-----chapter 7-----
March 15
1625 hrs EST
Captain Elizabeth Lochley's Starfury coasted through the tides of hyperspace where ahead was her destination: Excalibur. Acquiring clearance to land by the ship's XO, Mathis, she guided her x-framed heavy duty space fighter to the flight deck.
Acquiring lock with the ship's guidance computer, she held the ball and skimmed through the mass-field and inside the flight bay, where a vacant support structure awaited her arrival.
Landing her Starfury on the structure, she powered down her systems one at a time and removed her helmet. The bay pressurized and her cockpit swung open.
Stepping on the deck in her flight suit, she proceeded to the now-open pressure door where John Mathis stood alone, waiting for his new commanding officer.
"Permission to come aboard," Lochley requested as she removed her gloves a stashed them in her helmet.
"Permission granted. Welcome back, Captain."
"I wish it was under different circumstances, Lieutenant. I really do."
"I think we all do, Captain. If you'll follow me, I'll escort you to your cabin."
"Later, Lieutenant. I want to be fully briefed on Excalibur's current situation."
"Aye," Mathis responded as he led her to the BulletCar station and summoned the express car that would take them directly to the bridge.
The Car pulled up to the station, and Lochley entered with Mathis behind him. Now, they could talk without being heard.
"We've tracked a Raider band into this system. Captain Gideon planned on taking out one of the battle wagons we're tracking, and tagging the other which would lead us to their base of operations."
"Seems a straight forward op. Anything from Captain Gideon?"
"Nothing. I've been in communication with MarsDome, and they are denying everything."
The BulletCar pulled up to the command deck station. Lochley could sense the distress Mathis was experiencing.
"Captain Gideon's a good captain. The best I've known. He can take care of himself."
"Normally I would agree, Captain. But this time, I feel the odds are against him."
The two stepped off the BulletCar and proceeded forward to the bridge. "Intercept course is plotted," John announced as they entered the bridge.
Once on the bridge, Lochley took the captain's seat. "Lieutenant, set course to intercept the battle wagons. Best speed."
"Aye, sir." Mathis replied as he transferred the order to navigation.
"Battle stations," Lochley ordered.
As if Lochley had always commanded Excalibur, the crew followed her orders to the letter. She felt a sense of comfort on Excalibur.
She was at the wheel of the most powerful ship sailing the stars. She could even take Babylon 5 out with one attack from the ship's main guns.
She was glad the Excalibur was on their side. She would hate to go up against the ship, and the crew that have become like family to her.
Albeit a distant family. But non-the-less, family.
As Excalibur altered course to bear down on the battle wagons, her thoughts went out to Gideon. She would had rather stood by his side during the inquisition, than hunting down a band of Raiders.
But she was on Excalibur, and had a job to do in a small window of time.
"A few days at most," Lochley said to her executive officer, Lieutenant Commander David Corwin, in describing her absence.
Lochley knew that Corwin suspected something other than what she was revealing to him. But Corwin knew not to question orders no matter what. And only if he questioned orders, was if they tugged at his conscience.
The Battle at Epsilon saw Corwin making a decision to stand by Sheridan and fight against his fellow brothers and sisters. The battle which became one of the bloodiest battles to occur in Neutral Territory.
The story she revealed to him was that she was being asked personally by a colonial governor to analyze colonial defenses of a outpost that bordered the hot zone which proved evident that the Hand occupied.
She had her Starfury prepared with fuel tanks attached to the missile hard-points on her x-frame and was off to rendezvous with Excalibur.
The story was plausible. If not for the search for the cure, and the seemingly endless stand-off with the Drakh, humanity would go into the hot zone and take the potential threat that the Hand represented, or negotiate. But so far, any attempt of negotiation with the Hand came up empty.
Time would tell what true threat the Hand would present. Time would tell if they posed more a threat than the Shadows portrayed during the recent Shadow War. A war that which the galaxy continued to rebuild from.
There was no way in hell that Earth could fight a two-front war. One front being against the Hand and the other being against the Drakh. God helped them if war did break out before the Cure was found.
If that was ever to happen, Lochley believed that the search for the Cure would be terminated, and the Excalibur would lead the offense against the enemy. And Earth had four and a half years remaining before the Plague wiped all life off on Earth.
"Why take a fury, Captain?" Corwin inquired on the Command in Control Deck which offered a breathless view of the stars and at certain orbits the planet Epsilon which she orbited. "The evidence shows that the Damoclese system may border Hand occupied territory."
"I will be rendezvousing with a colonial cutter that will take me the rest of the way," Lochley said in a lie. She disliked lying to Corwin. Commanding and earning the trust of your officers demanded truth. But under the circumstances, the truth was an element in the universe that was rare.
"Why the spare fuel pods?"
The question stopped Lochley for the briefest of minutes. Brief enough for Corwin to have evidence of his suspicions.
"Understood, Captain," Corwin responded as if taking a weight off of Lochley's shoulders.
"I wish I could discuss this, Lieutenant Commander, but not---"
"At this time, aye. It's not the first time a senior officer has disappeared for a few days. But those days were back when the Shadows were rising," Corwin paused and gave her a stern look followed with a smile. "They're not back yet, are they?"
Lochley smiled at her XO. "No, they're not," she began to walk away but stopped in midstep. "Thank you."
"Safe trip, Captain. Bring me back a souvenir."