Past and Present
The Truth
Chapter 7
Tracy Reager
As usual, I don't own any of the characters.
"Our revised destination is to a planet that has some indigenous people still living there. Supposedly they mostly made of healers, so the Rangers think it's a worth a try. Maybe they know of some natural cures instead of scientific ones." Gideon passed papers out to everyone in the conference room. "Since our previously chosen location is postponed, we will be going here first."
"What happened to the location?" Max asked.
"When the Rangers got there they were told there would be no problems with us coming in. Later, their government sent a message to the Interstellar Alliance saying we couldn't land on the planet until we were cleared. So now the whole mess is caught up in politics and rather than sit in orbit, we were told to go to a new destination."
"Things are so much easier with IPX. None of these political aggravations to deal with." Max replied. Dureena rolled her eyes and looked at Gideon.
"So are there any questions?"
"I have one. What's going to be done about Trace? Are you going to send him back to Mars or keep him?" Dr. Chambers asked.
"I'm going to be dealing with him in a few minutes. Truthfully, I want to send him back on the slowest transport back to Mars, but he is a good pilot. I don't know what will happen to him. The big shots on Mars haven't mentioned anything about the incidents yet." Gideon shook his head. After a few moments of silence, Max and Sarah left the room, leaving Gideon, Dureena, Galen and Matheson.
"How long do you plan on staying this time Galen?" Dureena quietly asked.
"Until this is over." He avoided her gaze. He knew she wouldn't be happy about that, but he needed to get away and think about the past few days.
"Since you two were involved, do you have any opinions about the matter?" Gideon looked between the Mage and the Thief.
"I liked your idea about the slow transport." Galen replied.
"Sending him out in a life pod and leaving him sounds better to me." Dureena was in a bad mood, but it wasn't related to Trace.
"As appealing as that sounds right now, I don't think it's the right choice." Gideon noted her anger and glanced towards Galen. "Why don't we go down there and see what he has to say." He hung back a moment hoping Dureena would leave and Galen would stay. Fortunately, it worked. "What did you say to her?" He asked after she left. Galen just smiled. "You're not going to tell me are you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Galen replied and stood up, ready to leave.
"So you do have feelings." He watched Galen carefully. "I guess I was wrong about you."
"Of course I have feelings Matthew, what person doesn't?" As much fun as this bantering was, he really needed to get away from the Excalibur. He started to walk out the door.
"You know, you've saved my life a few times, Galen, I would be willing to help you with your problem. Just as a return favor."
"I appreciate your offer, but I don't have any problems." Galen motioned to the door. "Shall we?" Gideon followed Galen deciding to give up on him for the mean time. Right now he had other things to deal with...like Trace.
Dureena patiently waited outside security for Gideon and Galen to arrive. She figured Gideon had some urgent problem thrown at him, so that was why he was late. As for Galen...she didn't know what to think at the moment. A few hours ago she was on his ship, him holding her close after their near death experience. Although he told her it wasn't a problem, she was almost certain he was nervous about the whole situation. What also bothered her was that she hugged Galen back. After what she had been through earlier in her life, she vowed never to get close to any man, ever again. Now here she was, falling in love with someone, who probably didn't feel the same way. A voice startled her from her thoughts.
"Are you ok?" She recognized Galen's voice coming from in front of her.
"Yes, just thinking to myself." She followed the men into Trace's cell.
Looking a little worse for wear, Trace was not startled by their entrance. "So did you come back to finish me off? Are you jealous of me? He quickly added, not really thinking about it.
Galen laughed. "Not hardly. If I really wanted you dead, I would have arranged it long ago." At this Dureena, half smiled.
"You boast now, but you just wait 'til I get out of here, then we'll see how proud you are." Trace sneered back.
"You keep talking like that, and I'm never going to let you out of here." Gideon quickly intervened. "Now I'd appreciated if someone would explain to me what the problem is."
"I don't know Matthew, that sounds like Trace's job. He's the one who seems to have a problem." Galen replied.
"Yeah I have a problem, it's you."
"And what did I ever do to you? You barely know me."
"You took Dureena from me."
"I didn't know that she was yours." He added sarcastically.
"I'm no one's!" Dureena snapped at them. "And before you say any more Trace, it was my decision to go to Mars with Galen! He didn't drag me along!" She was getting very defensive.
"I don't believe that! He probably put a spell on you."
"No I have better manners than that, and obviously more common sense than you do. I don't treat people like objects." Galen was starting to get annoyed. He could tell Trace was getting to Dureena and it bothered him.
"Alright knock it off...both of you." Gideon decided to break them up. "Trace did you purposely try to ram Galen's flyer in the docking bay? And did you hire those attackers on Mars?"
"It only seemed fair." Trace glared at Galen when he said this.
"Alright, we're done in here. That's all I needed to know. I'll let you know my decision Trace." With that he walked out. Galen and Dureena followed. Once they were outside Gideon turned to face them. "Any more comments from you two?" They both shook their heads. "Ok, I will see you both later. I need to go talk to my bosses on Mars." He walked off towards the bridge.
"I will see you shortly Dur...."
"Galen, before you go I need to talk to you." She was nervous, and Galen could tell.
"About what?" He asked, but he already knew the answer. He really wanted to get away before they had this conversation.
