Last Call -- Chapter 10: Preparations
Author's Note: Many "thank you kindly"s to those who have given me feedback!
Naomi's eyes focused on the unnatural way his right arm floated, her
hand clutching the controls for the airlock as she mentally counted down
the seconds before she could open the hatch. The EVA suited Minbari
within slouched against the inner wall, using the last of his strength
to remain upright. Within a large duffle he carried in his left hand
were four undamaged EVA suits from the hold.
"Come on, come on." She angrily spoke to the air, annoyed with the
length of time the system was taking. A hiss of air pressurized the
airlock as it cycled, slowly reaching the necessary levels. She watched
for a few agonizing moments before the panel changed colors, indicating
all safety precautions had been completed. Her palm slammed into the
release knob and the door slid open on its tracks. The Minbari drifted
to her as she reached towards him with a hand, straining against the
tether that kept her fixed to the wall. Finally Naomi grabbed him,
fisting her hand in the suit's fabric to drag him closer.
"Are you all right?" She looked through the clear plastic visor at his
pale face, his eyelids fluttering rapidly. "Drefen, answer me please!"
"In Valen's name, not so loud. I'm injured, not deaf." He could hear
her outside the suit as well as through the portable com attached to her
ear that played in his headset. The device had been used to keep in
contact as he went through the hold. Drefen didn't open his eyes and
his lips barely moved. With effort and a deep moan, he managed to push
the bundle towards her. "Take them."
Ignoring him momentarily, she clamped his floating tether to her belt to
make sure he was anchored. Urgently he felt for her hand and pressed
the handles of the duffle bag into it. "Take them. Need to rest. Tell
Excalibur…leak fixed."
Unceremoniously, Drefen passed out, his body becoming limp against
hers. Frantically Naomi tried to wake him in fright that something more
serious was wrong. She released the duffle and it began to float away,
but she didn't care; she would be able to find it later. Drefen was her
primary concern.
"Oh god, Drefen!" Despite the pain, Naomi lifted her wounded arm and
reached to steady his head. She cried out in agony as she forced the
arm to work, tossing the EVA helmet aside when she had finally pried it
off. Quickly she checked his pulse, thanking God, Valen, and any other
diety she could think of as she felt his strong pulse coming from
beneath his pale skin. With any luck, the broken arm was the extent of
his fresh injuries.
"Computer." It beeped in response. Straining, Naomi began to slowly
pull her way back through the corridor leading to command, reattaching
her tether to each new anchor. Drefen's motionless body dragged behind,
gently bumping against her as she moved.
"Record message for broadcast transmission on last established frequency
to the Excalibur." Naomi fought to keep the emotion out of her voice.
Another beep told her the computer was ready for her message.
"Toledo to Excalibur. All systems green. Proceed as scheduled. Toledo
out." The computer chirped one final time as it began transmission.
"Remind me to thoroughly thrash you when we get out of this, Drefen.
Why the hell didn't you tell me about the plasma leak before you tried
to stop it?" Naomi cursed angrily at the unconscious Minbari behind her
as tears began to cloud her vision. "Men! You're all the same no
matter the race!"
*~*~*~*
"Captain, are you sure you want to do this?" John knew the question was
pointless before he even asked it; of course Gideon wanted to tempt fate
again. No one was ever stranded on his watch. No one.
"I have to. There's no other way." Matthew sat at his desk in his
quarters as he scratched a few notes on a pad of stationary. He was
trying to complete the last of the paperwork before he left, not wanting
to leave it for Matheson in case anything happened. The Lieutenant had
just arrived with confirmation from the Toledo that the plasma leak had
been plugged.
"I know sir, but…." Matheson's voice trailed off, his lips setting in a
thin line. Gideon looked up and smiled.
"Look John, this Mother Hen act that you've taken on is quite charming,
but I think you're investing too much into it for my benefit." Gideon
dropped the pen and leaned back. He folded his hands over his stomach
as he turned the chair to face Matheson. "Don't get me wrong, it's nice
to be loved, but come on."
John finally smiled, bowing his head slightly as he stood beside
Gideon's desk. "I thought 'Mother Hen' was in my job description as
first officer, sir." His smile quickly turned into a smirk. "And to
act as your sense of self-preservation since you seem to lack one."
