Last Call -- Chapter 5: Vision or Illusion
Author's Note: Thanks to all who have been reading!
An annoying beep permeated her dream, growing louder until it took her
away from sleep, forcing her awake. The beep was persistent, growing
louder as she became conscious, demanding attention. She almost didn't
know where she was when her eyes opened to look down the length of her
body strapped to a wall, her feet dangling a few feet from the floor. A
dull ache in her shoulder gave her a brief reminder.
"And here I was hoping that was a dream." She mumbled to herself,
glancing over at the cockpit and consoles, trying to see what was making
the noise. It was too far away from her vantage point and she groaned,
slowly becoming accustomed to being awake. Carefully she loosened the
shoulder straps and unclasped the waistband of the harness, freeing
herself to the zero-gee. As she turned herself out of the restraints,
she gazed at the Minbari beside her and smiled. Despite the appearance
of the bruises and cuts on his head and brow, he looked calm and
peaceful as he slept. She reached out to cup the side of his face,
gentle fingers cradling the bone above his ears. He didn't stir, his
breathing still deep and rhythmic as she caressed his jaw with her
thumb.
"Someway, somehow, I'm going to get us out of this, Drefen." The
beeping interrupted again, but it would have to wait a bit longer, as
she was more concerned with the condition of her shipmates. Naomi
turned her attention to her two wounded companions, her body drifting
towards the cargo netting they had been enclosed in. Gently she reached
for Daniel, resting her palm on his forehead. His body temperature was
higher than it should have been and she frowned at the dampness of his
skin, both indicating a possible infection. Slipping two fingers
beneath his chin, she felt for his pulse, thankful it was still beating
strong and steadily.
Karnier stirred within her makeshift bed, her brown eyes gradually
opening to look at Naomi. She had difficulty focusing on the human, her
eyes blinking repeatedly until her vision cleared. Warily she smiled
before closing her eyes again.
"How are you feeling?" Naomi spoke softly, touching the Minbari's
hand. Karnier's fingers curled around Naomi's and squeezed weakly. She
struggled to make parched lips and a dry tongue work, her mouth moving
slowly before it released a coarse sound.
"It could be better, but I will not complain." She replied in Religious
caste dialect before managing another anemic smile. "How are the
others?"
"Daniel has some internal bruises as well as a few broken ribs. Drefen
probably sustained a concussion and has a few cuts on his head." Naomi
glanced at the others before turning her attention back to Karnier.
"And you?"
"My shoulder was dislocated, but Drefen was able to set it." Karnier's
eyes opened briefly, focusing on the sling cradling Naomi's left arm and
nodded her head slightly. "Is there anything you need? Food or water?"
"Water, if you would, please?" Naomi nodded and reached for an access
panel, a wedged foot beneath a latch keeping her steady as she opened it
with a press against the latch mechanism. Reaching in, she removed a
small foil pouch and held it by the corner between her teeth as she
closed the hatch. Repositioning it, she bit down on the small valve
that kept the item preserved and pulled, removing the seal. A gentle
squeeze sent water though the stem towards the second valve near the
opening that kept the contents from accidentally leaking out. Placing
it near Karnier's lips, she waited for the Minbari to take it into her
mouth.
"I will attend to Karnier if you find out what that beeping is about."
Drefen's groggy voice from behind startled Naomi, his body brushing by
hers in the small space to brace himself nearby the injured Minbari.
His hand took the water pack from Naomi's as he looked over his shoulder
to nod at command behind her.
"Sure thing. Thanks." Pushing off, Naomi floated towards the cockpit,
trying not to overshoot the chair. It took a few minutes of maneuvering
to strap herself down, freeing her hand to work the consoles. The
signal was coming from the communications computer, indicating there was
an incoming transmission.
"We have an incoming message and I think it might be in response to our
distress call." Naomi spoke over her shoulder to Drefen.
"What does it say?"
"Not sure yet. Let me play it." Turning back to the console she spoke
to the com. "Computer, receive and play message."
A monotone voice replied, reciting her command before it complied, a
loud burst of static coming though the speakers. It didn't sound like
anything more than interference.
"Computer, can the signal be cleaned up any?" Naomi frowned, gazing out
into the sea of stars beyond the canopy.
"Define."
