut. Fingers rested on the panel, feeling the hum of the projector working its magic. The hum traveled through her bones just as the engine's vibrations did the night before. Regina smirked. Whoever Emma Swan was, a hero, a fool, or just a simple girl from Earth, she risked her life for Storybrooke and its people. The officer could surprise her captain in more ways than one, and Regina was beginning to take to the random moments of enlightenment. Her first officer was challenging, instinctual, and pretty (she'll give Leroy that). Emma was all the things that Sidney wasn't. She was a change in the tide, a change that could be calming one minute but unleash a monstrous tempest the next.
Any commander should be grateful to have an officer willing to do what was necessary – even if it meant the ultimate sacrifice. But gratitude was not the problem; it was her damn feelings that let lose without her permission. When Emma had stared up at her with tired eyes and a cocky grin Regina didn't know whether to take the woman in her arms or beat her bloody.
Hands closed into fists causing her knuckles to press mercilessly to the glass table.
Regina didn't think Emma noticed. She hoped to the gods her face, in whatever shape or form it appeared in that moment, didn't give her away. But what Regina feared more than Emma knowing her feelings was Regina knowing her own.
The lift doors parted with a hiss and Emma stepped aboard the main bridge. David and Ruby had both visited her in Medbay to offer their appreciation and wish her a swift recovery so there was no need to make small talk. Emma had several good nights' rest (the best since arriving on Storybrooke) and was prepared to return to duty.
At the center of the bridge stood the captain who was beholding the star chart like it was the galaxy's most precious mystery.
"What system is this?" Emma asked, gesturing towards the map. She looked on it with curiosity until the celestial sphere, its moon, and stars collapsed into the table with a whoosh.
Regina's finger left the red button. "It's nothing."
Emma let it go and followed the captain to David's station.
"So where are we headed?"
Regina didn't look up from the figures she was scrolling through on the datapad. "The Triton Sector."
"Huh."
"Do you object?" Regina asked with a slight trace of annoyance.
Emma shook her head.
"Good."
Regina didn't look up to see Emma rolling her eyes. "Is that all?"
"Yes." Emma heard the grunt of acknowledgement as Regina continued to stare down at the datapad lazily. "No," she changed her mind and Regina finally met her eyes with a frown. Pulling her to the side, Emma lowered her voice to a whisper. "Is this how it's going to be?"
"Is this how what is going to be, Miss Swan?"
"Short conversations that relate to business… the less than five word responses…"
"My last reply was ten words," Regina shot back. "Do learn how to count."
"The spiteful tones," Emma continued, her hand still gripping the arm. "You even avoid looking at me. Am I that repulsive to you?"
Startled, Regina's eyes left the bustling crewmen for the offended green ones. The tendons in Regina's jaw tightened and the lips of her mouth parted ever so slightly. Emma braced herself for the verbal abuse, but it never came. Regina's gaze flickered down to Emma's right side. The furrow in her brow deepened.
"Does it hurt?"
"What?"
"Your hand," Regina clarified, her voice unreasonably soft. "Is it serious?"
The hand in question was raised for Emma's own inspection. Mary Margaret had already reapplied the burn salve and wrapped the palm in new dressings. There was no infection and by the end of the healing process there was expected to be minimal long-term damage to her tissues and nerves.
"It will leave a scar, but I'll live."
Regina nodded, still studying the bandaged limb without touching it. Her eyes then flitted to Emma's where they stayed for a second and diverted. She cleared her throat before walking past Emma.
What in seven hells was that? Emma thought.
She continued to receive the awkward treatment that afternoon. If Regina wanted to avoid her she did a damn good job, considering they worked in the same room. The same short words were spoken while offering partial eye contact. She gave Emma no occasion to extend the conversations because Regina was carrying out her responsibilities as if the Commonwealth itself would hold her personally accountable for delay. Occasionally, Emma would catch Regina staring at her bandaged hand until the captain was found out and ended the odd checkup for a few sharp words with a crewman. It was odd behavior, though she'd take it over the quarreling that had defined their relationship.
Lounging in her chair and undertaking the enthralling process of crew evaluations Emma felt the tremor.
"Did you feel that?"
"Feel what?" Ruby asked from her communications post.
Everyone on the bridge looked to Emma in confusion. Suddenly, she felt it again.
