Chapter 8 Taken
Neo Aquabase on earth:
Carter woke to the slow steady sound of Dana's breathing. He still couldn't believe that they were married and had twins on he way. He was thrilled. He'd
not realized just how much he wanted this family situation until day when he'd learned about her nightmares. True he'd loved her but that had been not
nearly all he felt for his wife now… there was just so much more.
When he heard the soft chirping of the com link on the dresser Carter Carefully slipped from Dana's arms and slid from the bed.
"Grayson here." Four minutes he was striding into rescue ops, his cloths hastily jerked on. There wasn't time to worry about that though he had a job to do.
"What's going on?" He asked Brian and Joel who were watching the monitor as Carter saw Leo Corbett was there.
"They all hit at once." Brian muttered.
"Any survivors?" Carter asked slipping thoughtlessly into commander mode.
"We teleported as many as we could aboard the newly constructed star launcher but it was only about five thousand." The red galaxy ranger replied grimly.
"Rangers?" Carter asked and Leo closed his eyes and both Brian and Joel lowered their heads.
"We lost TJ, Maya, Carlos and Kai." Leo said his eyes, Carter now saw were very shadowed as if they were haunted.
***
The light raider:
Hollie took over bridge duty and was running scans as she updated the day's log. As she worked she thought again of the odd dream she'd had when she'd
been resting.
It wasn't like she'd never dreamt about him but usually it was because he was pissing her off. Yet in the dream she'd not been at all annoyed, she'd been
completely at peace, dancing as if they had no worries. She wished he'd truly look at her like that but being all that he'd been through she doubted she'd
ever see him like that awake. Not that she was very carefree herself. Hell neith3r of them even had a reason to be, she thought morosely.
Double checking the west boundary of the scanning area Hollie sighed and tried to make herself think of something else. When she heard the beeping she
had it. Then she was staring at what she saw, without a second's hesitation she hit the come unit linking to all links in unison.
"Code silver!" She called and with in seconds the three other able members of the crew were joining her on the bridge.
"Battle stations!" Ryan called after glancing first at Hollie's face and then at the monitor.
"What's happening?" Heath asked frowning.
"Sar fighters." Hollie told him and he sighed, when it rained it really poured.
"Bank right!" Ryan called to Sarah but Hollie was shaking her head.
"No dive and roll left!"
"Right." The nurse was doing as the gold ranger called and they came up behind the first five fighters. Without hesitation Heath took them out.
"Not bad." Sarah nodded and Hollie was hitting buttons.
"Right, Now to get up behind the winger." The red head said and was mapping out the move even as she began to take a left wing dive only to find out she
couldn't get the right throttle to fire.
"Something's wrong I can't get the thrusters to…" Hollie began even as Ryan shouted.
"Brace!" And he was even as the impact of a collision hit them.
"Ug!" Hollie cried as she hit the back of her head on a computer consol.
There was the horrible sound of tearing metal and then Hollie knew what was happening.
"We have to set down!" Heath shouted and Ryan knew it was true but where? They were not in a well known area.
"Oron blue's to the left." Sarah announced.
"Right, we should be able to…" Hollie was beginning as she felt the nausea hit her.
"Hollie what the hell are you…" Ryan began but she was moving and acting before he could make heads or tales of what was now happening.
"Firing starburst shield, omes 3…" She called and as they dove there was an explosion in the spot where they'd just been. Now with their spot cloaked
the light raider began to fall. Just then there was a signal.
"Ryan come in this is the megaship…" Came the voice of the red galaxy ranger.
"We're a little busy…" Ryan shouted even as Sarah brought up the other ranger's image on the viewing screen.
"Hollie hold it steady." Heath was calling seeing her intentions.
"I'm trying." She called back wondering why her head was pounding she'd just bumped it after all.
"What's going on?" Leo asked frowning.
"Collision, we're going down." Ryan shouted even as he had to grab a consol to steady him.
"Where?" Leo asked immediately on alert.
"We're going to try and make it to Oron Blue." Ryan told him.
"Right, we'll be there as soon as…"
"No, what's going on?" Ryan cut him off.
"They took Mirinoi."
"Took it?" Ryan asked feeling sick, was this really happening? Had they lost their only hope?
"They attacked in the millions, we got about half of the colonists and Mirinoians off world but many were lost." Leo said grimly.
"The metal?" Ryan felt sick if the metal was lost the whole war was lost.
"Kendrix got most of it." Leo informed him knowingly.
"Thank God, head for…" Ryan began but the scream had him whirling as Hollie hit the ground with a thud.
"Hollie!" Sarah was moving to her.
"What the…" Ryan was also moving for her.
"Concussion, Ryan you have to take her spot!"
"I got it!" Came another voice and all turned to find Devon coming onto the bridge even as the damaged parts of the ship detached and launched into space.
"Devon your supposed to be resting." Sarah frowned even as he moved for the gold ranger's spot.
"No time." The onyx ranger muttered as he assessed thee situation.
"Alright well we'll meet you on Oron blue, it might take a little time, and we sustained some damages ourselves." Leo said when things were a little more
under control.
"Right." Ryan said not looking up from Hollie's pallid face.
"We're coming in too fast." Heath moved to Devon.
"No, I'm…" He was narrowing the scope of angle, siphoning off speed and bringing the nose up.
"Hollie?" Sarah kept tabs on the ranger's pulse.
"I have to bring her down…" The Red head tried to get up but fell back down as the dizzying blackness began closing in again.
"No, you rest, Dev's got it." Ryan told her gently lifting her so Hollie's head was in his lap. He then was nodding Sarah to take her position to try
and help. Both knew there was little to do for Hollie just then.
"He's sick." The gold ranger mumbled weakly.
"And your concussed." Ryan pointed out grimly and his eyes narrowed as hers started to drift shut. "Hollie, Hollie no, you have to stay with me, you
have to stay with me." He told her urgently.
"Tired…" Hollie breathed and it was only then he saw the small pool that had formed on the ground, as he felt the sticky wetness on his leg. She was bleeding,
oh God, he thought and wanted to check the wound but if he moved her again…
"Brace for landing!"
TBC
***