"Attenuate and reduce noise levels then replay." The computer took
several minutes to comply, resetting logarithms and decibels before
rescanning for a cleaner play. The short wait seemed brutally long as
she watched the mesmerizing stars glisten. A distant movement caught
her eye, distorting her view of a few stars, and caused her to question
her vision. Blinking slowly to refocus her eyes, Naomi opened them and
the stars had returned. Another crackle of static startled her, its
volume significantly reduced, serving to clear the signal only
slightly. There were definite undercurrents that fluctuated beneath the
static and she strained to hear them.
"Computer, amplify on the negative to positive twenty decibel range.
Lower distortion and increase modulation in this range." It once again
paused to comply and Naomi busied herself with trying to access the
broken nav com. Unlike the consoles around it, the panel was darkened
and without power to light up the interactive face. A steady pound with
the side of her fist didn't help either. Shrugging in disappointment,
Naomi picked at a recessed groove around the console with a fingernail.
A hollow male voice filled command, sounding like he was speaking from a
great distance. Static still crackled the signal above a constant hiss
and Naomi's heart quickened at the sound of another voice in the void of
space.
"Drefen, it's the Excalibur!" The Minbari shared her enthusiasm, a
smile widening his lips. "They're attempting to intercept and want an
update on status."
"Let us not keep them waiting." Naomi nodded in agreement, turning back
to the console as her fingers skimmed across a few controls.
"Toledo to Excalibur." Naomi glanced at the life support com before
checking the other systems. "Message received. We have two critically
wounded. Approximately four hours of life support. Nav com down and
cannot advise on coordinates. Best guess is the Ghayn system. End."
Removing her finger from the transmit toggle, she listened as the com
played it again for her before waiting for the second command that would
relay the message.
"Computer, repeat at five minute intervals until a reply is received."
From the amount of static that needed to be cleaned from the message, it
meant they were still a good distance away, and how far away Naomi
didn't know. She could only pray that it was a small enough distance
that could be crossed within four hours.
She rested her elbow on the console, her thoughts focusing on the
situation as she gazed at the stars again. Cradling her chin in her
hand, Naomi began to think about the possible rescue, their cargo, and
what she could sacrifice to either give the craft a push or to extend
life support. As it was, she had reduced the oxygen output to the least
amount within safety limits, leaving them light headed if any strenuous
activity was performed. Once she received confirmation that rescue was
really on the way, she would override the controls and limit the oxygen
release even further in attempt to extend it for as long as possible.
Stars within her line of sight disappeared again, and she closed her
eyes tight, opening them slowly. It was well within the realm of
possibilities that the lack of oxygen was making her hallucinate, but
she didn't have the usual symptoms associated with oxygen deprivation.
"Computer, magnify upper right quadrant of display." Concentrating on
the spot, she began a silent count, waiting for the stars to reappear.
"Unable to comply. External sensors are inoperable."
Nearly fifteen seconds went by before she saw the stars again. The
Toledo's drifting pattern couldn't explain why the stars seemed to wink
in and out of existence as she watched, unless there was something
within her line of sight.
"Is there something wrong?" Drefen drifted towards her, his hand
reaching out for the copilot's chair as a brace. Carefully he lowered
himself into the chair and strapped himself in.
"Not sure yet." Naomi frowned, wishing the ship still had some external
sensors. "How's Karnier?"
"Doing much better now that she is conscious. Her chances for survival
have improved significantly."
"Good. One less thing we have to worry about."
Drefen turned his head to look at Naomi, noticing the frown of confusion
on her face. Her lips were moving slightly as she concentrated on the
view beyond the canopy. Her hand had made a loose fist as her thumbnail
began to pick at a callous on her middle finger. Naomi's lips paused
briefly before the tip of her tongue slid across them, her frown finally
deepening into a grimace.
"Naomi, what is it?"
"Do we still have those long-range monoculars with the ultraviolet and
infrared settings?" She didn't look at him, just continued to stare out
into the stars.
"I believe so. They should be stored up here." Carefully the Minbari
reached over to a storage compartment beside his chair along the wall.
Pressing the hatch to open it, he pulled open the small door and reached
in, pushing aside the other items stashed within. A few attempted
escape, drifting through the zero-gee, but he carefully pushed them back
in after taking out the monoculars.
"Care to tell me what this is about?" He handed them to Naomi and
watched as she raised them to her face with one hand, adjusting the
width for the space between her eyes with a press against her nose.