"That! Did you feel that?"
"What are you talking about, Miss Swan?"
"A vibration. It was only for a moment and then it was gone."
"Can you please be more specific? A vibration could mean any number of things."
Emma's eyes widened, her hand gripping the chair. "There it is again!"
"I felt it too!" shouted David next to her.
Just as Ruby was walking to the two shocked officers a blaring alarm sounded. Then the ship trembled enough that everyone felt its effect.
"Captain!" Rumple shouted, the controls shaking in his grip. "We are being pulled out of hyperspace!"
"Is it an engine malfunction?"
"No, if this were a result of engine failure we would not still be traveling at the speed of light. As you well know the ship exits hyperspace immediately upon engine failure. We are not being dragged out by something, but someone."
Regina activated her chair's comm. "Everyone to your stations! This is not a drill! I repeat: this is not a drill!" She addressed Rumple who was struggling with the ship's controls. "I want shields up the moment we enter realspace. Belle, scan the area for any and all craft. If we are not alone I don't care for surprises. Miss Lucas…"
"Man the transponder and notify you of the slightest burp," the red-skirted crewman affirmed. "I'm all over it."
Emma stood beside the captain, following her gaze out the main viewport. "Who do you think it is?"
"We're about to find out."
Storybrooke creaked to a halt in the vacuum of realspace. Save for a lone aquamarine planet there was no craft in sight and no evidence to suggest the famous Regal-class was dragged out of hyperspace.
"Belle, where are we?"
"I… I don't know, Captain."
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"According to my readouts here the ship has dropped into a mass shadow. Captain, I am unable to give you our location because no ship or craft affiliated with the Commonwealth has been here before. We are in uncharted space, Captain."
David perked up at the mention of 'mass shadow.' He took one look at the aquamarine planet and suddenly a theory struck him.
"An interdiction field," he murmured. He turned to Regina and explained, "A gravity well that's been created in the shadow of a planet – that planet. If strong enough it could explain why we were pulled from hyperspace."
Emma frowned. Gravity wells were not a creation of nature. Interdiction fields were bent for many purposes. By stimulating the gravity field of any planet or celestial body one could prevent a ship from jumping to hyperspace and just as easily pull them out. Emma remembered learning about the wells at the academy. They're primary use was for purposes of military tactics. Anyone who got their hands on a field generator had the power to pin their enemy where they so desired, thereby preventing their escape.
"Someone is using a gravity well projector," Emma gathered. "But who?"
Ruby spoke from her post. "There are no signs of other craft. My radar is coming up with zilch. Wait…" her hand went to the headset resting to her ear. "I think I'm picking something up."
"Patch it into the primary channel," Regina instructed.
The senior officers and their captain surrounded the holotable. Just as Ruby transferred the signal the glass table flickered and emitted white noise. A male voice broke through the crackling, but instead of a three dimensional image the table glowed and flickered with audio. The light blinked in time with the voice as the crew tried to make sense of the transmission.
"… down so your ship… over… board immediately upon… stand down…"
"Miss Lucas –"
"Cleaning the transmission. It should just take a moment."
"You have been seized from hyperspace. Stand down so your ship can be taken over. We will board immediately upon shield override. Stand down and you will not be harmed."
"Vaporize me," David mumbled.
"Given that that transmission is as clear as the Tirat sun," Rumple began with a trace of annoyance, "did they just say they were assuming control over our ship?"
"Ruby, you said there was no other craft in the area." Emma bit her lip, perplexed by the course of events. She surprised the communications officer and everyone else on the bridge with a stern question. "How do you explain this transmission?"
"Emma, I can't… I don't know why the scanner isn't picking up a signal."
"Then find a signal, Miss Lucas. I will not have us sitting like ducks while we are threatened by an invisible force."
"Perhaps our presence will ease your decision."
Startled by the unexpected broadcast, everyone blinked uneasily at the glowing glass. There was no doubt that the message's timing brought on a chill. Their eyes shifted to the viewport to confirm the transmission. Stars twinkled on the backdrop of a black canvas. The mysterious planet generating the gravity well remained motionless and eerily serene. Seconds later the stars blacked out and were replaced with the flickering image of a spacecraft. It was half the size of Storybrooke, but immense enough to make an impression. But they soon realized it was no image.
