Chapter 7: Night Swimming
Nightingale's sickbay was uncharacteristically noisy. The Klingon patients were well on their way to recovery and showed their regained health by boisterously singing songs and recalling tales of battle. Marion looked over the PADD Nurse Haas had just handed him. The Klingons' injuries had been light compared to the ones the Federation ground troops sustained on MN-1375.
Marion looked up from the report when he heard heavy steps heading in his direction. Captain Torr was quickly approaching followed by Lieutenant Rosh. "Commander Marion, are my men ready to return to duty?" Torr asked as he stopped in front of the Doctor.
"I can clear most of them for duty. There are two or three that should have another day of rest. They are fresh out of surgery and still at risk of infection." Marion said.
"Infection is a risk they will have to take. My ships are leaving in two hours, and I need every one of my warriors at their stations." Torr stated.
"Where are we going?" Marion asked.
"We aren't going with them." Rosh interjected. "Captain Torr sent one his Birds of Prey to scout out the surrounding area. The Dominion Battleship is heading in this direction."
Torr continued. "There are a limited number of places in this area of space where four ships could hide themselves from long range sensors. It will not be long before the Jem'Hadar decide to take a closer look at the pulsar we are orbiting."
"Where are we supposed to go? The Nightingale can't outrun the Battleship." Marion asked. He had felt a certain degree of security having three Klingon ships escorting the Nightingale. Marion was not very experienced in combat, but in the past week he had gained enough understanding to know that Nightingale had been lucky to survive the attacks it had endured. Marion feared another attack would be fatal.
"Captain Torr has given us the coordinates of a planet where his ships engaged a squadron of Jem'Hadar Assault Ships. One of the vessels crashed into the surface of the planet. If we're luck we may be able to scavenge parts to repair our damaged warp nacelle." Rosh explained.
"The planet is composed of heavy metals, and should mask your ship's warp signature. In the meantime I will give your Dominion Battleship something else to chase." Torr assured the Doctor.
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Kizmet wanted to be alone, or maybe she just felt alone. She wasn't sure. Either way she had no idea what she was doing in the galley. With many of the patients from MN-1375 recovering the galley was even more crowded than normal. It didn't make sense for Kizzy to be there, not if she wanted to be alone. But not much had made sense since Jacob had died. She was looking at a PADD, pretending to read the medical study it displayed. In actuality she was just avoiding eye contact with those around her. Kizmet was doing such a good job of avoiding eye contract with others that she didn't even notice that someone had sat down across the table.
"My dear Doctor, you are looking in desperate need of company." A familiar voice came from across the table. Kizzy looked up, finally noticing the gray skinned new comer, but she did not recognize who it was until the gray pigment warmed to a deep golden tan, matching her own.
"Esco, how are you doing?" Kizzy asked in a tone much less cheerful and optimistic than her usual demeanor.
"Much better than you, if your voice is any indication." The Nevlian said, munching on a chip of wood from his plate.
"I'm sorry, I just don't feel like talking much right now." Kizzy said, looking back down at her PADD.
"I doubt that. If you were trying to avoid company you would not have come to the galley. The one space on the ship that most encourages casual conversation."
"Maybe I was just hungry"
"Then where is your food?" Esco asked, gesturing to his own plate and the lack of one in front of Kizzy.
"You're really having fun with me aren't you?"
"Some, but I am also concerned as to what is troubling you."
Kizzy didn't answer. Her throat was closing up, and she could feel the tears trying to escape her eyes. She dropped the PADD and put her hand over her eyes.
Esco dropped the wood chip in his had back onto his plate and stared at his meal. "I know what it is to carry a deep pain of the soul. It is like trying to carry a great stone, you feel as if the weight of it will crush you. But it is easier to bear if you ask someone to share it."
Kizzy wiped the tears from her eyes. "I don't know if there is anyone like that for me… anymore."
"I think that's why you came here to the galley. You're looking for someone to share your pain. If you do not wish to share it with me, please share it with someone before you are crushed under its weight."
"Who did you share your pain with?"
Esco's complexion turned too a dark magenta as the question washed over him. "I've shared it with no one."
"The weight hasn't crushed you."
"In time, doctor." Esco said quietly. He stared at the table and took a deep breath. When he looked up again his skin had returned to the golden tan that match Kizmet's own. "What are you reading?" He asked.
