O seaQuest não pertence a mim.
Wood saunas by the lake for all my very good-natured reviewers: Kiddo, ano, kas, Teresa, pari106, sara, hepatica and Zoe.
Kiddo: I forgot to mention it in the chapter, but Lucas' quarters does have a window to the aquatubes – so at least half of your wish is my command ; ). Glad you like Bridger more now : ).
Teresa: yeah, I miss Robert as well. Damn this war!
sara and kas: good luck with your exams! I'm sure you'll both be fine. But kas, you'd better continue that story soon, or I'll come right down there to South Africa and do something evil to you! ; ).
ano and Zoe: yeah, Lucas definitely needs a hug. Where do I sign up?
pari106 and hepatica: thanks for all the encouragement! I love you guys!
Ghosts
Chapter 5
When Lucas finally returned to his quarters, it was 0400 ship's time. O'Neill was sleeping peacefully. He sighed, and climbed into bed as quietly as possible, hoping to be able to get an hour or two of sleep before his shift started at 0630. But although his body felt exhausted, he found himself lying staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling, waiting for sleep that would not come. His eyes burned, but closing them brought no relief. It seemed there was no escape from the thoughts that threatened to send him mad.
Something over an hour later, O'Neill's alarm went off. Lucas quickly closed his eyes and turned over, pretending to sleep, trying to give the other man as much of a sense of security as he could. He heard the lieutenant getting ready for his shift, obviously trying to make as little noise as possible. He realised his entire body was tense and rigid, and his back was starting to ache, but he didn't change position. Finally, O'Neill left, closing the hatch softly behind him, and Lucas sat up with a sigh.
We can't go on like this, he thought.
"What the hell is going on?" Bridger leaned forward and placed both palms flat on the Ward Room table. On the screen his old friend Admiral Bill Noyce shrugged helplessly.
"We were hoping you could tell us that, Nathan," he said. "You were closer than anyone else to the front line."
"There is no front line!" Nathan said incredulously. "We're not at war with Pacific South-West!"
"Well, somebody sure seems to think we are," Noyce said. "Are you sure those ships were PSW?"
"You think this could be a trick?" Ford, who had been sitting silently at the table with a tense expression, broke in suddenly.
Noyce shook his head. "At this point, we'll take anything we can get. Our diplomats are working overtime on this one. We need to find out everything we can about what happened out there yesterday, and find it out fast. Anything you can get us would help."
Nathan closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Then he nodded. "I'll do my best, Bill."
The other man smiled wanly. "Thank you Nathan. I know you will. Noyce out."
Bridger sighed and headed back to the bridge. Once there, he turned to look at Ford. The XO regarded him with a serious expression. "You know," the older man said reflectively, "there is one person who might be able to help us."
Ford looked at him questioningly. Then he started to shake his head. "You can't mean..."
Nathan nodded. "Who else?"
"You can't be serious!" Ford said heatedly. But Bridger just raised his eyebrows.
"Why on earth would I be joking at a time like this Commander?" The captain nodded towards O'Neill. Ford frowned.
"Lieutenant, call Wolenczak to the bridge," he said reluctantly. O'Neill looked up in surprise, then nodded quickly and put his hand on his head- set.
"Commander Wolenczak to the bridge," he said, then swallowed hard as Ford shot him a look. "Uh, Mr. Wolenczak to the bridge," he continued nervously.
"I hope you're right about this," Ford said to Bridger.
Lucas leaned back from the computer with a sigh. "Well, I can't find any evidence that they weren't Pacific South-West ships," he said, looking up at Captain Bridger and Commander Ford, who were hovering behind him. "The hardware and the software both check out. The signals they were giving off are genuine PSW call-signs. I did find something interesting though." He tapped a few commands into the console. "It seems that there may be some links between the PSWs and this break-in at a UEO facility a couple of weeks ago." A picture appeared on the screen of an abandoned-looking building, and information scrolled across the bottom. Ford leaned closer to the screen.
"Hang on a second," he said, incredulously. "Even the existence of this facility is level ten classified! How the hell did you get this information?"
Lucas looked up at him and raised one eyebrow. "You asked me to find out anything I could. This is what I found out."
