Last Call -- Chapter 14: Arial Acrobatics in the Extreme
The case still remained and Gideon swore. If Drefen was right and it
was a vaccination for Kegaan 8, he couldn't leave it behind and have the
death or suffering of a whole planet on his conscience. Grabbing it by
the carrying strap, Matthew shoved the case into the empty pack that had
carried the harnesses and straps. The slow and methodical way he had to
walk back to the airlock annoyed him, each clurk of the magnets in his
boots against the deck reverberating in the empty room. Once within the
airlock, he closed the hatch behind himself and rechecked the equipment
and the Toledo's crew. Satisfied, he cycled the pressure, venting the
last of the oxygen in the small area out into space. When the external
port opened, Matthew crept forward and stepped around the bodies to peer
up the long line of plastisteel cable to Galen's flyer. The Technomage
had been successful so far.
The severely injured were the first to go. Attaching the bivouac's
tether to the cable, Gideon took the weightless body in his arms and
used the propulsion pack on his back to slide across the distance to the
flyer. He quickened his pace on the return trip to the Toledo,
straining on his own tether as he raced towards the hull, slowing down
only enough to prevent slamming into the freighter. While making the
trip with the other injured crew member he noticed something was wrong
with the position of the flyer.
The grapple arm had retracted.
"No, don't do this to me, please." Matthew begged the universe as he
hastily strapped the second bivouac into position within the airlock on
the flyer. The next trip he would have to bring two at a time if the
cable didn't snap first.
As fast as he could move, Gideon leapt from the edge of the ramp,
propelling himself towards the freighter as he fired the jets on the
pack to full burn. The hull came up on him fast and he threw the jets
in reverse, but not enough to keep him from crashing with sufficient
force to knock the wind from his lungs. Momentum bounced him back
slightly, but another burst from the pack pushed him forward again.
Matthew attached the pilot first and then Drefen, watching in horror as
the engines on the flyer glowed and fired, coming to life. Soundlessly
the rivets of the anchor point on the Toledo's hull beside him began to
loosen. His heart returned to its previous position in his throat as he
forced himself to move, to not give it a chance to completely give way
before he made it safely back to the flyer. Taking a hold of Drefen's
left arm, Matthew fired the pack and pressed himself against the
Minbari, using his body weight to push both crewmembers up the cable.
The plastisteel cable began to vibrate as the flyer strained, trying to
take off with the Toledo still attached. Gideon didn't bother to be
delicate, not wanting to be left behind as he finally noticed what had
made Galen's ship so impatient. Through the gap between the two ships
he saw the iridescent glow of a Drakh Raider's forward weapon's array as
it approached.
The few seconds it took to arrive at the ramp didn't pass quickly
enough. Fumbling with the tethers, Matthew placed the last two
crewmembers into the airlock. One last rivet in the anchor was keeping
the plastisteel cable attached to the Toledo and he didn't want to rely
on it breaking as soon as he needed it too. Fixing both of his tethers
to the ramp, Gideon reached for his utility belt and removed the
acetylene torch. Flipping down the amber visor in his helmet with his
left hand he steadily gripped the sparker and watched as the flame began
to glow.
The cable would be harder to cut so Gideon applied the torch to the
fastener on the flyer's ramp. The strain placed on it by trying to
force the Toledo out of its trajectory weakened the metal and it needed
only a little encouragement before it split completely, releasing the
cable with a vengeance.
Suddenly freed, the flyer nearly flipped over, the force pressing Gideon
to the ramp. The torch flew from his hand and he madly held on, praying
that the tethers would keep him from being thrown into the hatch. As
Galen's ship adjusted attitude and altitude, Gideon felt it bank port
side, making a tight arc away from the oncoming Raider.
Inertia forced his internal organs into places they had no right to be
as he hung sideways. Hazarding a quick glance over his shoulder he was
assured by the four other EVA suited bodies in the airlock. The
acrobatics hadn't disturbed them too much.
Finally Gideon found himself able to breathe again as the flyer righted
itself, speeding off in the opposite direction from the Drakh.
Scrambling backwards, Matthew reclamped his tethers one at a time as he
crawled off the ramp and into the airlock. Once inside, he palmed the
switch and thankfully watched the ramp close.
His legs wobbled uncontrollably and he collapsed beside the others.
Taking deep breaths, Matthew calmed himself before he cycled the
airlock. Another weary slap on the controls pressurized the small
chamber and opened the hatch into the main chamber of the flyer.