"Us."
The Truth
Chapter 7
Tracy Reager
As usual, I don't own any of the characters.
"Our revised destination is to a planet that has some indigenous people still living there. Supposedly they mostly made of healers, so the Rangers think it's a worth a try. Maybe they know of some natural cures instead of scientific ones." Gideon passed papers out to everyone in the conference room. "Since our previously chosen location is postponed, we will be going here first."
"What happened to the location?" Max asked.
"When the Rangers got there they were told there would be no problems with us coming in. Later, their government sent a message to the Interstellar Alliance saying we couldn't land on the planet until we were cleared. So now the whole mess is caught up in politics and rather than sit in orbit, we were told to go to a new destination."
"Things are so much easier with IPX. None of these political aggravations to deal with." Max replied. Dureena rolled her eyes and looked at Gideon.
"So are there any questions?"
"I have one. What's going to be done about Trace? Are you going to send him back to Mars or keep him?" Dr. Chambers asked.
"I'm going to be dealing with him in a few minutes. Truthfully, I want to send him back on the slowest transport back to Mars, but he is a good pilot. I don't know what will happen to him. The big shots on Mars haven't mentioned anything about the incidents yet." Gideon shook his head. After a few moments of silence, Max and Sarah left the room, leaving Gideon, Dureena, Galen and Matheson.
"How long do you plan on staying this time Galen?" Dureena quietly asked.
"Until this is over." He avoided her gaze. He knew she wouldn't be happy about that, but he needed to get away and think about the past few days.
"Since you two were involved, do you have any opinions about the matter?" Gideon looked between the Mage and the Thief.
"I liked your idea about the slow transport." Galen replied.
"Sending him out in a life pod and leaving him sounds better to me." Dureena was in a bad mood, but it wasn't related to Trace.
"As appealing as that sounds right now, I don't think it's the right choice." Gideon noted her anger and glanced towards Galen. "Why don't we go down there and see what he has to say." He hung back a moment hoping Dureena would leave and Galen would stay. Fortunately, it worked. "What did you say to her?" He asked after she left. Galen just smiled. "You're not going to tell me are you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Galen replied and stood up, ready to leave.
"So you do have feelings." He watched Galen carefully. "I guess I was wrong about you."
"Of course I have feelings Matthew, what person doesn't?" As much fun as this bantering was, he really needed to get away from the Excalibur. He started to walk out the door.
"You know, you've saved my life a few times, Galen, I would be willing to help you with your problem. Just as a return favor."
"I appreciate your offer, but I don't have any problems." Galen motioned to the door. "Shall we?" Gideon followed Galen deciding to give up on him for the mean time. Right now he had other things to deal with...like Trace.
Dureena patiently waited outside security for Gideon and Galen to arrive. She figured Gideon had some urgent problem thrown at him, so that was why he was late. As for Galen...she didn't know what to think at the moment. A few hours ago she was on his ship, him holding her close after their near death experience. Although he told her it wasn't a problem, she was almost certain he was nervous about the whole situation. What also bothered her was that she hugged Galen back. After what she had been through earlier in her life, she vowed never to get close to any man, ever again. Now here she was, falling in love with someone, who probably didn't feel the same way. A voice startled her from her thoughts.
"Are you ok?" She recognized Galen's voice coming from in front of her.
"Yes, just thinking to myself." She followed the men into Trace's cell.
Looking a little worse for wear, Trace was not startled by their entrance. "So did you come back to finish me off? Are you jealous of me? He quickly added, not really thinking about it.
Galen laughed. "Not hardly. If I really wanted you dead, I would have arranged it long ago." At this Dureena, half smiled.
"You boast now, but you just wait 'til I get out of here, then we'll see how proud you are." Trace sneered back.
"You keep talking like that, and I'm never going to let you out of here." Gideon quickly intervened. "Now I'd appreciated if someone would explain to me what the problem is."
"I don't know Matthew, that sounds like Trace's job. He's the one who seems to have a problem." Galen replied.
"Yeah I have a problem, it's you."
"And what did I ever do to you? You barely know me."
"You took Dureena from me."
"I didn't know that she was yours." He added sarcastically.
"I'm no one's!" Dureena snapped at them. "And before you say any more Trace, it was my decision to go to Mars with Galen! He didn't drag me along!" She was getting very defensive.
"I don't believe that! He probably put a spell on you."
"No I have better manners than that, and obviously more common sense than you do. I don't treat people like objects." Galen was starting to get annoyed. He could tell Trace was getting to Dureena and it bothered him.
"Alright knock it off...both of you." Gideon decided to break them up. "Trace did you purposely try to ram Galen's flyer in the docking bay? And did you hire those attackers on Mars?"
"It only seemed fair." Trace glared at Galen when he said this.
"Alright, we're done in here. That's all I needed to know. I'll let you know my decision Trace." With that he walked out. Galen and Dureena followed. Once they were outside Gideon turned to face them. "Any more comments from you two?" They both shook their heads. "Ok, I will see you both later. I need to go talk to my bosses on Mars." He walked off towards the bridge.
"I will see you shortly Dur...."
"Galen, before you go I need to talk to you." She was nervous, and Galen could tell.
"About what?" He asked, but he already knew the answer. He really wanted to get away before they had this conversation.
"Us."