"You have 60 seconds to lower your shields."
Regina's hands formed fists. She longed to punch something or someone, preferably the ones responsible for this mistake. Turning on her senior officers with blazing eyes and a steely jaw she demanded slowly, "Would someone tell me how our sensors neglected to pick up a cloaked ship?"
"Um, I may have mentioned today the status of our primary sensory a-array..." the stammering only got worse as the captain began her prowl towards the chief science officer, "… a-and that we should stop somewhere s-safe to make repairs?"
"Does this look like a safe place, Mr. Nolan? Would you care to jettison outside in a space suit and conduct your diagnostics now?"
"N-no, Captain."
"We take your inability to comply as a hostile action. If you do not lower your shields you will be fired upon."
"From the carbon scoring on that craft," Emma pointed out, "it looks decades old. They might not have the kind of fire power to take a ship of our size down. How do we know they're not bluffing?"
"Because Freedom Raiders don't bluff." Heads turned to Regina who almost laughed at the sight of their shocked expressions. "I could identify their craft from a lightyear away. That's a Raider ship," she declared, her nod emphasizing her certainty. Without missing a beat she ordered everyone back to their posts and sank within her chair. She gripped the arms mercilessly, eyes narrowed out the viewport towards her target. "Rumple, I want you to fire upon my command."
A pair of reptilian eyes blinked at the captain in disbelief. He gave the others the same look and slowly turned to his controls.
"As are my orders, dearie."
Regina took her time studying the ship, its contours, its engine, and all the details that give a ship its unique appearance. It was, without a doubt, the Freedom Raiders. Regina not only had a duty to Cosmofleet and the Commonwealth to apprehend the terrorist craft, but a responsibility to herself to take action against them. She made it her personal business to take down any and all people who called themselves a Raider. Even the unlucky few who found themselves mildly associated with the criminals did not escape her wrath.
Without flinching she gave the order.
"Torpedoes away," Rumple confirmed.
Two streaks traveled towards the rogue craft and made impact. An explosion rocked the vessel sending fire and sparks of light into space which extinguished just as it entered the vacuum. When the explosion cleared a deep pocket revealed itself in the side of the ship. Its mangled decks were blackened to a crisp. Electricity popped with its last vestiges of power, ratifying the level of devastation.
"Direct hit."
"No shit," David mumbled at the helmsman. "Captain, should we offer them terms for surrender?"
"That will not be necessary. Rumple, fire again."
"What?!"
"Mr. Nolan, you will refrain from speaking and take a seat."
David looked to Emma for help but was met with a face of hesitance. Ruby was just the same. He closed his mouth and did as ordered.
The next time Rumple fired, the torpedoes found their mark towards stern. The hit to its engine severely crippled the ship. The vessel took the explosion hard and started a slow dead roll. From its manner of spin it would seem the craft's gravity stabilizers were beyond functional.
"Hit them again."
"Regina…"
"Do you have something to say, Miss Swan?"
Regina turned on Emma with an intensity she hadn't seen before. Emma couldn't imagine anyone could hold so much hate in a glare. Brown eyes were practically as dark as the void of space. A nerve twitched angrily beneath the flesh of her temple. She was as flushed as a lover in the throes of passion. Emma was capable of standing up to the most ruthless of bullies, but Regina was different. She was beyond livid. She was as irrepressible as a bomb incapable of being disarmed. Emma shrunk away despite her desire to understand the cleverly disguised pain.
Regina's glare left Emma for each and every one of her officers. Emma wasn't the only one taken off guard by the behavior; even the senior officers had not witnessed their captain in such a relentless state. The captain was calling for the complete destruction of a ship and the life forms aboard it. She was bloodthirsty and unstoppably determined to see her cruel intentions carried out.
"Regina, we haven't even confirmed their identity as Raiders. Cosmofleet requires all engagements with terrorists to be on record."
"Do not lecture me on Cosmofleet regulation. I am the captain and any actions I deem necessary are automatically sanctioned by Command. And right now I say apprehend that ship."
Emma swallowed and took a moment to calm herself. They had been down this road before and she didn't care to make the same mistake twice. Regina had to be reined in carefully. With any luck Emma would not have to resort to insubordination to do so.
"Apprehending, yes," she said gently, "but carrying out their complete destruction? There could be innocents aboard. Think about it, Regina."