Instead of two separate series of lenses for each eye, there was a dual
view, reflected into a projection for both eyes. With her thumb, Naomi
toggled the power switch, the projection coming to life with various
scale and range functions displaying data below the image. Slowly she
increased the magnification by rotating a preset dial, bringing into
range what she had been trying to see. A vague shape masked the bright
illumination from the stars and with apprehension she fine-tuned the
image. Only a faint outline was visible, sharp edges and angles
protruding like those of an insect's exoskeleton.
A toggle of another switch gave her ultraviolet vision as the monoculars
converted the signal into the visible spectrum. Hues ranging from light
lavenders to deep purples and blues defined the hull further as it
reflected, the metal fluorescing in the radiation. The shape was
unmistakable.
"Aw hell." Naomi lowered the monoculars, resting them against her chin.
"What is it? Another ship?"
"Yeah," Naomi turned towards Drefen, the concern clear in her features,
"A Drakh fighter. And when there's one, there's usually more."
"May I see?" The Minbari reached out his hand.
"Sure. It's off the starboard bow. I noticed it when a few stars
winked out." She pointed to the space beyond the canopy with the
monoculars before she handed them to him.
"I see it." He adjusted the focus for his eyes. "Unfortunately we
can't get a distance reading."
"No, there's nothing between us to gauge the reading on. Although the
range on those monoculars are about fifteen miles and they're nearly
maxed out to get the ship in focus."
"I think we may have unwillingly become the - how do you say, cheese in
the mousetrap?" Drefen lowered the monoculars to his lap and turned
once again to Naomi. His eyes widened, betraying his atypical lack of
inner calm.
"And the mouse in this case is the Excalibur. We're going to have to
alert them somehow without the Drakh figuring it out. Have any
suggestions?"
"I suggest that we should wait until they are further within
communications range so that our warning is clear. Perhaps there is an
unofficial code we could use to alert them to the situation?" Drefen
questioned. "You were in Earthforce at one time and this is an
Earthforce ship."
"Yes, but communications of those type were encrypted and sent on
specific channels. The Toledo no longer has that function since being
decommissioned." Naomi managed to smile, reaching over to pat the
Minbari's shoulder. "I do have an idea though."
"Oh?"
"I wonder how much the captain of the Excalibur knows about fishing."
"Fishing?" Drefen looked perplexed.
"Yes, fishing."
Author's Note: Thanks to all who have been reading!
An annoying beep permeated her dream, growing louder until it took her
away from sleep, forcing her awake. The beep was persistent, growing
louder as she became conscious, demanding attention. She almost didn't
know where she was when her eyes opened to look down the length of her
body strapped to a wall, her feet dangling a few feet from the floor. A
dull ache in her shoulder gave her a brief reminder.
"And here I was hoping that was a dream." She mumbled to herself,
glancing over at the cockpit and consoles, trying to see what was making
the noise. It was too far away from her vantage point and she groaned,
slowly becoming accustomed to being awake. Carefully she loosened the
shoulder straps and unclasped the waistband of the harness, freeing
herself to the zero-gee. As she turned herself out of the restraints,
she gazed at the Minbari beside her and smiled. Despite the appearance
of the bruises and cuts on his head and brow, he looked calm and
peaceful as he slept. She reached out to cup the side of his face,
gentle fingers cradling the bone above his ears. He didn't stir, his
breathing still deep and rhythmic as she caressed his jaw with her
thumb.
"Someway, somehow, I'm going to get us out of this, Drefen." The
beeping interrupted again, but it would have to wait a bit longer, as
she was more concerned with the condition of her shipmates. Naomi
turned her attention to her two wounded companions, her body drifting
towards the cargo netting they had been enclosed in. Gently she reached
for Daniel, resting her palm on his forehead. His body temperature was
higher than it should have been and she frowned at the dampness of his
skin, both indicating a possible infection. Slipping two fingers
beneath his chin, she felt for his pulse, thankful it was still beating
strong and steadily.
Karnier stirred within her makeshift bed, her brown eyes gradually
opening to look at Naomi. She had difficulty focusing on the human, her
eyes blinking repeatedly until her vision cleared. Warily she smiled
before closing her eyes again.
"How are you feeling?" Naomi spoke softly, touching the Minbari's
hand. Karnier's fingers curled around Naomi's and squeezed weakly. She
struggled to make parched lips and a dry tongue work, her mouth moving
slowly before it released a coarse sound.
"It could be better, but I will not complain." She replied in Religious
caste dialect before managing another anemic smile. "How are the
others?"