"I'm getting way too old for this." With a hiss, Gideon's helmet broke
its seal as he thumbed the latch before prying it off his head.
*~*~*~*
"Something's wrong." Matheson looked up from his lukewarm coffee.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know. I just feel something weird all of the sudden." Dureena
looked at him in concern.
"You picking up on Galen and the Captain?"
"I shouldn't be, but it's like--"
Matheson's com breeped at his wrist and in his ear. It nearly sent him
to the ceiling, not entirely expecting the interruption. He toggled a
switch on the bracelet so Dureena could hear the message as well.
"Matheson. Go."
"Lieutenant, we're picking up a disturbance in the Ghayn system." It
was Ensign Nielson in navigations. "Increased tachyon emissions also."
Matheson silently swore. "Launch primary 'Fury and Thunderbolt
squadrons to set up perimeters. I'm coming back to command."
"Launching primary squadrons, aye sir."
Dureena already had his mug and was placing it with hers in a bus tray
for cleaning.
"Thanks."
"No problem." She called after him as he raced through the doors of the
commissary. Running at nearly full tilt, John dodged through staff and
crew, hastily apologizing as he startled an engineering tech with a
stack of reports in her hand. The sheets of paper were tossed up in the
air and floated down like confetti, spilling in a circle around her
feet. She was angry, but he didn't have time to help her pick them up.
Matheson skidded past the tube doors and had to back track, slipping
into the car sideways as the doors began to slide shut. Giving the car
his command, the Lieutenant reached up to pull the microphone of the com
link at his ear back into place.
"Nielson, any telemetry on Galen's flyer?" He took a few deep breaths
to slow his pulse.
"No sir. Not as of yet. Fighters have been launched. What should they
be looking for, sir?"
"Anything and everything." Matheson mumbled, not sure himself.
"Sir?"
"It's a reasonable assumption, Ensign, that if there's something going
on in that system the Captain's involved. I want escorts on that flyer
as soon as the pilots detect it."
"Yes sir."
Matheson toggled a switch on the link, paging Doctor Chambers.
"Chambers here."
"It's Matheson, Doc. Is triage ready for patients?"
"Yes Lieutenant."
"Could you send a med team to the docking bay? Gideon will need
assistance."
"Of course. Chambers out."
A breep sounded and he quickly answered. "Matheson. Go."
"Theta squadron just spotted the flyer, sir."
"Excellent." The lift doors opened and the Lieutenant marched quickly
down the corridor.
"The also report a fleet of Raider-class Drakh ships not far behind
them. Orders?"
"Aw hell."
"Sir?" Matheson frowned. The Ensign had a lot to learn about
rhetorical answers. John stepped onto the bridge and cut the com link,
watching as Nielson tapped at the console before him in confusion.
"'Aw hell' means exactly that, Ensign." The younger man nearly leapt
out of his seat, clearly not expecting Matheson to arrive at command so
quickly. John allowed himself a small smile; perhaps he had been
gleaning too much of Gideon's command style lately.
"Start jamming their transmissions." The Communications officer nodded
curtly and began to work her controls. Another toggle of his com line
gave him direct broadcast with the squadrons.
"Theta leader, break off escort and form defensive grid." The pilot
complied and relayed the order. Standing behind the navigations console
Matheson concentrated on the shape of Galen's flyer as it grew in size,
coming closer to the Excalibur. "Do not engage unless fired upon. They
might make a run for it if we don't push them into a fight."
Turning to his left, John glanced at the sensor relay console that
picked up each ship within scanning distance, labeling it according to
its friend or foe status. The Lieutenant counted as they appeared.
Eight Raiders and one Cruiser so far.
"Launch secondary squads and put every thing else on standby."
John finally had clear line of sight of the flyer and it didn't take
much of a mental debate to decide to scan it. It wasn't a deep probe -
a P6 wouldn't be able to get much from the distance, but he did pick up
on six distinctive signatures, two of which he instantly recognized. He
sighed slightly in relief and slid into the command chair after
receiving confirmation that the flyer was aboard.
A ray of chartreuse refracted off the hull of the main beam cannon.
"They're firing on us, sir!" Nielson stated the obvious with a twinge
of panic in his voice.
"So they are. I made a promise to the Captain no harm would come to his
ship while I was in command. Let's not make me a liar. Get me a firing
solution on that Cruiser."
