What May Come

Please see chapter 1 for author's notes.

Warning: This chapter contains some violence (in case the title didn't give that away).

Chapter 24: Battle for Command

Davenport had finally pulled her right arm free and was using a sliver of metal she'd picked away from the first handcuff to work on the second. Bova had been aiming blasts at his own at random intervals—whenever he managed to build up his strength that far, she suspected—but he'd only been able to loosen one. Rosie had been glaring at alternating wrists—her own, probably fortunately, considering the fierceness of the unusual expression on her face—for the past two hours. Whether she'd actually accomplished anything was hard to say. She let herself fall forward as the latch on the left cuff finally release, and then stepped towards the Uranusian. "Mr. Bova, if you would keep an eye on the door?"

He nodded. "Um…just a minute. I think they might be…charged." He took a deep breath, and a moment later drew the electricity he'd blasted into the cuffs out. "Okay."

"I think I've got mine," Rosie said as Davenport moved towards the last crewmember. "I've been trying to concentrate heat blasts…there!" A ring of heat appeared, and the metal on her right wrist melted away. She wasted no time pulling off her glove on that hand and melting away the second cuff. On her first step away from the wall, she staggered. "S-sorry, I'm just a little dizzy."

"It's all right. We haven't had much to eat in the past few days"—there hadn't been much in the rations the Spung had given that they could stomach—"and nothing since they locked us in here. We're lucky we've only been without water for a short amount of time." Well, short in comparison with the total amount of time they'd been on the Christa, but almost two days without water was nothing to joke about. Fortunately the emergency supplies in the engine room had liquid pouches…technically for cleaning burns, but this wasn't the time to be picky. She quickly pulled out several packets and passed them around, making a mental note to restock the kit and add ration bars.

Rosie looked up as soon as she finished the first pouch. "So what now? We retake command?"

"Barricade this engine room and try and get some control from here," Miss Davenport corrected. "As we planned to do originally." Although in this state, she wasn't too sure any of them were thinking clearly. Biology had never been her strongest subject—not that she had been bad at it, of course, it just hadn't attracted her as much as the other sciences—but she was well aware of the effects of food deprivation. She turned towards the door, nearly running into it when the panels didn't slide apart. "First we need to get this open."

"What?" Rosie asked.

"You just said that we should barricade ourselves in," Bova agreed. "I don't think anything we can do will hold up against the Spung anyway, but a closed door would be marginally more effective."

"Open first," Davenport said firmly. "I'm going to the mess to get more supplies. You two will work on defenses for the room and activating whatever systems you can while I am gone."

"Shouldn't one of us go with you?" Rosie protested. "To watch your back?"

"Because that worked so well before."

"That will be enough, Mr. Bova," Davenport snapped in response to the muttered comment. While it was true that the three of them together hadn't been able to do much against the Spung party they had come across earlier, there was no point in dwelling on it. "Under no circumstances do I want the two of you to follow me."

"You still can't get out," Bova pointed out.

"Well when I do, I don't want you two to follow. Understood?"

"Yes, Miss Davenport," came twin replies.

"All right. Now, I think we can assume this was locked in the same way they had us locked in before. I realize," she continued before Bova could interrupt, "that we never found a way to unlock that door, but we now have an entire engine room at our disposal and I imagine we will be able to figure something out. Ideas for what is actually keeping the door shut?"

"The gizbot had to cut through something," Rosie pointed out. "So some kind of clamp, probably."

"Excellent."

"I don't think they'd bother carrying a bunch of physical keys with them, so probably something electronic to release it," Bova said after a moment.

"Could you short it?"

"That didn't work before…it probably needs some sort of coded sequence. Then they could carry a single generator with them and it would be able to lock and unlock whatever they have clamps on with a different code for each."

Rosie frowned for a moment. "I thought…." She moved closer to the door, scanning the floor.

"Miss Ianni?"

"She dropped something. The Spung girl who was in right after we first got locked in. And I think it was what she used to open the door. I didn't realize it until you mentioned the electronic lock, but…ah, here it is!" She held out a strange round device with a handful of buttons around the rim. "Do you think this could be the key?"

"Maybe," Bova said dubiously, passing it over to Miss Davenport. "Why do you think this is what she used to make it open?"

"She waved it right before the door opened and then put it in a pouch…her tail banged the door on her way through, and it fell out and rolled back into the room."

"Waved it? I suppose…" Miss Davenport passed the device in front of the door, and it obligingly popped open. "Indeed. I will be back as soon as possible. Take this."

"Shouldn't you take it so you can get back in?" Rosie objected.