"Emma is right," David chimed in. "Freedom Raiders are known to take hostages. For all we know there could be children aboard."
"They should know the penalty for consorting with terrorists."
"Regina, they didn't ask to be kidnapped!"
"Then what I aim to do shall be a blessing," Regina explained. Her words suggested compassion, the kind of sympathy a mother utilized in easing the discomfort of a child. However, the ever present fury in her eyes and the deep grooves in her forehead suggested something more villainous lie in her aims. "Many innocents suffer at the hands of those radicals. Let us set them free from such pain."
Ruby shot up from her seat, unable to keep quiet. "This is murder!" she shouted with tears in her eyes.
"And you are insubordinate! All of you!" Regina roared, spit flying from her curling mouth. "Rumple, I order you to destroy that ship!"
The helmsman's mouth opened. He looked to his navigator who shook her head.
"Obliterate it!"
After a moment's hesitation he clenched his teeth and brought his hand to the weapons panel.
They shielded their eyes from the blaring flash of light streaming through the viewport. A shockwave of energy rolled outwards in brilliant white rings. The light dimmed and eventually vanished to reveal broken chunks of what was once a vessel. Engine fragments gave their last sparks of life before darkening in the vacuum of space. It took all of five seconds for the torpedoes to do their work. All that remained was floating debris and the ash of departed life twinkling in the starlight.
An eerie silence fell. Emma sat to the side and observed the bridge with a keen sense of confusion. Regina was giving instructions to prepare the ship to jump to hyperspace like nothing happened. The crew proceeded wordlessly. Emma sat in her own bubble of silence. They were all acting like zombies. Every last one of them. Just moments ago they were red-faced and fully prepared to depose their captain. Now they moved like programs in a computer, obedient and expressionless. It was baffling. It was utter bullshit.
After a while Ruby excused herself from the bridge. Emma followed her to a secluded corner in the corridor.
"That isn't the first time something like that occurred."
It was a statement, not a question.
Ruby inhaled shakily and shook her head.
Emma knew it to be true before Ruby even responded, but she deflated just the same. "Why?"
"Emma, I told you when you sign on here you sign on to the lies. You're like all the rest of us. We all heard of Captain Mills before we came here. We heard of the elaborate stories of her heroism and her integrity. She is known as Cosmofleet's rising star to every young girl who dreams of following in her footsteps. You were enamored with her from the beginning just like the rest of us. I could still see it in your eyes even after the Korobi incident. But now you know the truth. Her sterling reputation is not what it seems." Ruby sighed heavily, the burden of truth slowly leaving her.
"When did this start? And how could this have gone on without Command's knowledge?"
"Ever since her initiation as commander she has been scouring the universe for those even moderately aligned with the Freedom Raiders. It is not on the record because no one would go up against Captain Mills. The crew follows orders but believe what she is doing is immoral. "After a quick peak to ensure their privacy she continued. "Every time we come across the Freedom Raiders she turns into this… demon. You saw it, Emma. She goes crazy! I know they're terrorists and our duty is to defend the principles of the Commonwealth, but she is crossing a line. She's gone off the reservation and none of us can stop her! What she did today… It's not right, Emma. It's… she's…"
Ruby ceased to make sense over her choking sobs. She was a complete mess, hair tangled and plastered to tear shrieked cheeks, and trembling hands hugging an equally shaken body.
It was a result of the secrets and lies of Regina Mills. It was a result of possessing a burden of truth capable of destroying the most powerful individual in Cosmofleet. And if the leader fell, she would make sure they all followed.
Emma stood rooted to her spot, gawking at the shaking shoulders and fitful cries. Emma pitied Ruby. She pitied Regina. She pitied the crew and fleet in its entirety. She didn't sign on for this. She didn't ask to be a part of some conspiracy. She also wasn't one for comforting complete strangers.
But Emma had signed on to this. She accepted her assignment as first officer of Storybrooke. She accepted her place at the captain's side. An agreement was made to follow orders, to oversee crew, and to become an advisor when the occasion called for it. More than that, Emma had a duty to comfort one of the only people on the ship that gave her the time of day, one of the only crew members who welcomed her with open arms and a warm heart.
"Hey, Ruby… it's gonna be okay."
