Title:: Just
Author:: Lokaia
Summary:: See previous chapter
Rating:: See previous chapter
(A/N) I meant this to be a very mysterious plotline, but reading over it
again, if you haven't figured it out by now it's time to start worrying.
---
"YOU JACKED A GOVERNMENT SHIP??"
"Don't be ridiculous," Randy said, giving Harlan an incredulous look. "We didn't steal anything. It was given to us."
Goddard glared at them. "Someone gave you a government ship?"
"Sure," Randy answered as if it was the most natural thing in the galaxy. "But while I was piloting, this big circle popped up in front of us and before I could turn around--"
"You went through a white circle?" Radu interrupted, surprised.
Randy shrugged. "I guess. But going through it, our ship started to burn. Guess all that government money isn't going to technology after all."
"So you just happened to show up here?" Goddard asked suspiciously. Something about this encounter wasn't adding up. Not only were there two lost children on the ship, but they seemed perfectly at ease in strange company.
"It's not really a coincidence if you think about it," Lex said, speaking to the others for the first time. She had been staring at the crew and letting her brother do most of the speaking. "If we had shown up in the Andromedan sector," she nodded at Radu, "or Alpha 25, they'd be saying we just 'happened' to show up, too."
Goddard saw Suzee smiling out of the corner of his eye. If they got on the Yensidian's good side, we're all doomed.
"You don't seem to be very worried about getting home," Radu said quietly. Goddard was relieved. Someone else felt this situation was wrong.
Randy laughed at that. "Well, there's not much we can do, is there? Besides fix the ship, that is, and then Lex and I will be out of your way."
"Out of our way?" Harlan repeated incredulously. "Where are you going to go? Do you even know where you are?"
Randy only grinned. "Don't worry about it. We'll find our way back." The young man continued before anyone could interrupt. "Anyway, I guess I should get started on the ship. I know Lexi hates this stuff. Could I ask a few of you to help me out?"
Harlan opened his mouth to speak, and Goddard beat him to it. "We'd be glad to help you," he said, gesturing to himself, Radu, and Harlan. "Suzee, will you show Miss Banson to the team room? You can relieve Bova and Rosie from their posts if they get Thelma to take their places." If they were going to find out anything at all, the siblings would have to be broken up. Goddard felt he, Radu, and Harlan had a better chance of getting Randy to talk than Lex. All the girl seemed to do was stare at Harlan, which couldn't be helping the boy's ego. Suzee nodded and led the girl out through the docking bay.
"Randy." Lex called back, almost nervously.
"I know, Lex," he replied. He smiled reassuringly and winked at her. Lex nodded and followed Suzee from the room. Randy immediately turned to the remaining crew members. "So! Let's get started, huh?"
As Harlan and Radu left to retrieve tools, Goddard turned a stern gaze on the young man. "I know you two are hiding something, Mr. Banson."
Randy grinned brightly. "Commander, I'd be worried if you didn't."
---
"So where are you from?" Rosie asked the girl excitedly.
Lex returned the Mercurian's bright smile, even laughing a bit. "Earth originally. Or at least, my father is. We actually live on a government ship."
"Juvenile hall?" Bova asked.
Lex laughed again. "No, no, no. Nothing like that! My mother's a politician. We moved to the base to be close to her-my father, Randy and I."
"So that's why you had the government ship?" Ms. Davenport supplied with a raised eyebrow.
"Yep!" Lex grinned at her. "It's one of Mom's. Randy and I were just looking around with it. He has his license, and we had permission and everything. It just sort of. messed up."
Suzee was silent for a moment, her eyes flickering towards the far wall. "Have you ever seen a white circle before?"
"No," Lex answered, shaking her head. "I mean, I've heard of them, but I'd never been through one before. It would have been exciting if it wasn't so terrifying!"
Rosie giggled. "That's what we all thought too! We've been through two circles."
"I know," Lex agreed, giggling with the Mercurian. Catching Bova's confused gaze, she smiled. "I know what you mean," she clarified.
Rosie struck up a conversation with the girl on the condition of the Sol System. Both Bova and Ms. Davenport's expressions seemed to voice every concern in Suzee's own head.
Something is very wrong here.
---
"What sort of politician?" Goddard asked.
"Governor," Randy replied, crouching down beside the commander. He examined the damage and frowned. "I am definitely not the person to be doing this."
Harlan raised an eyebrow at the young man, handing Goddard a wrench. "You're flying a ship you don't even know how to repair? Without an engineer aboard with you?"