Matthew laughed. "Noticed that, did you?"
"Just be careful." The Lieutenant's face softened as he repeated his
caution.
"I usually try to be." Slowly Gideon stood, sliding the chair beneath
the desk. "But if I do get myself killed, I want you to head to our
next set of coordinates and keep looking. You know where I keep my logs
so you're welcome to them. I've done a little research on my own and
I've mentioned a couple possibilities."
"Yes sir." John nodded. His eyes followed as Gideon picked up a
blue-glass bishop from the chess set on his desk. The Captain tumbled
it in his hands, contemplating the smooth surface.
"You better take good care of her." The Lieutenant knew Matthew
referred to the Excalibur.
"Of course, sir, like a mother."
"Good, 'cause if anything happens to her on your watch, I'll know."
"Yes sir."
"No priest in the universe will be able to exorcise me."
Matheson shook his head, watching the large smile form over Gideon's
face. Matthew was purposely stalling, but for what, the Lieutenant
wasn't quite sure. The Captain returned the chess piece to the board
and placed both hands on his hips. Turning, he faced his first officer
again.
"Galen is going to preprogram his flyer to return to the Excalibur at a
determined time. If something happens to us and we're detected by the
Drakh, you'll know about it. Jump in at our last known coordinates and
take them out. Don't come trying to rescue us - just destroy the
Drakh. That is your primary goal. Pick up our debris afterward, not
before." A wary smile returned to his face.
A head nod was Matheson's only reply, not really wanting to think about
the possibility that the plan wouldn't work. The Captain was blindly
staking his life on Galen's abilities to bend reality. Matheson had
served with Gideon long enough to know that the risks were always
calculated and weighed against the benefits. A tip of the scales in the
wrong direction meant Gideon would call it off without hesitation.
Gideon removed his uniform vest and folded it in half, smoothing it over
the back of his desk chair with a hand. He walked around John and
opened his closet, pulling from the rack a dark leather jacket. After
setting the hanger back in the closet, Matthew swung the jacket over his
head, slipping his arms into the sleeves.
"Did you get the equipment I requested?" Gideon adjusted his collar,
flattening the worn leather over the back of his neck. Sticking two
fingers up each cuffs one at a time, he adjusted the fabric of his
shirt, pulling out the gathers. Satisfied, Matthew zipped up the jacket
to mid-chest.
"Yes sir. I had the technicians assemble it in docking bay. There are
medical supplies as well, courtesy of Doctor Chambers."
Gideon nodded eagerly. "Good idea. I'm not exactly a field medic, but
I can try to make them more comfortable." He patted his pockets and
glanced around looking for something, but he couldn't remember what.
His brow creased in concentration as he tried to think.
"One other thing." Finally remembering, Matthew picked up a data
crystal from the shelf beneath the vid console. "I need you to maintain
communications silence. We're pushing it as it is with this plan. If
there's a discrepancy, the Drakh are going to know it. Besides which,
Galen is going to need every ounce of concentration he has to pull this
off."
"Do you think he will?" Matheson's eyebrows lifted in concern.
"I'm not sure, but I have to trust him that he can." The Captain
smiled, motioning towards the door with a hand. "I don't think Galen's
the type to get himself into something he couldn't be successful at.
Would hurt his ego and make him look bad."
Matheson smiled wide and followed Gideon to the door. They walked down
the corridor to the bullet car, traveling together to the docking bay.
*~*~*~*
Galen stared, unblinking, as he sat, comfortably reclining in a black
leather armchair. Arcs and lines of neon green striped over the irises
of his eyes, the implant lenses displaying the systems he was working
with. Diagnostics were being run in the background as he tasked his
ship to make sure all was functioning correctly. He was barely aware of
his own breathing, so focused on his concentration, but at the same
time, every muscle in his body was rigid and strained.
It also served to make sure the Technomage could remain in control as he
began the delicate operation of creating illusions. Galen had spent the
time since agreeing to Gideon's plan devising the equations he would
need, practicing in small scale. Once he was satisfied with what his
conjurings would achieve, he filed them in his mind in an easily
accessible fashion. He could use them at will, pulling forward an
equation, adding to it dimension and intensity, before projecting them
alone or in combination.