Kizzy was relieved that Esco had changed the subject. "It's a medical research by an optometrist from Zosonpgang. He was experimenting with an isogenic enzyme to help regenerate ocular tissues. I thought I might be able to find a way to help Chief Reilly." Kizzy then sighed. "But we don't have any of this experimental enzyme onboard."
"You can't replicated it or synthesize it?" Esco asked.
Kizmet shook her head. "And according to the research, there is a only a limited amount of time after the injury occurs that the procedure has any chance of being successful."
"May I see?" Esco asked. Kizmet handed him the PADD. The Nevlian browsed through it until he reached a chemical diagram of the substance. "This is Ketracel." He said.
"The drug the Jem'Hadar are addicted to?" Kizzy asked in disbelief.
"Ketracel White is much more than a drug. It enhances body functions, strength, speed, the immune system, healing processes. And this substance is chemically identical to it." Esco explained.
Kizmet's excitement about the revelation quickly left her as she realized she was no closer to secuing a supply of the drug. "I don't suppose you know where I could get some Ketracel White."
"As a matter of fact, I believe the ship is heading towards a supply of it right now." Esco said.
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"We'll be arriving at the coordinates The Klingons provided in twenty minutes." Franks reported from the helm.
"Excellent." Marion said from the command chair. "Hopefully we will find all the parts we need."
"I'll order Mr. Hudson to assemble his technicians." Rosh said from the port station. "Lieutenant Franks, who will be piloting the Runabout?"
"I have ordered Ensign Singer to pilot the McCoy. He should be preflighting it now, would you like me to check up on him, sir?" The helmsman asked.
"That's alright, I'm sure Ensign Singer is carting out his duties." Rosh replied.
"Mr. Rosh, how do we know we will be able to use the parts from the Dominion ship?" Marion asked.
"I'm not sure who there is to object." Rosh answered.
"That's not what I meant." Marion took a moment to figure out just how to explain his concern. "If a Tellerite were to have a kidney failure, I could not replace it with an organ from a Bolian. The physiologies of the two races are simply incompatible. Are we sure that the parts from a Dominion ship are even compatible with our own?"
"I don't know." Rosh admitted. "But I think there is someone onboard who does." The Andorian tapped his communicator. "Rosh to Esco."
After a moment Esco's voce came across the comm. "Lieutenant Rosh, allow me to guess, you would like my assistance in recovering parts from the Jem'Hadar Assault ship and installing them on Nightingale."
"Mr. Esco, in light of all your other capabilities I am beginning to believe Nevlians must be telepathic as well." Rosh said.
"Not at all, I am just very astute. It is obvious that I have had prior dealing with the Dominion, experience I highly doubt any of your crew share. I thought it only a matter of time before you solicited my assistance." Rosh explained.
"Fair enough. Please meet Ensign Hudson's engineering team in the shuttle bay in twenty minutes." Rosh instructed. "And you are sure that Dominion technologies are compatible with our own?"
"Quite sure, Lieutenant. Most of it, anyway." Esco said before signing off.
The door to the bridge then swooshed open. The three Starfleet officers all turned to see Doctor Kizmet standing in the doorway.
"Can I help you Doctor?" Marion asked.
"I need to talk to you about Chief Reilly." Kizzy said, feeling out of place standing on the bridge. "It can't wait."
Marion stepped to the back of the bridge and spoke quietly with the young women. After a short conversation Marion nodded, and Kizmet left the bridge.
"Is everything alright?" Rosh asked.
"Fine." Marion replied. "Doctor Kizmet will be joining the away team."
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Chief Reilly couldn't remember a time he was on a starship and in low spirits. When he was young he couldn't wait to leave the weighty bonds of natural gravity and head off into the void of space. He never experienced the longing to be planetside like many young starfarers do. He didn't understand the homesickness his friends complained about until the end of his first tour. He had to wait an agonizing two months on Earth before his new ship left for the stars again. "Underway is the only way", he used to tell crewman he served with. He loved being part of a crew, always having some job vital to the ship before him, knowing that even a task as mundane as calibrating the injector assembly could prove crucial to the survival of the ship while it traveled through the void. But that part of his life was over as far as he could see. He would always be in a void now, but not the massless space between planetary systems, he was now trapped in the dark void of blindness. He had been relieved of his duties and reclassified as a patient. He was useless to Starfleet now.
"How are you doing Chief?" Doctor Kizmet asked.