"If anything happens to me, I don't want you trapped her. I will knock three times when I return as a signal to open the door. If I speak to you, it will be because the Spung have captured me…they'll be able to open the door themselves so get into as defensible a position as possible and do your best to protect yourselves." Both nodded solemnly, and she passed the device to Bova and stepped through just before the door shut. She made it partially to the galley, moving as quietly and as quickly as possible while avoiding the jumptubes for fear the Spung had tracking devices on them, before the shaking caught up with her. It had been one thing to maintain a strong front in the presence of the students—there was no one else to lead them if she panicked—but she was a teacher, an educator, not a commando! And here she was lurking around their own ship while who-knows how many Spung controlled the corridors and command, and at some point they would come for Rosie and Bova and herself to control in hopes of finding out how the Christa worked…she shook off her terror for a moment as she considered that. They woman who'd spoken to them had mentioned something about securing a sector first, but the ship hadn't shuddered or lost power at any point—sure signs of a battle. So why hadn't the Spung come to interrogate them? She took a deep breath and forced the panic back down. No point in worrying about that now. One more turn and she would be in the ga—"Ahh!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Goddard blinked again. "Miss Davenport? Theresa?" Great, the first member of his crew that he encounters once back onboard he promptly scares into unconsciousness.

"Commander? What was that?"

"Miss Davenport. Um…in here." He pulled the woman into the galley, followed by the engineer. "I think I startled her." Suzee rolled her eyes at that, but he ignored her. The two of them were attempting to find and reactivate Thelma, locate the rest of their crew, and take control of the engine room, while Harlan and Radu took the Command Post. He hadn't wanted to send the two of them off alone, honestly, but staying together was too dangerous—if the Spung captured the group, there was no one left to mount a rescue. And Suzee needed backup as well. Both boys were armed, and it was possible that the Spung weren't based out of command since they couldn't control the ship. Possible. Right. "Get some water; see if you can revive her. Hopefully she can tell us where Rosie and Bova and Thelma are."

Suzee did as he asked. "She looks all right."

"Apparently they haven't started on her interrogation yet. I wonder what she was doing roaming the halls."

"Hmm?" Miss Davenport sat up, rubbing at her eyes. "Wh—Commander? Suzee? You're okay! Where are Harlan and Radu? How did you find each other?"

"It's a long story," Goddard said, not willing to waste time explaining. "Harlan and Radu are on their way to the Command Post. Where are Bova, Rosie, and Thelma?"

"Bova and Rosie are in the engine room—the old one. Rosie tricked the Andromedan boy into taking us there. I need to get them food, and more water—we haven't eaten in a couple days. We haven't seen Thelma since the day the captured us."

Goddard nodded. "Suzee, help her. I'm going to head for Command, try and meet up with Bova and Rosie. I want you to help get the engines ready for jump—don't power up until we signal you—and then try and find Thelma. She should be able to locate any Spung onboard the ship."

"Are you sure?" Suzee asked. "You'll be alone…"

"I know their original plan, and they won't have made it all the way to the Command Post yet. Don't worry about me, just get the ship ready to go." And he wanted to ward Harlan and Radu that there was at least one Ashrach loyal to the Spung onboard. Suzee nodded reluctantly, helping Miss Davenport to her feet. The older woman was still glancing between the two of them, apparently in shock. "Wait a few moments after I am gone. And good luck."

"You too."

He stepped out of the galley carefully, staying to the sides of the corridors. It had been a long time since he'd done something like this…not counting taking over the Spung scout, he hadn't done any real infiltration since that mess with Reaver. At least he had the advantage of knowing the ship. Harlan and Radu's original plan had been to spend some time in one of the rooms close to Command so the Andromedan could figure out how many people they would be facing and if there were any energy weapons with them. He'd thought that if he was close enough, he'd be able to hear their power packs. Goddard just had to determine which room they were hiding in…he couldn't exactly call out and give them all away to the Spung. Hearing the click of scales on the floor, indicating an approaching Spung, he ducked into an adjoining corridor and flattened himself against the wall, drawing his weapon. It hadn't been in the plans, but if he had a chance to take out one of the Spung in an ambush, he was going to take it. He listened harder, trying to determine if there was more than one. He could handle two as long as he had the element of surprise, but he didn't want them to have time to warn anyone else. It sounded like a single figure so…

"Sris—"

Whatever they Spung man's cry of alarm actually meant, he didn't have time to finish it—or touch the communicator on his belt—before a blast from Goddard's sidearm dropped him to the ground. "Projectile. Damn." If the gun over the man's shoulder was any indication, Harlan and Radu wouldn't be able to tell what weapons they'd be facing or how many…projectile weapons didn't have power packs like energy weapons did. Now it was doubly important that he find them before they attacked. A quick glance around the room revealed nothing that he could conveniently bind the Spung man with, and for a moment he debated turning up the setting on his weapon. The last thing he needed was a Spung who was supposed to be out of the battle sneaking up behind him. But shooting an enemy who was unarmed went against everything he believed in, and after taking all of his belongings that even vaguely resembled a weapon or communications device he settled on tying the man up with strips he tore out of its uniform. It took some time—the material was tough—but when he finished he was able to say with some certainty that there was one Spung who wouldn't be an issue for a good long time. Unfortunately, as he was stepping into the corridor he heard shouts from Command. "Damn."