Emma's hand reached out to squeeze the quivering shoulder. She tried to smile but it probably came out as a cringe. Comforting people was never one of her strong suits. Weeping always seemed revolting to Emma, considering she spent half her childhood pouring tears in a bucket. It was painful to be the one crying, but just plain awkward to be the person cried to.
"Listen," Emma said, lifting Ruby's chin to expose her glistening eyes, "you're not alone. No matter what happens I'm not going anywhere. I will protect you and I will protect this crew. Do you trust me?"
"Yes," she croaked.
"Whatever Regina's done, she'll answer for it. We will figure this out."
"No one's ever gone up against her, Emma."
"No one is as stubborn as me," Emma said, flashing a smirk.
Ruby chuckled tearily and finally showed a smile.
Word spread fast on the ship. Gossip flew from one crew member to the next, traveling across all departments and reaching every deck. There were whispers of the unidentified ship and its authorized destruction at the hands of the captain. Nods and suspicions were shared. Something had to be done to thwart the pattern of injustice. The captain was blinded by some deep seeded vendetta and was spinning out of control as a result. It was agreed by many that she was unfit to command the ship. It was spoken in soft whispers and voracious nods that the woman they called the Evil Queen must be dethroned.
After several attempts to block out the racket, Emma forwent sleep to answer the door. With a hiss the hatch released and stilled the fervent striking of David's fist.
"You have to come to the bridge!" He pulled Emma by the arm and dragged her down the corridor. "Quickly!"
"Why? David, slow down!" Emma got pushed out of the way by some men and women in uniform. They were all rushing in the same direction. "What's going on?"
"It's the captain, Emma."
She had to forcibly push the man against the bulkhead to make him stop and talk sense. Considering past events, the sight of dashing crewmen and the mention of Regina was enough to make her blood run cold. There was no point in asking. She already had a sinking gut feeling as to what the commotion was about.
"What about her?" she demanded, her good hand grabbing a fistful of his shirt.
"Some of the crew have banded together and are headed for the main bridge. They're dead set on mutiny!"
It didn't take long for Emma to gather her wits and make a run for it. She and David along with many other officers pushed their way through the throng of shouting crew members until Ruby and Mary Margaret came into view. Rumple and Belle were there, too, with the same look of panic. As the senior officers they all looked to Emma for guidance.
"How did this happen?" she shouted over the noise.
"I don't know how," Ruby replied, "but some people caught word of the rogue ship and the captain's order to destroy it."
Belle trembled fearfully in the arms of Rumple and exclaimed, "And now the whole crew knows!"
"I was in the medlab just ten minutes ago!" Mary Margaret shouted. She almost stumbled forward from a rowdy man shouting, "Curse the Evil Queen!" but David came up to catch her. She continued, "I heard from one of the nurses who heard it from one of the engineers who heard it from –"
Ruby interjected, "I think she gets the picture, Mary Margaret."
It was about as chaotic as the mosh pits Emma had frequented during her teenage years. There was so much pushing and pulling in the crowd. People were shouting, a few were crying, others were frozen in shock. Emma let out a grunt as an elbow jammed into her side. Shoving at whomever the elbow came from, she collected every ounce of courage and reinforced her voice with the authority entrusted to her. "Where is Captain Mills?!" she shouted to her senior officers.
It only took a small yelp and Emma spotted her. Regina was cornered on her own bridge and subsequently shoved forcibly into a side panel by one of her own crewman. For the first time, Emma saw raw terror in her eyes. It only took seconds for Emma to weave through the rowdy crowd, elbowing and pushing the brutish and dainty alike from her path.
"Hey!" she shouted.
The crewman who had manhandled the captain into the bulkhead didn't hear Emma's shout over the discord. With enormous hands he reached out to finish the job. Emma launched herself at him from behind, looping her arms across his chest and twisting his body away from his victim.
"Get away from her!" she growled and shoved the guy back into the crowd.
A few men in uniform, obviously not aware of Emma's rank, resumed the attack. Emma grabbed a wrist, ducked under his arm and twisted it behind his back and pulled up hard. The crewman cried out in pain as his hand was bent back at an unnatural angle. She pushed him into an oncoming assailant. David and another crewman took out the others while Emma created a defensive stance in front of the captain.
"Stop this!" Emma screamed over the crowd. "Enough!"