Ford opened his mouth to argue, but Bridger shot him a glance and he subsided, muttering under his breath. Bridger sighed inwardly, and nodded at Lucas. "Continue."
Lucas nodded curtly. "I haven't been able to find out what was stolen or what exactly the facility does, but it seems like it was some kind of cutting edge military technology. The MO of the break-in is an exact match with various PSW operations in other confederations, and a piece of PSW hardware was left behind at the scene." He entered another command into the computer, and a picture of a small black disk appeared on the screen.
"What is that?" Bridger asked, leaning closer.
"It's a PSW homing device," Lucas said. Ford snorted.
"It says the investigators haven't been able to identify it," he said. "How do you know what it is?"
Lucas turned and stared coolly at the older man. "I have a working knowledge of the hardware and software of every confederation, Commander. How the hell do you think the Free Nations has managed to survive this long? Unfortunately for the UEO, it seems they are not quite so well- informed."
Ford stared at him, but before an argument could erupt again, Bridger raised his hands. "OK, OK gentlemen," he said with authority. "Let's ease up on the animosity, we're all on the same side here. Lucas, did you find out anything else?"
Lucas held Ford's gaze for a moment longer, then turned back to his console. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, I did," he said. Another picture appeared on the screen, this time an elegant looking man in his mid- forties. "This is Alexander Bourne. It seems that he is somehow connected with both the break-in and the attack on us. The subs received a communication from his base just before the attack, and one of the intruders at the facility was caught on camera mentioning the name 'Bourne'. The UEO investigators didn't link it to this guy because at the time the UEO was not at war with Pacific South-West."
"I know that guy," Ford said, frowning. "Isn't he a member of the PSW government?"
Lucas nodded. "That's right. He was appointed Minister of Defence three months ago. It seems he's been pushing ever since for the PSW to take a more aggressive stance against the UEO."
Bridger shook his head grimly. "Looks like he won that argument," he said.
Braithwaite was sick. Sick and tired of war. But now it seemed there was even more of it. Word had come across the ether that far away, almost on the other side of the world, seaQuest was being attacked – by the Pacific South-West Confederation. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The Free Nations' border with Pacific South-West was fairly negligible, but the UEO had a long one, and maybe, just maybe, the breaking of the truce would mean that their firepower was drawn, and the pressure would let up for a time. Time for them to regroup, lick their wounds.
On the other hand, all the time in the world wasn't going to change the fact that the Alliance was fighting a losing battle. They had lost half their colonies over the past five years, precious technology, cropland and manpower. Thousands of lives had been lost. And Braithwaite couldn't bring himself to revel in yet more war.
But what else could they do? Surrender? It was hardly an option. They had very little, it was true, but they had a semblance of independence, and the hope that, once the war was over and the wartime government stood down, they could somehow return to something resembling freedom. If they became occupied by the UEO, however, Braithwaite had little doubt about their fate: they would be accorded the status of affiliated colonies rather than member states, they would be forced into unfavourable trade agreements and lose what little natural resources they had left. The men and women of the Free Nations would have what the UEO called liberty, and maybe those who became rich through the selling off of their natural assets would be permitted to fawn at the heels of UEO bigwigs. But it would not be freedom. That was no choice at all.
The com link beeped. Wearily, he reached over. "Braithwaite," he said, trying to keep his tone as neutral as possible.
"Sir, we have a call for you from Admiral Nikita."
The admiral watched him from the screen. He looked as old as Braithwaite felt. The captain remembered, back when the war had just begun, when the confederations were still in the process of forming, the day he had first met Nikita. He had admired the then-lieutenant commander's military bearing, the pride on his face as he strode through what had then been Singapore, pointing out the sights to the eager young ensign at his side. Singapore was gone now, of course, destroyed by war and the rising water levels. The man Nikita had been was gone too, and in his place was this exhausted, but still proud leader of men, still fighting after all hope was lost.
"Will you accept the mission, Andrew?" Nikita asked.
Braithwaite nodded. "Of course I will, Admiral," he said firmly. How could he not? Not that there seemed much point, but Nikita seemed to think that if they could only get their hands on this technology, they could use it to stave off the UEO, maybe even to bargain their way to a truce. Some chance of that, Braithwaite thought. If he knew the UEO, they wouldn't rest until they possessed every scrap of Free Nations territory, in the name of freedom.