Randy rolled his eyes good humorly. "Do you take an engineer with you every time you go for a joyride?"
"We often don't have a choice," Radu put in. Randy laughed at that and Radu smiled slightly.
"Governor of what?" Goddard continued amiably. So far the boy seemed well enough, but there was still something funny about the situation. Randy and his sister were far too comfortable.
Randy paused and grinned at them all. "Saudi Arabia. My mother's the governor and representative at UPP meetings."
Radu and Harlan nodded, accepting this. Goddard, however, was fully aware that Saudi Arabia's governor was Shashank Roy. The country's governor was Rishi Mayak. Neither politician was a woman.
Goddard examined the interior space of the hull he was working on. Half of the wiring he recognized. The other half was completely foreign. True, it was possible that the UPP had developed new technology since they had been gone. But, as Bova once said, it could also be true that the crew was a highly advanced form of chocolate pudding. Anything was possible, but only a fraction of it was true.
Besides, it had only been three years since they had been gone. This technology seemed far more advanced.
"Mr. Banson," Goddard cut into the conversation with a smile. Randy didn't seem to mind, automatically turning to the man and matching his grin. "What's the date back home? I'm a little worried that Thelma's been inaccurate there."
It only took a second. Randy's grin dropped and an expression of worry crossed his features. The the smile was back and he said, "October seventh, sir. Or it might be the eighth by now, I'm not sure."
He left out the year. That was either highly suspicious or highly obvious. If the UPP had developed the technology and Randy and Lex had come from the time they were supposed to have come from, Randy would never have considered adding the year into his date.
Then why had he looked worried? Had he conveniently left it out, knowing his answer wouldn't coincide with the one Goddard knew?
Goddard smiled and thanked the boy, returning to the task at hand. There would be other opportunities to trap him, especially once they got into more difficult wiring. Randy was now having an avid discussion with Harlan on piloting maneuvers. That was fine. The more Randy trusted the crew, the more likely it was that he would continue talking to them-perhaps even slip up.
Goddard reached behind him for a tool and found resistance. Glancing back, he found Radu holding lightly to the wrench, a strange look on his face. His eyes practically screamed his worries.
He's hiding something!
Of course, the Andromedan was able to sense it. Having Radu aboard the Christa was like having your own personal, and accurate, lie detector. And that settled it for Goddard. He nodded at Radu, expression warning the boy not to say anything. One thing was for sure.
Randy Banson was lying.
---
"YOU JACKED A GOVERNMENT SHIP??"
"Don't be ridiculous," Randy said, giving Harlan an incredulous look. "We didn't steal anything. It was given to us."
Goddard glared at them. "Someone gave you a government ship?"
"Sure," Randy answered as if it was the most natural thing in the galaxy. "But while I was piloting, this big circle popped up in front of us and before I could turn around--"
"You went through a white circle?" Radu interrupted, surprised.
Randy shrugged. "I guess. But going through it, our ship started to burn. Guess all that government money isn't going to technology after all."
"So you just happened to show up here?" Goddard asked suspiciously. Something about this encounter wasn't adding up. Not only were there two lost children on the ship, but they seemed perfectly at ease in strange company.
"It's not really a coincidence if you think about it," Lex said, speaking to the others for the first time. She had been staring at the crew and letting her brother do most of the speaking. "If we had shown up in the Andromedan sector," she nodded at Radu, "or Alpha 25, they'd be saying we just 'happened' to show up, too."
Goddard saw Suzee smiling out of the corner of his eye. If they got on the Yensidian's good side, we're all doomed.
"You don't seem to be very worried about getting home," Radu said quietly. Goddard was relieved. Someone else felt this situation was wrong.
Randy laughed at that. "Well, there's not much we can do, is there? Besides fix the ship, that is, and then Lex and I will be out of your way."
"Out of our way?" Harlan repeated incredulously. "Where are you going to go? Do you even know where you are?"
Randy only grinned. "Don't worry about it. We'll find our way back." The young man continued before anyone could interrupt. "Anyway, I guess I should get started on the ship. I know Lexi hates this stuff. Could I ask a few of you to help me out?"
Harlan opened his mouth to speak, and Goddard beat him to it. "We'd be glad to help you," he said, gesturing to himself, Radu, and Harlan. "Suzee, will you show Miss Banson to the team room? You can relieve Bova and Rosie from their posts if they get Thelma to take their places." If they were going to find out anything at all, the siblings would have to be broken up. Goddard felt he, Radu, and Harlan had a better chance of getting Randy to talk than Lex. All the girl seemed to do was stare at Harlan, which couldn't be helping the boy's ego. Suzee nodded and led the girl out through the docking bay.