There were some shushes and demands amongst the crew to hear their second-in-command. It wasn't until Ruby let out a resonating whistle that the conflict died down.
"Does someone want to tell me what in seven blazing hells is going on?"
"The captain broke Cosmofleet regulation!" came a reply from the crowd. "And killed innocents!"
Several shouts of agreement were voiced.
"And how could she know it was a Freedom Raider?!"
"It's murder! That's what it is!"
"She's done it before and she'll keep doing it until someone stops her!"
More "yeah's" and "hell yeah's" rose from the crew along with shouts for her elimination.
"Hey! Hey! Quiet down!"
Emma's voice shook. There were so many angry faces staring back at her, so many of her crew asking for the captain's demise – and not just asking but demanding. Emma knew she was no match for 400 plus crew and that they would have Regina's head with or without their first officer's permission.
Emma closed her eyes and took a deep breath to collect her thoughts. Her ears picked up the quick, sharp breaths and the clink of a ring pressing against durasteel. With nothing to rely on but intuition Emma could imagine Regina, back pressed into the computer panel and hands gripping the edge. She didn't have to turn around to know the captain wasn't in tears or frozen with fear. It would have taken a lot more than a mob to break down Regina.
More curses and demands for blood were thrown at Emma and she took it with defiance in front of the captain. She felt the warm presence behind her and almost wished for some kind of contact – a hand at her back, a squeeze to her shoulder, or a hand in her own. Anything that would give her the courage to face the mob. But no connection was made and Emma was left to rely solely on her own nerve.
"Listen up!" Emma shouted once more and the crowd died down. She swallowed and mentally pushed down on the anxiety threatening to curl around her throat. "I don't know what you all heard but these are the facts. Earlier today we received a transmission after exiting hyperspace. A hostile group had used a gravity well projector to drag us into a trap. Their intentions were to unlawfully board our ship and commandeer it as their own. When Captain Mills refused to comply they threatened to fire upon Storybrooke. In so doing they branded themselves as enemies not only of the fleet but of the Commonwealth itself. We engaged the terrorists and in the conflict they were destroyed. No law has been broken. Captain Mills did nothing but protect this ship and its crew."
"Did they even surrender?" shouted a woman in the front row.
"Of course not!" another cried, "The captain didn't give'em a snowball's chance in hell!"
"Her insanity is going to get us killed! She needs to be stopped!"
Emma waved her hands and called for order. "Do you know what you're all saying? This person – this woman whom you all respected and looked up to – she is your captain. Equal opportunity for all is the mission statement for service to Storybrooke. She took you all in and gave you a home. She absolved you of any past mistakes while treating you as one of her own. Can anyone else in the fleet say the same about their captain? No, because that kind of justice is rare these days.
"I never saw impartiality on the streets where I grew up and I sure as hell didn't get any clean slate at the academy. And how many of you can say you never made a mistake? Haven't you taken away someone's happiness? Their freedom? Maybe a life? We're not perfect and neither is our captain. Give her a chance to redeem herself. Give her the same justice she's given you. Absolve her of her crimes like she has yours."
To Emma's surprise there were various nods and murmurs of agreement. It was a strange feeling, like the high one gets during a speech. All nervousness melted away as soon as she found momentum. It also helped that she believed in what she was saying. Ruby gave her a wink of praise and Mary Margaret mouthed, 'Great job! You're on a roll!' Despite the support, Emma felt a prickling tension at the back of her neck.
"The captain should still be dismissed! How can we trust her again?"
"Hey, what about Officer Swan? She should replace the captain!"
There were several agreements.
"Emma Swan should be our leader! Let's make a vote!"
"Yeah!"
"Let's do it!"
"Vote Swan for captain!"
Emma's high deflated just as quickly as it came into being. "Vaporize me," she mumbled under her breath with a hand rubbing her forehead. It was not the response she was expecting. When she incited the crowd with sentiments of justice and forgiveness the last thing on her mind was the deposing of Regina and the bid for herself as replacement. She wanted to be captain about as much as she wanted to jump head first into a vat of boiling durasteel.
Amid the submissions for her promotion Emma spied a glance at Regina for the first time since entering the fray. She did not look angry yet she was not the face of contentment either. Her eyes flicked to Emma's and held a wary enthrallment over the woman who had willingly placed herself between her and a pack of mutinous persons. Emma held the odd gaze and replied with a sheepish smile and shrug of 'Well, what can you do?'