"Daniel has some internal bruises as well as a few broken ribs. Drefen
probably sustained a concussion and has a few cuts on his head." Naomi
glanced at the others before turning her attention back to Karnier.
"And you?"
"My shoulder was dislocated, but Drefen was able to set it." Karnier's
eyes opened briefly, focusing on the sling cradling Naomi's left arm and
nodded her head slightly. "Is there anything you need? Food or water?"
"Water, if you would, please?" Naomi nodded and reached for an access
panel, a wedged foot beneath a latch keeping her steady as she opened it
with a press against the latch mechanism. Reaching in, she removed a
small foil pouch and held it by the corner between her teeth as she
closed the hatch. Repositioning it, she bit down on the small valve
that kept the item preserved and pulled, removing the seal. A gentle
squeeze sent water though the stem towards the second valve near the
opening that kept the contents from accidentally leaking out. Placing
it near Karnier's lips, she waited for the Minbari to take it into her
mouth.
"I will attend to Karnier if you find out what that beeping is about."
Drefen's groggy voice from behind startled Naomi, his body brushing by
hers in the small space to brace himself nearby the injured Minbari.
His hand took the water pack from Naomi's as he looked over his shoulder
to nod at command behind her.
"Sure thing. Thanks." Pushing off, Naomi floated towards the cockpit,
trying not to overshoot the chair. It took a few minutes of maneuvering
to strap herself down, freeing her hand to work the consoles. The
signal was coming from the communications computer, indicating there was
an incoming transmission.
"We have an incoming message and I think it might be in response to our
distress call." Naomi spoke over her shoulder to Drefen.
"What does it say?"
"Not sure yet. Let me play it." Turning back to the console she spoke
to the com. "Computer, receive and play message."
A monotone voice replied, reciting her command before it complied, a
loud burst of static coming though the speakers. It didn't sound like
anything more than interference.
"Computer, can the signal be cleaned up any?" Naomi frowned, gazing out
into the sea of stars beyond the canopy.
"Define."
"Attenuate and reduce noise levels then replay." The computer took
several minutes to comply, resetting logarithms and decibels before
rescanning for a cleaner play. The short wait seemed brutally long as
she watched the mesmerizing stars glisten. A distant movement caught
her eye, distorting her view of a few stars, and caused her to question
her vision. Blinking slowly to refocus her eyes, Naomi opened them and
the stars had returned. Another crackle of static startled her, its
volume significantly reduced, serving to clear the signal only
slightly. There were definite undercurrents that fluctuated beneath the
static and she strained to hear them.
"Computer, amplify on the negative to positive twenty decibel range.
Lower distortion and increase modulation in this range." It once again
paused to comply and Naomi busied herself with trying to access the
broken nav com. Unlike the consoles around it, the panel was darkened
and without power to light up the interactive face. A steady pound with
the side of her fist didn't help either. Shrugging in disappointment,
Naomi picked at a recessed groove around the console with a fingernail.
A hollow male voice filled command, sounding like he was speaking from a
great distance. Static still crackled the signal above a constant hiss
and Naomi's heart quickened at the sound of another voice in the void of
space.
"Drefen, it's the Excalibur!" The Minbari shared her enthusiasm, a
smile widening his lips. "They're attempting to intercept and want an
update on status."
"Let us not keep them waiting." Naomi nodded in agreement, turning back
to the console as her fingers skimmed across a few controls.
"Toledo to Excalibur." Naomi glanced at the life support com before
checking the other systems. "Message received. We have two critically
wounded. Approximately four hours of life support. Nav com down and
cannot advise on coordinates. Best guess is the Ghayn system. End."
Removing her finger from the transmit toggle, she listened as the com
played it again for her before waiting for the second command that would
relay the message.
"Computer, repeat at five minute intervals until a reply is received."
From the amount of static that needed to be cleaned from the message, it
meant they were still a good distance away, and how far away Naomi
didn't know. She could only pray that it was a small enough distance
that could be crossed within four hours.
She rested her elbow on the console, her thoughts focusing on the
situation as she gazed at the stars again. Cradling her chin in her
hand, Naomi began to think about the possible rescue, their cargo, and
what she could sacrifice to either give the craft a push or to extend
life support. As it was, she had reduced the oxygen output to the least
amount within safety limits, leaving them light headed if any strenuous
activity was performed. Once she received confirmation that rescue was
really on the way, she would override the controls and limit the oxygen
release even further in attempt to extend it for as long as possible.