Wood saunas by the lake for all my very good-natured reviewers: Kiddo, ano, kas, Teresa, pari106, sara, hepatica and Zoe.
Kiddo: I forgot to mention it in the chapter, but Lucas' quarters does have a window to the aquatubes – so at least half of your wish is my command ; ). Glad you like Bridger more now : ).
Teresa: yeah, I miss Robert as well. Damn this war!
sara and kas: good luck with your exams! I'm sure you'll both be fine. But kas, you'd better continue that story soon, or I'll come right down there to South Africa and do something evil to you! ; ).
ano and Zoe: yeah, Lucas definitely needs a hug. Where do I sign up?
pari106 and hepatica: thanks for all the encouragement! I love you guys!
Ghosts
Chapter 5
When Lucas finally returned to his quarters, it was 0400 ship's time. O'Neill was sleeping peacefully. He sighed, and climbed into bed as quietly as possible, hoping to be able to get an hour or two of sleep before his shift started at 0630. But although his body felt exhausted, he found himself lying staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling, waiting for sleep that would not come. His eyes burned, but closing them brought no relief. It seemed there was no escape from the thoughts that threatened to send him mad.
Something over an hour later, O'Neill's alarm went off. Lucas quickly closed his eyes and turned over, pretending to sleep, trying to give the other man as much of a sense of security as he could. He heard the lieutenant getting ready for his shift, obviously trying to make as little noise as possible. He realised his entire body was tense and rigid, and his back was starting to ache, but he didn't change position. Finally, O'Neill left, closing the hatch softly behind him, and Lucas sat up with a sigh.
We can't go on like this, he thought.
"What the hell is going on?" Bridger leaned forward and placed both palms flat on the Ward Room table. On the screen his old friend Admiral Bill Noyce shrugged helplessly.
"We were hoping you could tell us that, Nathan," he said. "You were closer than anyone else to the front line."
"There is no front line!" Nathan said incredulously. "We're not at war with Pacific South-West!"
"Well, somebody sure seems to think we are," Noyce said. "Are you sure those ships were PSW?"
"You think this could be a trick?" Ford, who had been sitting silently at the table with a tense expression, broke in suddenly.
Noyce shook his head. "At this point, we'll take anything we can get. Our diplomats are working overtime on this one. We need to find out everything we can about what happened out there yesterday, and find it out fast. Anything you can get us would help."
Nathan closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Then he nodded. "I'll do my best, Bill."
The other man smiled wanly. "Thank you Nathan. I know you will. Noyce out."
Bridger sighed and headed back to the bridge. Once there, he turned to look at Ford. The XO regarded him with a serious expression. "You know," the older man said reflectively, "there is one person who might be able to help us."
Ford looked at him questioningly. Then he started to shake his head. "You can't mean..."
Nathan nodded. "Who else?"
"You can't be serious!" Ford said heatedly. But Bridger just raised his eyebrows.
"Why on earth would I be joking at a time like this Commander?" The captain nodded towards O'Neill. Ford frowned.
"Lieutenant, call Wolenczak to the bridge," he said reluctantly. O'Neill looked up in surprise, then nodded quickly and put his hand on his head- set.
"Commander Wolenczak to the bridge," he said, then swallowed hard as Ford shot him a look. "Uh, Mr. Wolenczak to the bridge," he continued nervously.
"I hope you're right about this," Ford said to Bridger.
Lucas leaned back from the computer with a sigh. "Well, I can't find any evidence that they weren't Pacific South-West ships," he said, looking up at Captain Bridger and Commander Ford, who were hovering behind him. "The hardware and the software both check out. The signals they were giving off are genuine PSW call-signs. I did find something interesting though." He tapped a few commands into the console. "It seems that there may be some links between the PSWs and this break-in at a UEO facility a couple of weeks ago." A picture appeared on the screen of an abandoned-looking building, and information scrolled across the bottom. Ford leaned closer to the screen.
"Hang on a second," he said, incredulously. "Even the existence of this facility is level ten classified! How the hell did you get this information?"
Lucas looked up at him and raised one eyebrow. "You asked me to find out anything I could. This is what I found out."
Ford opened his mouth to argue, but Bridger shot him a glance and he subsided, muttering under his breath. Bridger sighed inwardly, and nodded at Lucas. "Continue."