"Still blind." He said. "Do you really need to check on me this much? I was blind yesterday and chances are I will be blind tomorrow."
"This time is different. I have to ask you permission to perform a procedure."
"The implant thing again? I thought you said we had to wait until we got back to starbase to do that. Did we get home without anybody telling me?"
"We're still not home yet Chief, but I've come across a treatment that may be able to restore your sight. There has been very little research done on the technique, it may not even work, but there is a possibility that it may partially maybe even fully restore your vision."
"I knew there was a way. Anything can be fix, that's what I always told my crewmen. Let's get started." The Chief replied, feeling excitement and hope surge through his being. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner? I want to go under the knife right now."
"We'll have to wait a little while before we can start. The treatment is time critical, and I didn't think we would come across a supply of the drug before our window had passed. That's why I didn't bring it up." Kizmet explained.
"You don't keep that kind of stuff on board?"
"The drug is Ketracel White."
"You mean the stuff the Jem'Hadar are addicted too? How do you come across a supply of that?" The Chief asked in disbelief.
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Jordan was working his way through the start up sequence on the McCoy. He was surprised that Franks hadn't checked up on him over the comm.
"Hey Jordo." Hudson said walking into the cockpit from the passageway that led to the medical hold.
"What's up Hud? Your crew ready to go?" Jordan asked, turning to face his friend.
"Waiting on a couple of stragglers." Hudson said. "You know, I really think you should…"
"Hold on a second." Jordan said turning back to his instruments.
"Something wrong?" Hudson asked.
"The starboard nacelle looked like it was getting a little hot on startup, but it's with limits. Startup is complete, we are ready to go." Jordan said. "What was it you were saying?"
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Esco was standing at the stern of the McCoy staring at an odd area of the shuttlebay's deck plating. He ran his foot over the deformation and felt the rippled texture of the deck. "Excuse me, crewman." He said, stopping a passing engineering technician. Esco pointed at the odd rippling in the deck. "What is that?"
"The deck was warped by a disruptor blast back in the Badlands." The crewman answered. He then pointed at a metal patch welded on the shuttlebay door. "It came through right there. We scrubbed off the scorch marks, but we haven't had time to smooth out the deck yet."
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"I was saying I really think you should try to work things out with Kizmet." Hudson said, finishing his previous thought.
"Why? What is your obsession with me and her getting along? She is engaged to some other guy, remember?" Jordan said
"I just think it would make things a lot easier since…"
"Since what? What things will it make easier?" Jordan interrupted. "I told you, I am through with that girl, she doesn't matter to me."
The port door to the cockpit then swooshed open. Both Jordan and Hudson turned to see Kizzy stepping in from the shuttlebay.
"Since she's coming with us." Hudson finished quietly. He then turned to Kizzy and pointed to the copilot chair. "Why don't you sit up here? It's a lot more comfortable than the medical hold, especially a medical hold filled with my engineers."
"Thank you, Matt." Kizzy said, and took the seat.
"Well, I better go make sure my techs are all ready." Hudson said. Jordon shot Hud a dirty look, but the engineer just smiled back and left through the door he had come in.
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"Entering standard orbit." Franks reported.
"Captain Torr wasn't exaggerating." Rosh said, looking over the sensor readouts. "There are exceptionally high concentrations of Kelvanite in the planet's crust. Our warp signature will be masked completely. As anticipated our targeting sensors are nearly useless when we turn them towards the planet, so transporters won't function."
"Can we find the Jem'Hadar Assault ship without targeting sensors?" Marion asked.
"That depends. The engines of all starships emit charged ions. In space or a fluid medium the charge dissipates quickly, but if the ship comes near a conductive material, the charge will remain for some time. If the assault ship's engines were still emitting an ion trail when it crashed the ore in the ground should retain the charge." Rosh switched the sensor read out to display magnetic flux. "I'm picking up an odd divergence in the planet's natural magnetic field. I'm displaying the area on screen." Rosh tapped a control and the main viewscreen switched from an orbital view to a visual scan of the surface. A large grassy plain with what looked like a short black hash mark in the center could be seen.
"Can you make it bigger?" Marion asked.
"Maximum magnification." Rosh said pressing another control. The unmistakable beetle shape of a Jem'Hadar Assault Ship was clearly seen at the end of scorched path the ship had cut through the grassy plain during its forced landing. "That's it."
"Are there any survivors?" Marion asked.