"Randy." Lex called back, almost nervously.
"I know, Lex," he replied. He smiled reassuringly and winked at her. Lex nodded and followed Suzee from the room. Randy immediately turned to the remaining crew members. "So! Let's get started, huh?"
As Harlan and Radu left to retrieve tools, Goddard turned a stern gaze on the young man. "I know you two are hiding something, Mr. Banson."
Randy grinned brightly. "Commander, I'd be worried if you didn't."
---
"So where are you from?" Rosie asked the girl excitedly.
Lex returned the Mercurian's bright smile, even laughing a bit. "Earth originally. Or at least, my father is. We actually live on a government ship."
"Juvenile hall?" Bova asked.
Lex laughed again. "No, no, no. Nothing like that! My mother's a politician. We moved to the base to be close to her-my father, Randy and I."
"So that's why you had the government ship?" Ms. Davenport supplied with a raised eyebrow.
"Yep!" Lex grinned at her. "It's one of Mom's. Randy and I were just looking around with it. He has his license, and we had permission and everything. It just sort of. messed up."
Suzee was silent for a moment, her eyes flickering towards the far wall. "Have you ever seen a white circle before?"
"No," Lex answered, shaking her head. "I mean, I've heard of them, but I'd never been through one before. It would have been exciting if it wasn't so terrifying!"
Rosie giggled. "That's what we all thought too! We've been through two circles."
"I know," Lex agreed, giggling with the Mercurian. Catching Bova's confused gaze, she smiled. "I know what you mean," she clarified.
Rosie struck up a conversation with the girl on the condition of the Sol System. Both Bova and Ms. Davenport's expressions seemed to voice every concern in Suzee's own head.
Something is very wrong here.
---
"What sort of politician?" Goddard asked.
"Governor," Randy replied, crouching down beside the commander. He examined the damage and frowned. "I am definitely not the person to be doing this."
Harlan raised an eyebrow at the young man, handing Goddard a wrench. "You're flying a ship you don't even know how to repair? Without an engineer aboard with you?"
Randy rolled his eyes good humorly. "Do you take an engineer with you every time you go for a joyride?"
"We often don't have a choice," Radu put in. Randy laughed at that and Radu smiled slightly.
"Governor of what?" Goddard continued amiably. So far the boy seemed well enough, but there was still something funny about the situation. Randy and his sister were far too comfortable.
Randy paused and grinned at them all. "Saudi Arabia. My mother's the governor and representative at UPP meetings."
Radu and Harlan nodded, accepting this. Goddard, however, was fully aware that Saudi Arabia's governor was Shashank Roy. The country's governor was Rishi Mayak. Neither politician was a woman.
Goddard examined the interior space of the hull he was working on. Half of the wiring he recognized. The other half was completely foreign. True, it was possible that the UPP had developed new technology since they had been gone. But, as Bova once said, it could also be true that the crew was a highly advanced form of chocolate pudding. Anything was possible, but only a fraction of it was true.
Besides, it had only been three years since they had been gone. This technology seemed far more advanced.
"Mr. Banson," Goddard cut into the conversation with a smile. Randy didn't seem to mind, automatically turning to the man and matching his grin. "What's the date back home? I'm a little worried that Thelma's been inaccurate there."
It only took a second. Randy's grin dropped and an expression of worry crossed his features. The the smile was back and he said, "October seventh, sir. Or it might be the eighth by now, I'm not sure."
He left out the year. That was either highly suspicious or highly obvious. If the UPP had developed the technology and Randy and Lex had come from the time they were supposed to have come from, Randy would never have considered adding the year into his date.
Then why had he looked worried? Had he conveniently left it out, knowing his answer wouldn't coincide with the one Goddard knew?
Goddard smiled and thanked the boy, returning to the task at hand. There would be other opportunities to trap him, especially once they got into more difficult wiring. Randy was now having an avid discussion with Harlan on piloting maneuvers. That was fine. The more Randy trusted the crew, the more likely it was that he would continue talking to them-perhaps even slip up.
Goddard reached behind him for a tool and found resistance. Glancing back, he found Radu holding lightly to the wrench, a strange look on his face. His eyes practically screamed his worries.
He's hiding something!
Of course, the Andromedan was able to sense it. Having Radu aboard the Christa was like having your own personal, and accurate, lie detector. And that settled it for Goddard. He nodded at Radu, expression warning the boy not to say anything. One thing was for sure.
Randy Banson was lying.
---