He took a deep breath, allowing it to expand his chest and stomach.
Very slowly Galen released it, forcing the tension from his body. A
strange feeling grew in his gut and he could sense his heart beginning
to beat faster, echoed by the implants and his extremities. It was
nervousness and it had been foreign to him for a long time. The
Technomage was confident in his abilities-they had kept him alive and
unharmed for the most part. Now that Matthew had become dependant on
them as well, the situation changed. Not only was Galen responsible for
himself, but for another and the beings they were trying to save from a
gruesome death.
The last time someone had been so dependant on his talents it had cost
him the dearest thing in his life. She would have never been so
judgmental, but Galen couldn't give himself that kindness. In his eyes,
his incompetence and fear had cost Isabelle her life, robbing him of
someone that had made him truly happy.
The tension in his body returned ten fold.
Angrily Galen shook his head to clear the thoughts and his concentration
dissolved. Closing his eyes, he assisted the implant lenses to return
to their resting spot near the optic nerves. Gathering the sides of his
opened overcoat, he stood and the leather chair disappeared to show the
rough black floor beneath his feet.
"This will not do." With his eyes still shut, he sent an impulse from
the implants to his hand, lifting it to draw a flame-circumference
circle before his face. As he slowly opened his eyes, the middle began
to fill with the image of a young woman in a brown frock. Long
strawberry blonde hair fell past her shoulders, the loose strands tucked
behind ears that stood out a little too far from her head. A sly smile
stretched her lips and lightened her welcoming gray eyes. Galen's
pained gaze absorbed the image, his focus moving to her strong slender
hands, hands that wove fabric and dispersion shields with such grace and
accuracy that it astonished him.
Galen's hand moved to the image, extending towards it as if he could
reach through and pull her through, back to the living. Slowly the
circle rippled at his touch before it dissolved, leaving his hand alone
in the air and the emptiness growing in his heart.
"Perhaps this time I will be able to follow through on my obligation of
protection, my love."
Author's Note: Many "thank you kindly"s to those who have given me feedback!
Naomi's eyes focused on the unnatural way his right arm floated, her
hand clutching the controls for the airlock as she mentally counted down
the seconds before she could open the hatch. The EVA suited Minbari
within slouched against the inner wall, using the last of his strength
to remain upright. Within a large duffle he carried in his left hand
were four undamaged EVA suits from the hold.
"Come on, come on." She angrily spoke to the air, annoyed with the
length of time the system was taking. A hiss of air pressurized the
airlock as it cycled, slowly reaching the necessary levels. She watched
for a few agonizing moments before the panel changed colors, indicating
all safety precautions had been completed. Her palm slammed into the
release knob and the door slid open on its tracks. The Minbari drifted
to her as she reached towards him with a hand, straining against the
tether that kept her fixed to the wall. Finally Naomi grabbed him,
fisting her hand in the suit's fabric to drag him closer.
"Are you all right?" She looked through the clear plastic visor at his
pale face, his eyelids fluttering rapidly. "Drefen, answer me please!"
"In Valen's name, not so loud. I'm injured, not deaf." He could hear
her outside the suit as well as through the portable com attached to her
ear that played in his headset. The device had been used to keep in
contact as he went through the hold. Drefen didn't open his eyes and
his lips barely moved. With effort and a deep moan, he managed to push
the bundle towards her. "Take them."
Ignoring him momentarily, she clamped his floating tether to her belt to
make sure he was anchored. Urgently he felt for her hand and pressed
the handles of the duffle bag into it. "Take them. Need to rest. Tell
Excalibur…leak fixed."
Unceremoniously, Drefen passed out, his body becoming limp against
hers. Frantically Naomi tried to wake him in fright that something more
serious was wrong. She released the duffle and it began to float away,
but she didn't care; she would be able to find it later. Drefen was her
primary concern.