"I can't tell, sir. The Kelvanite is interfering with the scans. But I did equip the away team with the three remaining hand phasers." Rosh replied.
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"Mr. Hudson, I was wondering if I shouldn't have a phaser?" Esco asked. "After all, the Jem'Hadar are not very fond of me." The Nevlian used one of the medical tables to steady himself against a slight jolt in the medical hold as the McCoy lifted of the deck and fired it maneuvering thrusters to back the runabout out of the shuttlebay.
"Sorry, Esco. But we only have three. The fourth got sucked out into space in our last confrontation with the Jem'Hadar." Hudson explained.
"This ship was only issue four phasers?" Esco asked.
"Shouldn't you know that? I thought you were an intelligence officer." Hudson replied mockingly.
"I am." Esco said. "But a ship this size having that few phasers has nothing to do with intelligence, it is pure stupidity."
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Jordan found himself making corrections for the slightest deviation from the desired course. He wondered if there had ever been a track that had conformed so precisely to the preflighted course. His precision and accuracy was unnecessary for such a simple flight plan, but it did make him look busy, so it was easier to ignore the girl sitting next to him.
Kizzy did not feel any great desire to talk to Jordan either. She didn't feel like talking to anybody. She didn't quite understand why, but sitting silently in the runabout next to Jordan, it was even harder than normal to not think of Jacob. She wished they were on the planet already, so she could distract herself with work.
The stars in the forward window began to fade away, and a blue haze became more pronounced until the black of space had been blocked out by the brilliant blue of a daytime sky. White wisps ran across the cockpit's windows as the McCoy passed through a cloud layer. The runabout broke out into clear skies eight thousand feet above the ground. The Assault ship could clearly be seen at the end of a dirt and soil trail it had kicked up in the otherwise undisturbed green plane.
"We're on final approach." Jordan announced into the comm.
"Have you scanned for life signs?" Esco's voice came back.
"Scanning." Jordan said. "I'm not picking anything up, but the sensor resolution is pretty low."
"The Kelvanite is interfering with the scans, but I think we can trust them at this close a range." Hudson's voice came over the come. "We'll still inspect the ship with phasers drawn, just in case."
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The McCoy set down gently near the downed Assault Ship. The doors to the medical hold opened and Ensign Hudson, followed by two technicians, stepped out holding their phasers at the ready. The air smelled slightly foul. Several limp bodies of Jem'Hadar soldiers could be seen lying in unnatural positions around their ship. Esco and the rest of the engineering team
Jordan walked up beside Hudson. "Wow, its hot out here." He said.
"It's nice to finally be out in the sun again." Kizmet commented. She flipped open a tricorder and scanned the nearest Jem'Hadar. "He's dead."
"For several days from the smell of it." Esco said.
Kizzy pointed her tricoder towards the Assault ship. "I'm picking up ten other bio masses, but no life signs."
"That's only eleven." Esco said with concern.
"Is that bad?" Hudson asked.
"The standard crew complement of an Assualt ship is twelve." Esco replied.
Kizmet knelt down next to the dead Jem'Hadar. The tube coming out of the soldier's neck was empty. She reached into the receptacle affixed to his chest at the other end of the tube and pulled out a glass container. "Empty." She said dejectedly. She had to find some Ketracel for the Chief's procedure.
"That's probably what he died from, they can't survive without it." Esco said, kneeling beside her. He removed the Jem'Hadar's side arm from is holster. He stood up and turned to Hudson. "You should have your men collect any weapons they see. The ship could use them, and we should be armed incase that missing crew member shows up."
The team spread out, scavenging the weapons they found and checking for any full vials of Ketracel White. Nine Jem'Hadar bodies were found outside the ship, none had a trace of White left in their system let alone left in the chest mounted dispenser.
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Hudson dropped down from an open hatch in the overhead of the bridge of the assault ship. He swept the space with his phaser. There were two more corpses lying on the bridge, one Jem'Hadar and one Vorta. "Clear." He called.
Jordan, Esco, and Kizmet came down through the hatch. Kizzy immediately went to the Jem'Hadar. Esco picked up an odd looking box with a hole blown in it.
"These two make eleven." Hudson said, referring to the bodies.
"What's that?" Jordan asked gesturing towards the box.
"It contained the vials of Ketracel White for this ship, but appears someone tried to open it with a phaser. Any attempt to open a box like this by force, and the box destroys the White." Esco explained.
"Then why try to open it by force?" Hudson asked.