"Radu, look out!"

Apparently there had been some kind of meeting on the Command Post that his students had decided to interrupt—when he burst into the room the Andromedan was crouching behind the navigation console and barely turned in time to pick off the Spung coming up on his side. Harlan had gone the other way and was huddled behind tactical—he was the one who'd called the warning. They had the advantage of positions, but the Spung had them seriously outnumbered. There were at least two huddled in front of helm, three others—a female and two males—behind some sort of energy barrier off to the right, and two more males behind a similar one on the left. Suddenly the projectile weapons made sense…if they expected their enemies to have similar protections there was no point in them carrying energy weapons. Realizing that he was exposed, Goddard dove behind the communications console. Unwilling to damage the helm more than absolutely necessary, he fired a few shots at the group on the right…unsurprisingly it was absorbed easily by the shield. The Spung, unfortunately, didn't seem to share his concern about the state of the ship, and as he ducked back behind the console a barrage of weapons struck the front. He upped the power setting on his weapon to the kill level and tried a second time, this time with the support of Radu and Harlan who had apparently changed the setting on their weapons as well. The shield shuddered and for a moment, but the return fire forced all three back down.

"Bring it all the way to 'crispy critter'," Harlan yelled.

The Spung were apparently arguing over their own tactics—both groups behind energy shields were snarling at the ones behind the center console. Whoever was there wasn't as loud as the others, and since they had yet to take a shot, Goddard was willing to temporarily ignore them. "Go left!" he called to his crew, and almost as one they rose again and blasted. This time the shield shivered for a longer span of time and then blinked, and at least one of the beams—it was had to tell whose, although he hoped it was his own and his students were spared killing—struck one of the Spung in the chest, and he fell. Unfortunately, they waited almost too long to get back down, and he felt a searing heat along the side of his head.

"Commander!"

"Commander Goddard, are you all right?"

'All right' was definitely not the term he would have used, but there was no point in worrying them. There were five or six Spung still in the room who'd be quite happy to take them all apart. "I'll be fine, keep your eyes on them."

"Left again?"

"Now!" Unfortunately, the Spung seemed to be ready for them, and Goddard had to duck back down before getting a shot off. Harlan and Radu both hit the shield, but they had to break off before they got through. The Spung went back to hissing, and he turned to Radu. "What are they talking about?"

"They're annoyed at someone behind the center console for not shooting, but he says they man with him is bleeding and if he lets go the guy will die…I'm getting only heartbeat though, so it's probably a lost cause."

"Well, don't tell them that!" Harlan yelled over. "I'm okay with him not shooting!"

"Um, Commander, I think we better do something quick…one of them just said something about backup…."

"Shoot…all right, on three, take out the last one on the left. Try and get in a position to go around the console if you can, it will take them a few seconds to adjust their fire." This time, the few seconds was enough, and the last Spung behind the barrier on that side fell.

"Yes!"

Goddard's reprimand, aimed at Harlan, was drowned out by the retaliation of the three Spung behind the barrier on the right. He blinked, trying to clear the sweat from his eyes, and realized suddenly that it was blood. Apparently he had been hit rather than scorched in the wake of the shot that passed by him as he'd believed. And the Spung had reinforcements on the way. Time to end this. "Right—now!"

The trick of going around the consoles a second time didn't work, as the Spung proved when one opened fire on each member of the Christa's crew. Radu's cry of pain indicated he hadn't been fast enough this time. "Radu? Are you all right?" Harlan's voice rose. "Radu?"

There was a groan, and then the sound of someone incoming on the jumptubes drew everyone's attention. Goddard realized how exposed Radu was—the console was shielding the Andromedan from the three behind the force shield easily enough, but while he and Harlan had been able to maneuver for cover not only from those behind the force shield but also the jumptubes, Radu was still exposed. He must have been hit pretty badly. Goddard opened fire immediately at the tall Spung as soon as he landed, but before the beam could strike a blond figure was between it and him.

"Dahak!"

The howl had come from the newly arrived Spung, but before he could redirect fire—Harlan had taken advantage of the distraction to try again at the three behind the force shield—the other door to the Command Post slid open and a second blond came flying into the room. It was rather like getting hit by a small shuttlecraft, he thought, as the figure shoved past him and ground to a halt in front of the newly-arrived Spung. Goddard noted absently that Harlan had stopped firing—although somehow he'd managed to take down two of the three figures who'd stood behind the second shield. The third still held her weapon loosely, but most of her attention was focused on the figure now crumpled on the floor…an Ashrach, apparently, maybe the one who'd locked up the others. Whoever that Spung man was, he was pretty important if he had two Ashrach guarding him….Goddard wrapped his fingers around the handle of his weapon and began to pick himself slowly up from where he'd been tossed.

"Whoa! You best not even be thinking about pointing that thing at my brother!" a voice snapped from behind him.

"Aslinn?" Harlan rose from his position behind the console. "Jacie?"