Scission: Teamwork
Beka and Tyr made their way through the empty corridors in a companionable formation that spoke of familiarity and experience. They had passed a forward airlock when the hall floor ramped up to a large partially closed door. They parted. Beka padded up to the left side of the door, Tyr, rifle levelled, prowled to the right. Force-lance ready, she crouched and ducked in knowing without looking the Nietzschean would supply covering fire.
It was the command centre. All the stations were black, but the emergency lighting was superior to the corridors they had roamed. Like the guard station, all the occupants were comatose. Beka crept in, something is off, something is missing. It was only then that she noticed the forward windows showed the dead fleet as she expected but beyond where there should be stars was nothing ... except grey. An amphorous nothing where the band of the Milkyway should be.
"Tyr."
"Yes." His voice came from behind her.
"Look out the window." She tipped her head at the main forward view port. "What do you see?"
She felt as much as heard him close the distance between them. "There are no stars."
"I wonder where we are?" This abnormality could have burst her fragile sense of hope but it didn't. What she felt was a growing anger and annoyance. She didn't like it when the universe slapped her in face with a big surprise. Her first instinct was always a full battle yell and to run head long against it, but well there is nothing we can do ... so just keep doing.
"I sugguest we ignore this ... peculiarity and concentrate on securing the ship." Tyr echoing her thoughts was reassuring in its normality. They were usually united in their warnings of caution to balance Dylan's near oblivious optimism.
She sighed and nodded. One thing at a time. She walked over to the closest alien. It was in a similar state, as far as she could tell, to the guards.
Beka counted ten aliens. She glanced out into the hall and caught Tyr's eye. She stood grabbed an arm and hauled the alien toward the airlock. Not having found the Nietzschean's ammo belt it was best to improvise. She dropped her cargo and turned to go for another as Tyr arrived with two and silently started to work the manual override on the inside door locking mechanism.
By the time Beka had made three trips, he had the door open and was piling in the aliens. Reaching the end of her still meagre reserves, she stepped past him and took up his task. She could feel his eyes on her for a second before he left to finish their grim evacuation.
Tyr closed the portal door and worked the release; they watched in observance as their enemies were sucked out into the night. Beka sighed and swayed slightly from where her hand had a white knuckled grip on the airlock door. She shivered as Tyr placed a warm hand on the small of her back to steady her. She gave him an annoyed glance but said 'thank you'. I'm big beautiful Uberman here to help you little lady. Damn, I have to stop hanging with Harper. Her false humour tripped over that thought. He is alive. You can't think otherwise. He's safe, so is Trance, they are on the Andromeda safe and sound and looking for us. Just keep going.
Tyr, she noticed as they returned to Command, despite having been in direct combat, had escaped with nothing but a few singe marks on his leather boots, the loss of the leather tie that normally bound back his hair and an artistic smudge over his left eye.
"Damn Nietzscheans," she growled to herself.
"What?" he said looking somewhat surprised.
Oh yes Uberhearing for Uberman, how soon I forget. "Look at me." She spread her arms, "I was piloting! Look at you. Hand to hand fight and nasty teleport and you're perfect. As usual."
He raised his eyebrows at this, his perfect leaf shaped lips quirking slightly at the corners. "You think I'm perfect? I am flattered Captain Valentine."
Her scowl deepened as she stepped up to a control panel and poked at the dead interface. Stepping back, she looked down at the blackened paneling beneath. "You'd think that they'd have some systems powered by emergency backup." She turned to him. "The explosion may have sent a power surge back along the stream."
Tyr crouched by the damaged panel and ripped it off. Beka watched him pull wires free. She let go of the workstation and rubbed her eyes. Her head had settled into a steady throb.
There was a crash and a slight crumbling sound, followed by a massive shudder through the ship. This time the Nietzschean caught her half way to the ground. She steadied herself against his shoulder until the shaking stopped then she let herself sink to the deck beside him.
Beka could feel Tyr's scrutiny. Her annoyance returned. She hated feeling weak, especially in front of Uberperfect here.
"Move over," she said as she tried to wrest the circuitry from Tyr's grip. The familiar feel of the wires in her hands brought a wave of homesickness for the Maru.
Oh damn, she thought as she patted the pockets of flight pants. One of the pockets was squishy, curious she felt inside. That's where that went. She floated out an air light strip of sapphire blue Than silk. She stroked it. It had been an indulgence even at black market prices. She sighed as she stuffed it back into her a pocket. On the other leg she found what she'd been looking for, her micro-welder and wire cutters.
She passed it to Tyr somewhat sheepishly. "Here these might help."
"You had these all along." His fingers grazed her palm as he accepted the tools.
"Ah yeah. Sorry. You know be prepared and all."
"While being prepared is an admirable survival trait, it only helps if you remember in a timely fashion."
"Listen Tyr. Keep your uber attitude to yourself. Remember I'm the one who was hit on the head." She pointed to the bloody mass at her temple.
"Rest Captain Valentine. You have not recovered and I would prefer that you be able to assist in our survival." The crinkling around his eyes suggested that he thought the comment amusing. He removed something from a thigh pocket and handed it to her. "Here eat this. And do not call me uber."
She looked at the foil wrapped 'away' rations before accepting them. "Thank you." She caught his sincere brown eyes before looking back into the guts of the station where Tyr's long graceful fingers went back to work.