She turned back to the crowd and cleared her throat.
"Look, no one is going to be replacing Captain Mills – least of all me. Even if the position was open (which it's not) I would refuse to step forward. I'm hardly experienced for the position of first officer as it is. I don't even realize what it takes to be commander of an entire ship and neither do any of you. No offense," she added, waving a hand indolently. "Regina is more than capable of commanding this ship and promoting the principles of Cosmofleet. She is a highly qualified officer who has served with the fleet for years with more commendations than any captain. If any of you trust me enough to advocate my promotion to captain then trust in my judgment. I believe Regina will protect us as she has done since her captaincy. My faith in her leadership is as strong as it was the day I stepped aboard this ship and will endure through her continued service to the Commonwealth." Emma paused to let her words sink in. She looked from one crew member to the next, silently pleading them to see reason. She watched their neutral expressions change from thoughtfulness to tolerance to eventual agreement. "What do you say?" Emma finished, raising a brow expectantly.
With the crowd thinned out of the more verdant opponents everyone seemed in joint agreement to Emma's proposal. There were murmurs and nods to confirm that the mob mentality had dissipated and had been replaced with established calm. The threat was diminished and the chaos averted. Emma breathed an immense sigh of relief.
The first thing her hands grabbed was the decanter of cider.
"What are you, my security detail?"
Emma bit back a response. She folded her arms and remained patiently silent.
There was a snort of laughter, dark and not at all bursting with humor. "If I didn't know better I'd say you are following in the footsteps of the man you replaced. Pathetic little man that he was," she muttered over the clanking crystal. "Well, you should procure a sleeping bag and a few nourishment bars if you insist on keeping tabs. Sidney arrived at 8 o'clock at night and didn't leave until I activated the corridor alarm, scaring him away so horribly I had a few days reprieve from the late night watch dog. So please, do whatever you came here to do. Save me or protect me," she droned on between gulps of cider from a shaky hand, "all against my will of course."
"You have a funny way of showing gratitude."
Masked sarcasm was cast aside for petulant rage. Regina's eyes narrowed as she stalked forward. "You think I should be thanking you?" Her voice was slow, deliberate, and carried trace amounts of acid. "I had everything under control until you came along. Thanks to you my crew thinks I am a pathetic excuse for a captain who needs protection from her second-in-command. Protection from a delinquent with a death wish whom my crew wouldn't think twice about endorsing her bid for my job. So no," Regina motioned with her drink hand, nearly spilling its contents, "I will not be expressing any form of gratitude. Not to you and sure as hell not to my faithful crew."
Emma almost felt a stab of remorse at the way Regina said 'faithful crew.' She could see in the glistening eyes and trembling glass that the woman was hiding her pain with anger. If she thought about it Emma would not have been able to sit still either if her crew had turned on her and slung nasty slurs at her in the form of verbal and physical abuse. She had been called all manner of insults including traitor, bitch, whore, and Evil Queen. For some reason the Evil Queen moniker sounded worse than the rest. It was both a blessing and a curse. It struck fear in the heart of her enemies yet beat her down a few pegs when used against her.
Emma's hand stretched out when she recalled Regina being shoved into the bulkhead. Fingertips barely grazed the red silk blouse when Emma thought better of it and took the hand back before the gesture was detected. Regina was not in a state to accept comfort. From the permanently stiff posture she may never have accepted the stuff and never will – at least not with Emma on the charitable end.
"Fine," Regina spat and turned around. "You want a thank you? Here, have drink and then get out."
The glass was shoved into Emma's hand with enough force to splash its contents over the lip. Emma sighed, shook her head and put the glass down on the table. "I wasn't expecting a thank you, actually. I also don't expect an explanation, but I'm here and I'm going to ask anyway."
"And what is your question, Miss Swan?"
"Just tell me why. Make me understand."
"No."
Emma huffed. What was she expecting? Did Emma really think Regina was going to make nice, throw back some cider, and reveal all the reasons why she made those mistakes – if that's even what she's calling them. Probably not, which is why asking for an explanation was futile.
Emma paced in the confines of the captain's quarters. Her fingers dug into her forehead and massaged the migraine flaring beneath. Why does she have to make everything so difficult? Emma asked herself.