"Oh god, Drefen!" Despite the pain, Naomi lifted her wounded arm and
reached to steady his head. She cried out in agony as she forced the
arm to work, tossing the EVA helmet aside when she had finally pried it
off. Quickly she checked his pulse, thanking God, Valen, and any other
diety she could think of as she felt his strong pulse coming from
beneath his pale skin. With any luck, the broken arm was the extent of
his fresh injuries.
"Computer." It beeped in response. Straining, Naomi began to slowly
pull her way back through the corridor leading to command, reattaching
her tether to each new anchor. Drefen's motionless body dragged behind,
gently bumping against her as she moved.
"Record message for broadcast transmission on last established frequency
to the Excalibur." Naomi fought to keep the emotion out of her voice.
Another beep told her the computer was ready for her message.
"Toledo to Excalibur. All systems green. Proceed as scheduled. Toledo
out." The computer chirped one final time as it began transmission.
"Remind me to thoroughly thrash you when we get out of this, Drefen.
Why the hell didn't you tell me about the plasma leak before you tried
to stop it?" Naomi cursed angrily at the unconscious Minbari behind her
as tears began to cloud her vision. "Men! You're all the same no
matter the race!"
*~*~*~*
"Captain, are you sure you want to do this?" John knew the question was
pointless before he even asked it; of course Gideon wanted to tempt fate
again. No one was ever stranded on his watch. No one.
"I have to. There's no other way." Matthew sat at his desk in his
quarters as he scratched a few notes on a pad of stationary. He was
trying to complete the last of the paperwork before he left, not wanting
to leave it for Matheson in case anything happened. The Lieutenant had
just arrived with confirmation from the Toledo that the plasma leak had
been plugged.
"I know sir, but…." Matheson's voice trailed off, his lips setting in a
thin line. Gideon looked up and smiled.
"Look John, this Mother Hen act that you've taken on is quite charming,
but I think you're investing too much into it for my benefit." Gideon
dropped the pen and leaned back. He folded his hands over his stomach
as he turned the chair to face Matheson. "Don't get me wrong, it's nice
to be loved, but come on."
John finally smiled, bowing his head slightly as he stood beside
Gideon's desk. "I thought 'Mother Hen' was in my job description as
first officer, sir." His smile quickly turned into a smirk. "And to
act as your sense of self-preservation since you seem to lack one."
Matthew laughed. "Noticed that, did you?"
"Just be careful." The Lieutenant's face softened as he repeated his
caution.
"I usually try to be." Slowly Gideon stood, sliding the chair beneath
the desk. "But if I do get myself killed, I want you to head to our
next set of coordinates and keep looking. You know where I keep my logs
so you're welcome to them. I've done a little research on my own and
I've mentioned a couple possibilities."
"Yes sir." John nodded. His eyes followed as Gideon picked up a
blue-glass bishop from the chess set on his desk. The Captain tumbled
it in his hands, contemplating the smooth surface.
"You better take good care of her." The Lieutenant knew Matthew
referred to the Excalibur.
"Of course, sir, like a mother."
"Good, 'cause if anything happens to her on your watch, I'll know."
"Yes sir."
"No priest in the universe will be able to exorcise me."
Matheson shook his head, watching the large smile form over Gideon's
face. Matthew was purposely stalling, but for what, the Lieutenant
wasn't quite sure. The Captain returned the chess piece to the board
and placed both hands on his hips. Turning, he faced his first officer
again.
"Galen is going to preprogram his flyer to return to the Excalibur at a
determined time. If something happens to us and we're detected by the
Drakh, you'll know about it. Jump in at our last known coordinates and
take them out. Don't come trying to rescue us - just destroy the
Drakh. That is your primary goal. Pick up our debris afterward, not
before." A wary smile returned to his face.
A head nod was Matheson's only reply, not really wanting to think about
the possibility that the plan wouldn't work. The Captain was blindly
staking his life on Galen's abilities to bend reality. Matheson had
served with Gideon long enough to know that the risks were always
calculated and weighed against the benefits. A tip of the scales in the
wrong direction meant Gideon would call it off without hesitation.
Gideon removed his uniform vest and folded it in half, smoothing it over
the back of his desk chair with a hand. He walked around John and
opened his closet, pulling from the rack a dark leather jacket. After
setting the hanger back in the closet, Matthew swung the jacket over his
head, slipping his arms into the sleeves.