"Aye, sir!"
The case still remained and Gideon swore. If Drefen was right and it
was a vaccination for Kegaan 8, he couldn't leave it behind and have the
death or suffering of a whole planet on his conscience. Grabbing it by
the carrying strap, Matthew shoved the case into the empty pack that had
carried the harnesses and straps. The slow and methodical way he had to
walk back to the airlock annoyed him, each clurk of the magnets in his
boots against the deck reverberating in the empty room. Once within the
airlock, he closed the hatch behind himself and rechecked the equipment
and the Toledo's crew. Satisfied, he cycled the pressure, venting the
last of the oxygen in the small area out into space. When the external
port opened, Matthew crept forward and stepped around the bodies to peer
up the long line of plastisteel cable to Galen's flyer. The Technomage
had been successful so far.
The severely injured were the first to go. Attaching the bivouac's
tether to the cable, Gideon took the weightless body in his arms and
used the propulsion pack on his back to slide across the distance to the
flyer. He quickened his pace on the return trip to the Toledo,
straining on his own tether as he raced towards the hull, slowing down
only enough to prevent slamming into the freighter. While making the
trip with the other injured crew member he noticed something was wrong
with the position of the flyer.
The grapple arm had retracted.
"No, don't do this to me, please." Matthew begged the universe as he
hastily strapped the second bivouac into position within the airlock on
the flyer. The next trip he would have to bring two at a time if the
cable didn't snap first.
As fast as he could move, Gideon leapt from the edge of the ramp,
propelling himself towards the freighter as he fired the jets on the
pack to full burn. The hull came up on him fast and he threw the jets
in reverse, but not enough to keep him from crashing with sufficient
force to knock the wind from his lungs. Momentum bounced him back
slightly, but another burst from the pack pushed him forward again.
Matthew attached the pilot first and then Drefen, watching in horror as
the engines on the flyer glowed and fired, coming to life. Soundlessly
the rivets of the anchor point on the Toledo's hull beside him began to
loosen. His heart returned to its previous position in his throat as he
forced himself to move, to not give it a chance to completely give way
before he made it safely back to the flyer. Taking a hold of Drefen's
left arm, Matthew fired the pack and pressed himself against the
Minbari, using his body weight to push both crewmembers up the cable.
The plastisteel cable began to vibrate as the flyer strained, trying to
take off with the Toledo still attached. Gideon didn't bother to be
delicate, not wanting to be left behind as he finally noticed what had
made Galen's ship so impatient. Through the gap between the two ships
he saw the iridescent glow of a Drakh Raider's forward weapon's array as
it approached.
The few seconds it took to arrive at the ramp didn't pass quickly
enough. Fumbling with the tethers, Matthew placed the last two
crewmembers into the airlock. One last rivet in the anchor was keeping
the plastisteel cable attached to the Toledo and he didn't want to rely
on it breaking as soon as he needed it too. Fixing both of his tethers
to the ramp, Gideon reached for his utility belt and removed the
acetylene torch. Flipping down the amber visor in his helmet with his
left hand he steadily gripped the sparker and watched as the flame began
to glow.
The cable would be harder to cut so Gideon applied the torch to the
fastener on the flyer's ramp. The strain placed on it by trying to
force the Toledo out of its trajectory weakened the metal and it needed
only a little encouragement before it split completely, releasing the
cable with a vengeance.
Suddenly freed, the flyer nearly flipped over, the force pressing Gideon
to the ramp. The torch flew from his hand and he madly held on, praying
that the tethers would keep him from being thrown into the hatch. As
Galen's ship adjusted attitude and altitude, Gideon felt it bank port
side, making a tight arc away from the oncoming Raider.
Inertia forced his internal organs into places they had no right to be
as he hung sideways. Hazarding a quick glance over his shoulder he was
assured by the four other EVA suited bodies in the airlock. The
acrobatics hadn't disturbed them too much.
Finally Gideon found himself able to breathe again as the flyer righted
itself, speeding off in the opposite direction from the Drakh.
Scrambling backwards, Matthew reclamped his tethers one at a time as he
crawled off the ramp and into the airlock. Once inside, he palmed the
switch and thankfully watched the ramp close.
His legs wobbled uncontrollably and he collapsed beside the others.
Taking deep breaths, Matthew calmed himself before he cycled the
airlock. Another weary slap on the controls pressurized the small
chamber and opened the hatch into the main chamber of the flyer.
