Breckin
glanced over a Simpson, lying naked beside him. "Can I ask you
something?"
"Shoot."
"Why
did you do that?"
Simpson
propped herself up on one elbow. "Because I like you, Lance.
You're cute, and you're a nice guy when people give you the chance."
He
arched his eyebrow at her. "You think I'm cute?"
She
smiled broadly. "Definitely."
Breckin
had to smile back at her. No one had ever told him that before. He
did not even care that she had gotten his last name wrong earlier in
the night.
"We
should get dressed. It looks like the party's over," Simpson
replied, glancing at the video screen. She reached for her uniform.
"Already?"
Breckin sat up, and reached for his pants. "I would have
thought..." he let the sentence trail off, standing up.
Simpson
pulled Breckin close to her, and kissed him. "Don't tell anyone
about us, alright, Lance?"
Us.
What does she mean? "Not if
you don't want me to," he agreed stupidly.
Simpson kissed him again, then
left him staring after her. Breckin shook his head. "I just had
sex on the floor of the Bridge." He blinked a couple of times.
"Interesting."
* * *
"Mornin', Morty,"
Lou greeted him with a smile.
"Mornin', Mi," Park
grinned.
She rolled her eyes at him,
and fell in step as they made their way to the Bridge.
"Lou, Park, you're late,"
Lindsey stated as they entered.
"Sorry,
Cap. I slept in. She
was just tardy."
Lou punched Park in the back
of his shoulder as he went up to his station.
"Hello," Jenkens
nodded at her. Breckin signed off, then left without a word. "Sleep
well?"
"Shut
up, Jenkens. That's not even remotely
funny."
"You left with Park last
night, you return with Park this morning. There's a question in these
raised eyebrows."
"You started that damned
rumour, didn't you?" she exploded. The look in his eyes told her
the answer. "You son of a bitch!"
"Oh, calm down, Lou."
She glared at him, so blinded
by her anger that she couldn't think of anything to say.
"Is there a problem over
here?" Lindsey asked them.
Lou turned to her station,
still unable to form words.
"Nah. We're good,"
Jenkens shrugged, pleasantly smiling up at his Captain.
Lindsey raised an eyebrow,
then moved over to McDougall and the engineering post.
"I can't believe you did
that," Lou shook her head.
"I
can't believe you're so naïve that you didn't think someone
would get the impression that-"
"Just drop it," she
ordered.
"Look, Lou, I'm-"
"Drop it."
The ship jerked suddenly, and
Park was thrown over his station. He lay on his back, staring up at
the ceiling, breathing deeply.
"Park, are you alright?"
Lindsey stood over him.
He raised his arm, pointing at
the ceiling. "That bulb's burnt out."
"Yeah," Lindsey
threw a look at the row of light indicated. "I'll get someone
right on that."
The ship lurched again,
sending Lindsey toppling over Park.
"Captain, we've lost our
forward thrusters!" McDougall exclaimed. "We're dead in
space."
"Red
alert. Shields up!" Lindsey yelled orders at his crew, as he
righted himself. He looked down at Park, who was still in a daze.
"And get Nordat up here now."
"No,
no," Park got up. "I'm okay." He leaned on the nearest
inanimate object, which proceeded to slide out from under him, and he
found himself back on the floor. He got up quickly, straightened his
uniform, then replied, "I am
okay."
"Then
take your station, and prove it," the Captain growled. The Angel
shook, and he had to grasp the railing to keep from losing his
balance. "What the hell is shooting at us?"
Lou threw her hands up in the
air. "My station's dead."
"Should I still get
Nordat up?" Jenkens asked.
Lindsey threw a look at Park.
"ASAP!"
"Who's a sap? I'm not a
sap!" Park protested.
The Captain ignored him. "What
keeps blasting us?" he yelled.
"Whatever it is, I can't
find it on the scope," Jenkens muttered.
"You know what that
means, people. McDougall, get us out of here!"
"The Empire has cloaking
devices," Lou shook her head, talking to herself.
Jareena?
The word was a question in her head.
"Maul?" Lou breathed
incredulously.
"Huh?" She looked
over at Jenkens. "What did you just say?"
Lou blinked at her crewmate.
"I said...um...damn it all."
"That's not what it
sounded like to me," he argued.
"Well that's what-"
Jareena.
Lou looked around the bridge
frantically, getting up from her station.
"What's wrong, Lou?"
Jenkens put his hand on her shoulder to get her attention.
Jareena,
I know you can hear me.
"Who are you?" she
yelled at the air.
You
know who I am.
"Mi," Park
approached her slowly.
"Leave me alone!"
Lou yelled, pushing Park away.
"Jenkens-" Lindsey
started to tell him to call up Breckin.
"Already done, Sir,"
Jenkens nodded.
"Lou, maybe you should go
back to your quarters," Lindsey suggested gently, following her
to the viewscreen.
I
am here.
She put her hand up against
the plexiglass. "Where?"
"Come on, Mi. I think we
both need a break," Park put his hand on her shoulder.
Breckin and Nordat stepped
onto the bridge and took up their positions.