Because she's Regina.
On the way back to where Regina still stood, slinging back her second drink, Emma's hand trailed the back of the couch and dropped off the edge. She decided to change strategies. Whether or not Regina's antagonism towards the Freedom Raiders was related to the burning hate detected in her eyes, the fact remained: there was a deep seeded ache in Regina. Emma couldn't explain why or how it was possible, but she desperately wanted to know why and how the Raiders were connected with this ache. She would try anything if it meant sympathy for the devil.
"I'm not one of them," Emma began with assurance. "Mutiny is not something I would ever condone. It's not even a last resort. I just don't believe in overthrowing a commanding officer – let alone killing one. That's worse than what you are being accused of. It's unacceptable."
"I'm so glad to have someone in my corner to inform me right from wrong," Regina said, tilting her head with forged appreciation. "It's a bit hypocritical, wouldn't you say, dear?"
"It wasn't so long ago that you begged me to act honorably so that you could put your trust in me." Her eyes amplified with renewed passion in her goal. It was all Emma had left, passion and words. "If you want to have faith in me, let me have faith in you, Regina. Give me a reason to trust you and I will make them go away." Maybe a little desperation remained, too.
"Do I look like I need promises?" Regina stepped in so they were inches apart, so Emma could see every genuine detail etched in her face. "Is this the face of someone who needs help? You come here with your dull record and your cocky attitude and disrupt everything that I worked so hard to build. Because of you my crew doesn't trust me. They second guess my orders, whisper behind my back, and plot for their knight in corroded armor to unseat me." Lips red as her crimson blouse leaned in and curled around the truths and concealed lies that escaped. "Keep your promises, Miss Swan, and your vain attempts to help. I don't need it and do not need you."
"You don't need to put on this show. Not for me. Not after all the confrontations we've engaged in. And don't you wonder why? Don't you ask yourself why we argue constantly? Well I have. Because when you're millions of lightyears from a place you've never called home, living on a ship with complete strangers, and working with a boss who hates your guts it's all I can damn well think about!" Chest heaving to her frantic state, Emma paused to take a breath and turn it down a notch. "We fight so much and push each other's buttons because maybe… maybe we know how well we could understand one another. We're too afraid to admit it, so fighting is our response. But haven't you ever considered…" Emma wet her lips shyly, eyes squinting at her own fumbling admission as she offered softly, "maybe we weren't meant to be this way."
Regina stumbled back from the confession. She shook her befuddled head and recovered with a snarl. "I shouldn't have to explain myself to anyone, especially you. When you disobeyed my direct order I saved you from termination. You were two seconds from hopping a shuttle to the nearest fleet station. You were weak and I let you stay."
"You are not seriously threatening me, are you? After everything I've done? I saved your life down on Nal Korobi. I risked my own life to save your ship from becoming melted scrap. I rescued you from a mob of mutiny!" Emma stepped back as well, astonishment plastering her face. "And now you have the gall to threaten me? After I offered to help you in exchange for the truth?" Her boot reclaimed the step, closing in on Regina. It wasn't so much taken in antagonism as it was in sheer curiosity. "What could be so bad that you would keep it inside to rot away at your conscience?"
"As I said, you want to continue serving on this vessel you will keep your mouth shut," her breath hitched, but the unsteady voice went on, "and never ask me about this again. What will it be, Miss Swan?"
"I don't think I have to hear the gossip to know why Sidney Glass was let go. He asked too many questions. But then so am I. The difference is I see through you, Regina. That tough captain show you put on is just that: a show. It's entertainment. And I'll be damned if I'm played like a part of your damn audience. You're a snake and I hope I never have to get close enough to find out why."
The breeze of Emma's departure rolled over Regina like a solar storm. It was undeniably harsh, scorching her very skin and blistering with enough intensity to reach the organs beneath.
And it left Regina burned, dried up.
A resonating clank brought Regina back. She looked down to the half-empty glass and the gold band on the finger of her right hand. Its emerald stone winked at her with every move of her wrist. The remaining cider was put down since it only tasted of promises turned to ash. A heavy sigh emitted while her hand fumbled through her brunette locks. She walked to her desk and activated her comm.
"Rumple, prepare a jump to hyperspace. We're going home."