"The only person that can open this box is a live Vorta. And the ship's Vorta seems to have died in the crash." Esco said. "With the Vorta as the only source of the drug, the Jem'Hadar's loyalty to the Dominion is guaranteed."
"That's odd, it looks like the air filtration system hasn't been working for a month." Kizzy said looking at her tricorder. "Or these Jem'Hadar shed dead skin cells like no species I've seen; there is an incredible amount of Jem'Hadar bio-matter in the air."
Esco looked over Kizzy'z shoulder at the tricorder read out. "Looks like we found number twelve." His comment drew quizzical looks from everyone standing on the bridge. "The unaccounted for Jem'Hadar was vaporized, by this one." Esco nodded towards the soldier lying in front of him. The soldier was clutching his pistol.
"He was shot too." Kizzy said scanning the dead Jem'Hadar's wound. "He bled to death."
"Why would the kill each other?" Jordan asked.
"Probably over this box." Esco said tossing the box aside. "But is doesn't matter."
Kizzy reached into the dead soldier's dispenser. She felt the glass vial and closed her eyes as she pulled it out. This was the Chief's last hope for treatment. She opened her eyes to see a vial filled slightly less than halfway with a white liquid. It was enough. "We should get this back to the ship as soon as possible. The sooner I can give Chief Reilly the treatment, the better the chances of success."
"My techs should have all of our equipment unloaded by now. We'll have to be here for awhile. Jordo, why don't you run the Doctor back to Nightingale while my team gets to work." Hudson said.
"Alright. Come on, Doctor." Jordan said, turning towards the hatch.
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Jordan and Kizzy were sharing another uncomfortable silence in the cockpit of the McCoy as the craft lifted off the ground and began climbing to altitude. Jordan didn't mind piloting a runabout. He was actually glad that he was flying rather than assisting the engineering team. What he was annoyed about was that he seemed to be doing another favor for Kizzy. He knew that this trip back to the Nightingale was to help the Chief, and he really hoped the treatment would work. But after the way she treated him, the way she wouldn't even hear his apology. Jordan was pulled out of his brooding when the entire runabout shuttered.
"What was that?" Kizmet asked, gripping the armrest of her chair.
"Maybe we hit a pocket of turbulent air." Jordan said, checking the inertial damping system. It was in the green. The McCoy shuttered again, this time much more violently. The runabout was pulling to the right, despite Jordan trying to correct the heading drift. It was like a maneuvering thruster had been left on.
Towards the stern of the vessel drive plasma had melted a small hole through the alloy of the starboard nacelle that had been fatigued by a phased polaron beam from the Jem'Hadar assault ship that had punched through the shuttlebay door almost a week before. The superheated plasma widened the hole exponentially.
"The starboard nacelle temperature is all over the place." Jordan said as the McCoy became increasingly hard to control.
"Is that bad?" Kizzy asked. There was a sudden jolt and the runabout began rolling out of control. Both she and Jordan had to strain to sit upright.
"Looks like the nacelle exploded. It took out most of the starboard thrusters along with it." Jordan said over the warning sirens that begun to sound as system after system began to fail. The months of emergency procedure training every Starfleet officer had to endure took control of Jordan's actions like an instinctive response. He shut off the plasma flow to the starboard nacelle, and then he isolated the antimatter pod from the power reactor. He then tried the emergency transporters, the system replied with an unpromising beep. "Emergency transporters can't find a destination point, it's the damn Kelvanite. We're going to have to eject the command module. Sit up straight in your chair, head against the headrest, arms on the armrests."
Kizzy was sitting slightly hunched over and beginning to hyperventilate. The ground, spinning as it was, grew closer and closer in the forward window.
"Kizzy!" Jordan yelled. "Put your head against the headrest and your arms on the armrests!"
Kizmet was startled by the hollering, but the message finally registered. She sat rigid, pressed against the back of her chair. Jordan pressed a control and a strap shot up from in between Kizzy's legs, it was met around her breastbone by two others from over either shoulder. The straps pulled taught and held her tight to her chair. She looked to Jordan, he was restrained as well.
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"How is the away team doing?" Marion asked, entering the bridge.
"Ensign Hudson signaled from the surface. He reports that his team has identified all the parts necessary to repair our damaged nacelle, but it will take some time to remove them from the assault ship. He also said Ensign Singer and Doctor Kizmet are returning to the ship with a vial of Ketracel White." Rosh reported.