Stars within her line of sight disappeared again, and she closed her
eyes tight, opening them slowly. It was well within the realm of
possibilities that the lack of oxygen was making her hallucinate, but
she didn't have the usual symptoms associated with oxygen deprivation.
"Computer, magnify upper right quadrant of display." Concentrating on
the spot, she began a silent count, waiting for the stars to reappear.
"Unable to comply. External sensors are inoperable."
Nearly fifteen seconds went by before she saw the stars again. The
Toledo's drifting pattern couldn't explain why the stars seemed to wink
in and out of existence as she watched, unless there was something
within her line of sight.
"Is there something wrong?" Drefen drifted towards her, his hand
reaching out for the copilot's chair as a brace. Carefully he lowered
himself into the chair and strapped himself in.
"Not sure yet." Naomi frowned, wishing the ship still had some external
sensors. "How's Karnier?"
"Doing much better now that she is conscious. Her chances for survival
have improved significantly."
"Good. One less thing we have to worry about."
Drefen turned his head to look at Naomi, noticing the frown of confusion
on her face. Her lips were moving slightly as she concentrated on the
view beyond the canopy. Her hand had made a loose fist as her thumbnail
began to pick at a callous on her middle finger. Naomi's lips paused
briefly before the tip of her tongue slid across them, her frown finally
deepening into a grimace.
"Naomi, what is it?"
"Do we still have those long-range monoculars with the ultraviolet and
infrared settings?" She didn't look at him, just continued to stare out
into the stars.
"I believe so. They should be stored up here." Carefully the Minbari
reached over to a storage compartment beside his chair along the wall.
Pressing the hatch to open it, he pulled open the small door and reached
in, pushing aside the other items stashed within. A few attempted
escape, drifting through the zero-gee, but he carefully pushed them back
in after taking out the monoculars.
"Care to tell me what this is about?" He handed them to Naomi and
watched as she raised them to her face with one hand, adjusting the
width for the space between her eyes with a press against her nose.
Instead of two separate series of lenses for each eye, there was a dual
view, reflected into a projection for both eyes. With her thumb, Naomi
toggled the power switch, the projection coming to life with various
scale and range functions displaying data below the image. Slowly she
increased the magnification by rotating a preset dial, bringing into
range what she had been trying to see. A vague shape masked the bright
illumination from the stars and with apprehension she fine-tuned the
image. Only a faint outline was visible, sharp edges and angles
protruding like those of an insect's exoskeleton.
A toggle of another switch gave her ultraviolet vision as the monoculars
converted the signal into the visible spectrum. Hues ranging from light
lavenders to deep purples and blues defined the hull further as it
reflected, the metal fluorescing in the radiation. The shape was
unmistakable.
"Aw hell." Naomi lowered the monoculars, resting them against her chin.
"What is it? Another ship?"
"Yeah," Naomi turned towards Drefen, the concern clear in her features,
"A Drakh fighter. And when there's one, there's usually more."
"May I see?" The Minbari reached out his hand.
"Sure. It's off the starboard bow. I noticed it when a few stars
winked out." She pointed to the space beyond the canopy with the
monoculars before she handed them to him.
"I see it." He adjusted the focus for his eyes. "Unfortunately we
can't get a distance reading."
"No, there's nothing between us to gauge the reading on. Although the
range on those monoculars are about fifteen miles and they're nearly
maxed out to get the ship in focus."
"I think we may have unwillingly become the - how do you say, cheese in
the mousetrap?" Drefen lowered the monoculars to his lap and turned
once again to Naomi. His eyes widened, betraying his atypical lack of
inner calm.
"And the mouse in this case is the Excalibur. We're going to have to
alert them somehow without the Drakh figuring it out. Have any
suggestions?"
"I suggest that we should wait until they are further within
communications range so that our warning is clear. Perhaps there is an
unofficial code we could use to alert them to the situation?" Drefen
questioned. "You were in Earthforce at one time and this is an
Earthforce ship."
"Yes, but communications of those type were encrypted and sent on
specific channels. The Toledo no longer has that function since being
decommissioned." Naomi managed to smile, reaching over to pat the
Minbari's shoulder. "I do have an idea though."
"Oh?"
"I wonder how much the captain of the Excalibur knows about fishing."
"Fishing?" Drefen looked perplexed.
"Yes, fishing."