"This station is dead,"
Breckin grumbled, smacking the side of the monitor.
"Yeah," Jenkens
whispered to him. "We know."
Breckin glared at him. "So
then what am I needed for?"
"Fix it, Breckson. You're
here to fix it."
"It's Breckin," he
muttered, but Jenkens did not hear it.
Park nudged Lou gently. "Hey,
what are you staring at?"
"I-" Lou turned to
look at him. "Stars. Just the stars."
Park's eyebrows went up in
confusion, and he did not hide it well. "There are a lot of
stars, Mi."
"Lou, you are relieved
from duty for the time being," Lindsey told her firmly, though
he regretted having to say it.
She met his gaze. "If
that's what you feel is best."
Although she was looking at
him and talking to him, Lindsey could not shake that Lou seemed to be
lightyears away. "I do."
Lou nodded, and turned back to
the window.
"Come on, Mi," Park
took her by the hand, leading her off the bridge.
* * *
"It was him, Morty,"
Lou said. "I know it was."
"You still haven't told
me who 'he' is," Park folded his arms across his chest. He had
been worried about her before, and that was why he had stayed with
her in her quarters. He had been uncertain as to whether she would
stay in them or not. Lou seemed to be herself again, though.
Lou scrutinized Park from
where she sat in a a beanbag chair on the floor. "I don't think
I should tell you that," she replied carefully. That statement
would hurt his feelings, but she did not want to lie to him.
"Oh," he lowered his
eyes, his disappointment showing in his face.
"I'm sorry, Morty. I
just-I dunno. It was a long time ago, and I'm a different person
now," she smiled mirthlessly. "I've been trying so hard not
to mix my past with my present because I'm so afraid of my future,"
she looked down at the floor.
"We're all afraid of our
futures," then he added, "or lack thereof. You can't worry
about it. Just take each day in stride."
"Thanks, Morty, I
appreciate that you're trying to help, but..."
"You don't have to tell
me about him if you don't want to. I won't push."
Lou stared at him again,
trying to reach a decision. She was tired of carrying secrets. She
trusted Park to keep his mouth shut, if she did tell him about Darth
Maul. "Okay," she got up from the beanbag chair. "But
it doesn't leave this room. Got it, Morty? This is just between us,
no one else can know."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it.
Big secret, hush hush. No problem." Visibly, his mood had
brightened.
"This is probably a bad
idea, but," she took the sketch of Darth Maul out of the drawer,
and brought it over to show Park. "That's him."
"Whoa, Mi, this is Darth
Maul," he took the drawing from her. "You know that he's
dead, right?"
"I
thought he was dead.
But it was his voice inside my head, I know it was. He was calling to
me."
"But that Jedi Knight
sliced him in two. Everyone knows that."
"Maybe-" she cut
herself off. "Nevermind."
"Maybe...he didn't cut
him in half? Mi-"
"I know. That's why I
said nevermind. But how else do you explain it?"
Park thought about it for a
minute, before a wide grin corrupted his pensive expression. "Maybe
his ghost is haunting you," he said in a deep, ghastly voice.
"Very funny, Morty."
"Hey, you asked how else
I could explain it," he shrugged, handing her back the picture
of the Sith Lord. "So how did you meet tall, tattooed and
horny?"
Lou shot Park a death glare,
then realized from the innocent expression on his face that he had
not meant it like that. "In a bar."
"Oh?" Park's
expression was turing devious.
Lou rolled her eyes at him.
"Alright, Morty, you know too much already. This is where the
lesson in my past ends."
"Aw, c'mon, Mi,"
Park pouted. When he saw that she would not be swayed, he gave up
with a shrug. "Okay, okay. I probably should go. Maybe I'm
needed on the Bridge."
"Right," Lou nodded.
"Tell Lindsey that I'm not-"
"Crazy? No problem."
"That's not what I was
going to use."
"Yeah, I know."
Lou arched her eyebrow at
Park's back as he left her quarters.
Jareena.
The doors slid shut, and Lou
was alone in her quarters.
You're
dead, Maul, you've been dead for over three years.
Lou thought, not expecting a reply.
That's
what you have been led to believe.
Lou jumped in surprise,
looking wildly around the room.
Do
not be afraid. There was a
pause. I will not harm you.
"You already have."
When there was no response, she blurted, "Why have you contacted
me now? Why not three damned years ago? Why at all, Maul?" Lou
was yelling.
There was no answer to her
questions.
"Dammit, where are you,
Maul?"
Nothing.
* * *
"Alright," Breckin
told Simpson. "I found it," he grinned like a schoolboy at
her, a small black computer disk in his hand.
"See, I told you you knew
where it was," Simpson smiled back, wrapping a sheet around her
naked body. She reached for the disk, but Breckin pulled his hand
back. "Lance," she whined.
"There is very sensitive
stuffs on this disk, Cor," he replied seriously.
"Stuffs, hey?" she
teased him.
"Yes, stuffs. Maybe I
shouldn't-"
"Oh, come on, Sweetie. No
one'll know. I won't tell if you won't."
"Promise?"
Simpson kissed him
passionately, and Breckin surrendered the disk.