"Everything seems to be going as well as expected." Marion said. The CO was pleased, the ship would soon be repaired and he could take his patients back behind friendly lines, where they belonged.
"Transmission coming in from the McCoy." Franks said.
The message was short, but the meaning was immediately apparent to the Starfleet officers, even to Marion who feared he was about to learn another hard lesson in command. "McCoy to Nightingale." Jordan's voice sounded over the comm. "Ditch, ditch, ditch."
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Kizzy's breaths were fast and shallow. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. There was no sky in the window, only the ground spinning in a green blur.
"Ditch, ditch, ditch." Jordan hollered.
Kizzy felt sick, partly from the spinning, but mostly from her panic.
"Hold on." Jordan told her. There was a loud clank as an emergency bulkhead sealed off the aft door of the command module. Then there was a jolt from behind as explosive bolts forcefully separated the cockpit from the rest of the runabout. "Stardrive section released." Jordan said. His hands flew over the flight controls, and the spinning in the forward window ceased. "Leveling descent."
Kizzy felt like her body was being pulled downward from the inside. Looking out the window she saw the sky creep back into view. The G-forces eased off her body as the module leveled off. The green land beneath them suddenly ended and was replaced by a deep blue.
"Looks like we're making a water landing." Jordan said.
Kizzy was amazed at how calm he seemed, she couldn't keep a thought in her head, fear prevented any coherent idea from forming.
"Brace for impact!" Jordan commanded.
The sea was coming up fast as the command module plummeted downwards. Kizzy closed her eyes and grit her teeth. Violent splashes filled the forward window as the module struck the water. It was then airborne again, launched several meters into the air by the force of its own impact. Console and screens went dark as their delicate electronics were shattered by the force of the crash. The emergency harnesses held Jordan and Kizmet securely in their seats and in much better condition than the damaged electronics. The module skipped across the surface of the water twice more before bobbing to a relative stop.
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"The emergency beacon should be broadcasting." Rosh said, swiftly but methodically going through every scanning method he knew. "The signal may be distorted, make sure you monitor the surrounding frequency bands."
"There is too much interference from the metals in the crust of the planet." Franks replied. "I'm not picking up anything."
"What does that mean?" Marion asked.
Rosh sighed. "It means we have no idea where our people are."
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Jordan looked at his feet; they rested on the floor in a pool of water. He craned his neck and looked around the cockpit. More water was slowly trickling, but he couldn't tell from where. He tried to operate the console in front of him, but the computer did not respond. The command module was useless, and it was slowly filling with water. Again his emergency procedure training took over his actions.
"We've got to get out of here!" Kizzy screamed, grabbing at the straps that held her to her seat. "How do you get this off? I can't get it off!"
"Kizzy! Be quiet and listen up!" Jordan yelled. The volume and authority in his voice silence the doctor immediately. "We are going to get out of here, but you can't un-strap yourself yet." He said. "I'm going to open the doors, but this module is not buoyant. That means water will come rushing in. We are going to stay strapped in as the water comes in, so the current doesn't fling us against the bulkheads. Do you understand?"
Kizzy nodded, her panic had her on the verge of tears.
"This module is also top heavy, so it is going to flip over once it fills with water." Jordan continued. "It will be very disorienting and it is going to get dark, so I want you to put one hand on the console in front of you and hold one to it. That will be your reference point. Once the cockpit is completely filled with water and it has stopped rotating, that reference point with let you know where you are. You will then release your straps with that button in the middle of your chest. Move to your right and head out the door on. Do you understand?"
Kizzy nodded again.
"When you are out, swim to the surface. Air bubbles float to the surface, remember to follow the bubbles. Do you understand?"
Kizzy nodded.
"Good, now tell me what we're going to do when the doors open."
Kizzy's voice shook as she spoke. "Grab the console, let the water come in. Wait until it stops moving, release the straps, go to the right, follow the bubbles."
"Good." Jordan said. "Ready?"
Kizzy took a deep breath and tried to calm herself without much success. She grabbed the console in front of her, then looked back at Jordan and nodded. "Ready."