"Did you get the equipment I requested?" Gideon adjusted his collar,
flattening the worn leather over the back of his neck. Sticking two
fingers up each cuffs one at a time, he adjusted the fabric of his
shirt, pulling out the gathers. Satisfied, Matthew zipped up the jacket
to mid-chest.
"Yes sir. I had the technicians assemble it in docking bay. There are
medical supplies as well, courtesy of Doctor Chambers."
Gideon nodded eagerly. "Good idea. I'm not exactly a field medic, but
I can try to make them more comfortable." He patted his pockets and
glanced around looking for something, but he couldn't remember what.
His brow creased in concentration as he tried to think.
"One other thing." Finally remembering, Matthew picked up a data
crystal from the shelf beneath the vid console. "I need you to maintain
communications silence. We're pushing it as it is with this plan. If
there's a discrepancy, the Drakh are going to know it. Besides which,
Galen is going to need every ounce of concentration he has to pull this
off."
"Do you think he will?" Matheson's eyebrows lifted in concern.
"I'm not sure, but I have to trust him that he can." The Captain
smiled, motioning towards the door with a hand. "I don't think Galen's
the type to get himself into something he couldn't be successful at.
Would hurt his ego and make him look bad."
Matheson smiled wide and followed Gideon to the door. They walked down
the corridor to the bullet car, traveling together to the docking bay.
*~*~*~*
Galen stared, unblinking, as he sat, comfortably reclining in a black
leather armchair. Arcs and lines of neon green striped over the irises
of his eyes, the implant lenses displaying the systems he was working
with. Diagnostics were being run in the background as he tasked his
ship to make sure all was functioning correctly. He was barely aware of
his own breathing, so focused on his concentration, but at the same
time, every muscle in his body was rigid and strained.
It also served to make sure the Technomage could remain in control as he
began the delicate operation of creating illusions. Galen had spent the
time since agreeing to Gideon's plan devising the equations he would
need, practicing in small scale. Once he was satisfied with what his
conjurings would achieve, he filed them in his mind in an easily
accessible fashion. He could use them at will, pulling forward an
equation, adding to it dimension and intensity, before projecting them
alone or in combination.
He took a deep breath, allowing it to expand his chest and stomach.
Very slowly Galen released it, forcing the tension from his body. A
strange feeling grew in his gut and he could sense his heart beginning
to beat faster, echoed by the implants and his extremities. It was
nervousness and it had been foreign to him for a long time. The
Technomage was confident in his abilities-they had kept him alive and
unharmed for the most part. Now that Matthew had become dependant on
them as well, the situation changed. Not only was Galen responsible for
himself, but for another and the beings they were trying to save from a
gruesome death.
The last time someone had been so dependant on his talents it had cost
him the dearest thing in his life. She would have never been so
judgmental, but Galen couldn't give himself that kindness. In his eyes,
his incompetence and fear had cost Isabelle her life, robbing him of
someone that had made him truly happy.
The tension in his body returned ten fold.
Angrily Galen shook his head to clear the thoughts and his concentration
dissolved. Closing his eyes, he assisted the implant lenses to return
to their resting spot near the optic nerves. Gathering the sides of his
opened overcoat, he stood and the leather chair disappeared to show the
rough black floor beneath his feet.
"This will not do." With his eyes still shut, he sent an impulse from
the implants to his hand, lifting it to draw a flame-circumference
circle before his face. As he slowly opened his eyes, the middle began
to fill with the image of a young woman in a brown frock. Long
strawberry blonde hair fell past her shoulders, the loose strands tucked
behind ears that stood out a little too far from her head. A sly smile
stretched her lips and lightened her welcoming gray eyes. Galen's
pained gaze absorbed the image, his focus moving to her strong slender
hands, hands that wove fabric and dispersion shields with such grace and
accuracy that it astonished him.
Galen's hand moved to the image, extending towards it as if he could
reach through and pull her through, back to the living. Slowly the
circle rippled at his touch before it dissolved, leaving his hand alone
in the air and the emptiness growing in his heart.
"Perhaps this time I will be able to follow through on my obligation of
protection, my love."