"I'm getting way too old for this." With a hiss, Gideon's helmet broke
its seal as he thumbed the latch before prying it off his head.
*~*~*~*
"Something's wrong." Matheson looked up from his lukewarm coffee.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know. I just feel something weird all of the sudden." Dureena
looked at him in concern.
"You picking up on Galen and the Captain?"
"I shouldn't be, but it's like--"
Matheson's com breeped at his wrist and in his ear. It nearly sent him
to the ceiling, not entirely expecting the interruption. He toggled a
switch on the bracelet so Dureena could hear the message as well.
"Matheson. Go."
"Lieutenant, we're picking up a disturbance in the Ghayn system." It
was Ensign Nielson in navigations. "Increased tachyon emissions also."
Matheson silently swore. "Launch primary 'Fury and Thunderbolt
squadrons to set up perimeters. I'm coming back to command."
"Launching primary squadrons, aye sir."
Dureena already had his mug and was placing it with hers in a bus tray
for cleaning.
"Thanks."
"No problem." She called after him as he raced through the doors of the
commissary. Running at nearly full tilt, John dodged through staff and
crew, hastily apologizing as he startled an engineering tech with a
stack of reports in her hand. The sheets of paper were tossed up in the
air and floated down like confetti, spilling in a circle around her
feet. She was angry, but he didn't have time to help her pick them up.
Matheson skidded past the tube doors and had to back track, slipping
into the car sideways as the doors began to slide shut. Giving the car
his command, the Lieutenant reached up to pull the microphone of the com
link at his ear back into place.
"Nielson, any telemetry on Galen's flyer?" He took a few deep breaths
to slow his pulse.
"No sir. Not as of yet. Fighters have been launched. What should they
be looking for, sir?"
"Anything and everything." Matheson mumbled, not sure himself.
"Sir?"
"It's a reasonable assumption, Ensign, that if there's something going
on in that system the Captain's involved. I want escorts on that flyer
as soon as the pilots detect it."
"Yes sir."
Matheson toggled a switch on the link, paging Doctor Chambers.
"Chambers here."
"It's Matheson, Doc. Is triage ready for patients?"
"Yes Lieutenant."
"Could you send a med team to the docking bay? Gideon will need
assistance."
"Of course. Chambers out."
A breep sounded and he quickly answered. "Matheson. Go."
"Theta squadron just spotted the flyer, sir."
"Excellent." The lift doors opened and the Lieutenant marched quickly
down the corridor.
"The also report a fleet of Raider-class Drakh ships not far behind
them. Orders?"
"Aw hell."
"Sir?" Matheson frowned. The Ensign had a lot to learn about
rhetorical answers. John stepped onto the bridge and cut the com link,
watching as Nielson tapped at the console before him in confusion.
"'Aw hell' means exactly that, Ensign." The younger man nearly leapt
out of his seat, clearly not expecting Matheson to arrive at command so
quickly. John allowed himself a small smile; perhaps he had been
gleaning too much of Gideon's command style lately.
"Start jamming their transmissions." The Communications officer nodded
curtly and began to work her controls. Another toggle of his com line
gave him direct broadcast with the squadrons.
"Theta leader, break off escort and form defensive grid." The pilot
complied and relayed the order. Standing behind the navigations console
Matheson concentrated on the shape of Galen's flyer as it grew in size,
coming closer to the Excalibur. "Do not engage unless fired upon. They
might make a run for it if we don't push them into a fight."
Turning to his left, John glanced at the sensor relay console that
picked up each ship within scanning distance, labeling it according to
its friend or foe status. The Lieutenant counted as they appeared.
Eight Raiders and one Cruiser so far.
"Launch secondary squads and put every thing else on standby."
John finally had clear line of sight of the flyer and it didn't take
much of a mental debate to decide to scan it. It wasn't a deep probe -
a P6 wouldn't be able to get much from the distance, but he did pick up
on six distinctive signatures, two of which he instantly recognized. He
sighed slightly in relief and slid into the command chair after
receiving confirmation that the flyer was aboard.
A ray of chartreuse refracted off the hull of the main beam cannon.
"They're firing on us, sir!" Nielson stated the obvious with a twinge
of panic in his voice.
"So they are. I made a promise to the Captain no harm would come to his
ship while I was in command. Let's not make me a liar. Get me a firing
solution on that Cruiser."
"Aye, sir!"