Jordan pressed one of the only controls that was still lit on his console. Explosive bolts fired and blew off the port and starboard doors of the cockpit. The water came in at a fast and steady rate. Kizzy felt water seep down her shoes as the level rose past her ankles. As the level rose past her waist the chill of the water made her breath shallow, she had to concentrate to force her breathing under control. When the water was up to her chest the entire cockpit began to rotate to the left. She was lifted out of the water as the port side of the module sank. She took a deep breath and was plunged back into the water head first. After a moment the movement stopped. She pressed the button and the straps retracted. "To the right." She said in her head. She pulled herself along the consoles hand over hand until she got to the door. She pulled herself out and began to swim hard. As she kicked, she was surprised by how far the module had sunk. Several small bubbles of air escaped her nose, and unexpectedly floated towards her feet. She was swimming in the wrong direction. She reversed course. Her chest spasmed, begging her for more air. She knew that humans still had half a minute of air left when this natural response occurred, but she was panicked, and she kicked more frantically.
She burst to the surface and sucked in new air. She swallowed a mouth load of metallic tasting water as she gasped for air. She felt something pulling at her shoulders, she was dragged onto something slippery, and she began to cough up the water she swallowed.
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"We've located the stardrive section of the McCoy by scanning for its ion trail. But we suspect the command module made a water landing, so similar scans were useless." Rosh said over the comm.
Hudson couldn't believe it. He knew Jordan's skills as a pilot were as good as they came. It had to of been an engineering flaw. If Jordan was dead, Hudson was responsible. "I'll figure out a way to find them, sir."
"We still need the parts from the Assault Ship Mr. Hudson. That is still your first priority. We'll send down the Phlox to pick up your team and all you've scavenged." Rosh said.
"Negative, sir. The Phlox is down; its antimatter pod is fueling the Nightingale." Hudson said. "A runabout can make an emergency landing on the surface on its fusion reactors alone, but its antimatter reactor needs to be functioning for it to take off again and reach escape velocity."
"Couldn't the Phlox borrow the pod?" Rosh asked.
"I wouldn't recommend it. After that pod is unhooked from Nightingale's reactor we'll only have thirty minutes to put it back before auxiliary power runs out. Non-vital systems will then shut down, including medical equipment that is still keeping some patients alive."
"It would take at least an hour just to recover you and your team." Rosh said. "There's just not enough time."
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Finally catching her breath, Kizzy looked up at her surroundings. She was in the middle of a large octagonal yellow raft. In every direction nothing could be seen but deep blue sea. "What happened?" She finally asked.
Jordan was lying at one end of the raft, his hands clasped across his chest and his head resting on the raft wall. He raised his head to look at Kizzy. "We crashed." He said.
She sighed and shook her head. "I mean, why did we crash?"
Jordan looked o the sky, resting his head on the raft wall again. What kind of question was that? Jordan felt like she was blaming him. "The starboard nacelle exploded, so we crashed. I don't know why. It doesn't matter, we got out alive and I managed to grab the raft from under my seat."
"When are they coming for us?" Kizmet asked.
"I don't know." Jordan said quietly.
"Well, did you contact them?" Kizzy asked. Jordan said nothing. "They are coming aren't they?"
"I don't know. Somehow I…" Jordan sighed. "I lost my communicator getting out of the command module."
------------------------------------------------------------
The heat didn't help Hudson get his head around the problem. Neither was the fact that his friend was lost somewhere else on the planet, or the possibility that his own team was stranded here. His technicians were collecting anything that could be used in the Nightingale's repairs; most importantly a section of one of the Assault Ship's warp nacelles was being removed. But how would he get these parts back to the Nightingale and properly installed?
He pulled out his tricorder, scanning the Assault Ship and the surrounding plain once again. Down here on the surface, so close to the downed ship, the scans were fairly clear. At least clear enough for a transporter lock. If only Hudson could bring the Nightingale's targeting scanners down here to the surface. Hudson gasped slightly as inspiration struck. He moved closer to the assault ship and scanned it again, it should work.
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"Does the Assault ship have any shuttles?" Marion asked. He and Lieutenant Rosh were sitting at Marion's desk in the CO's quarters.
"None that are serviceable, sir. They were destroyed in the crash." Rosh replied.
"What about their antimatter? Could we use that to power the other runabout?"
"We could use it if we could get it into our reactor. The Dominion stores its antimatter in a tank that is physically part of the ship instead of pods. We could fill an antimatter pod from it if we had a spare one, but we do not have any spare pods." Rosh explained.
"We have been able to survive three attacks from Dominion ships. Now it appears circumstance will achieve what the Jem'Hadar could not." Marion said despondently.