Lucas nodded curtly. "I haven't been able to find out what was stolen or what exactly the facility does, but it seems like it was some kind of cutting edge military technology. The MO of the break-in is an exact match with various PSW operations in other confederations, and a piece of PSW hardware was left behind at the scene." He entered another command into the computer, and a picture of a small black disk appeared on the screen.
"What is that?" Bridger asked, leaning closer.
"It's a PSW homing device," Lucas said. Ford snorted.
"It says the investigators haven't been able to identify it," he said. "How do you know what it is?"
Lucas turned and stared coolly at the older man. "I have a working knowledge of the hardware and software of every confederation, Commander. How the hell do you think the Free Nations has managed to survive this long? Unfortunately for the UEO, it seems they are not quite so well- informed."
Ford stared at him, but before an argument could erupt again, Bridger raised his hands. "OK, OK gentlemen," he said with authority. "Let's ease up on the animosity, we're all on the same side here. Lucas, did you find out anything else?"
Lucas held Ford's gaze for a moment longer, then turned back to his console. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, I did," he said. Another picture appeared on the screen, this time an elegant looking man in his mid- forties. "This is Alexander Bourne. It seems that he is somehow connected with both the break-in and the attack on us. The subs received a communication from his base just before the attack, and one of the intruders at the facility was caught on camera mentioning the name 'Bourne'. The UEO investigators didn't link it to this guy because at the time the UEO was not at war with Pacific South-West."
"I know that guy," Ford said, frowning. "Isn't he a member of the PSW government?"
Lucas nodded. "That's right. He was appointed Minister of Defence three months ago. It seems he's been pushing ever since for the PSW to take a more aggressive stance against the UEO."
Bridger shook his head grimly. "Looks like he won that argument," he said.
Braithwaite was sick. Sick and tired of war. But now it seemed there was even more of it. Word had come across the ether that far away, almost on the other side of the world, seaQuest was being attacked – by the Pacific South-West Confederation. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The Free Nations' border with Pacific South-West was fairly negligible, but the UEO had a long one, and maybe, just maybe, the breaking of the truce would mean that their firepower was drawn, and the pressure would let up for a time. Time for them to regroup, lick their wounds.
On the other hand, all the time in the world wasn't going to change the fact that the Alliance was fighting a losing battle. They had lost half their colonies over the past five years, precious technology, cropland and manpower. Thousands of lives had been lost. And Braithwaite couldn't bring himself to revel in yet more war.
But what else could they do? Surrender? It was hardly an option. They had very little, it was true, but they had a semblance of independence, and the hope that, once the war was over and the wartime government stood down, they could somehow return to something resembling freedom. If they became occupied by the UEO, however, Braithwaite had little doubt about their fate: they would be accorded the status of affiliated colonies rather than member states, they would be forced into unfavourable trade agreements and lose what little natural resources they had left. The men and women of the Free Nations would have what the UEO called liberty, and maybe those who became rich through the selling off of their natural assets would be permitted to fawn at the heels of UEO bigwigs. But it would not be freedom. That was no choice at all.
The com link beeped. Wearily, he reached over. "Braithwaite," he said, trying to keep his tone as neutral as possible.
"Sir, we have a call for you from Admiral Nikita."
The admiral watched him from the screen. He looked as old as Braithwaite felt. The captain remembered, back when the war had just begun, when the confederations were still in the process of forming, the day he had first met Nikita. He had admired the then-lieutenant commander's military bearing, the pride on his face as he strode through what had then been Singapore, pointing out the sights to the eager young ensign at his side. Singapore was gone now, of course, destroyed by war and the rising water levels. The man Nikita had been was gone too, and in his place was this exhausted, but still proud leader of men, still fighting after all hope was lost.
"Will you accept the mission, Andrew?" Nikita asked.
Braithwaite nodded. "Of course I will, Admiral," he said firmly. How could he not? Not that there seemed much point, but Nikita seemed to think that if they could only get their hands on this technology, they could use it to stave off the UEO, maybe even to bargain their way to a truce. Some chance of that, Braithwaite thought. If he knew the UEO, they wouldn't rest until they possessed every scrap of Free Nations territory, in the name of freedom.