"The ship is not in immediate danger, sir. We are in are far safer now than we were in the Badlands." Rosh said.
Marion turned in his chair and looked out the window at the planet below. "But members of our crew are stranded on the surface, we're not even certain that two of them are alive."
"Mr. Franks and I did calculate a likely crash area. They probably made a water landing, but the search area is the size of Calto province on Andor."
The men sat in silence until a voice came over the comm. "Hudson to Lieutenant Rosh. I have an idea."
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"God it's hot." Jordan said. They were the first words between the rafts two occupants in almost twenty minutes.
"It feels good." Kizzy said. She was lying on the other side of the raft. "It reminds me of home. I missed being in the sun."
Jordan sat up and unzipped the black and grey over-shirt of his uniform. He wrestled himself out of the wet garment and threw it aside.
"What are you doing?" Kizzy asked.
"I'm hot." Jordan said, next removing the long sleeved red shirt he wore underneath.
"You'll burn. You have to keep your skin covered." Kizzy protested.
"At least I won't be hot." He lay back down and sighed in relief as the breeze cooled his bare skin.
"You're impossible. I'm trying to help you, I am a Doctor." Kizzy huffed.
"Maybe I'll let you treat my sunburn." Jordan replied without looking up. He paused for a moment then added, "On second thought, never mind. I don't need you doing me any favors."
"Is that what this is about?" Kizzy asked. She looked down and stared at the yellow of the raft bottom. "What did I ever do that was so wrong?"
Jordan opened his eyes and looked at the girl across from him. "I was wrong about that, I tried to tell you." He sat up. Kizzy looked up and the two locked eyes for a moment before both adverted their gaze to the floor of the raft. Jordan then said quietly, "I tried to apologize, but you didn't care. You brushed me aside and wouldn't even hear me out."
"It wasn't you Jordan." Kizzy said. She rubbed the corner of her eye, trying to wipe away tears before they formed. "It's Jacob…" The name was almost choked off as her throat tightened. She fought to keep control, but she knew she would burst into tears at any moment.
Jordan stared at the bottom of the raft. He didn't see Kizzy's face reddening in her struggle to control her emotions. He didn't even see the yellow of the raft. All he saw was Kizzy wrapping her arms around Jacob Millen's neck on the shuttlebay of the Noble. He remembered how betrayed he felt, and it made him angry. "Your fiancé doesn't want you talking to me?" Jordan looked up when he heard sobs.
Kizzy raised her head, tears streaming down her face. "The Noble was destroyed. Jacob is dead."
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"I've inputted the scan into the transporter buffer." Rosh told Marion. The two men were standing in front of the transporter panel in sickbay. "Energizing." Rosh activated the transporter. A shimmering light appeared on the deck, not far from the two officers. When the light died out, there was a Jem'Hadar disruptor pistol in its place. The XO picked up the weapon and tapped his comm. badge. "Rosh to Hudson. Transport complete, we have the disruptor."
"Is it functional?" Hudson asked over the comm.
Rosh pressed a button on the transporter panel, activating the force field they had rigged for their escape from the badlands. He raised the disruptor and fired it into the field. Marion jumped as a blue beam lashed out from the pistol and the force field sizzled as it absorbed the energy. "It works." Rosh said.
"We'll begin scanning the rest of the weapons and equipment for transport immediately." The engineer said.
"Excellent." Marion said smiling. "Then you and your team can scan yourselves and get back to the ship."
"Sir, this method of transport will allow us to recover the equipment we've scavenged." Hudson let out a sigh. "But it is not safe for bio-transport. After scanning an object with our tricorders and then transmitting that pattern to Nightingale's transporter buffer, the scan is half a minute old. Since we are only transporting inanimate objects, nothing in the pattern has changed between the scan and the actual transport. However, living beings breathe, pump blood, have a constantly changing transporter pattern. Simply by shifting weight from one foot to another in between the tricorder scan and the transport, a person could materialize with half their blood vessels out of alignment. I've run through the numbers, there is less than a fifteen percent chance for a successful bio-transport."
"Ensign Hudson, I'm going to need my chief engineer back onboard to finish these repairs." Rosh said.
"I can't see how that is going to be possible, sir. You have surgeons onboard, they put bodies back together. I'm sure I'll be able to talk them through putting the ship back together. Besides, my team and I aren't going anywhere. Starfleet can send someone for us after Nightingale makes it home." Hudson said from the surface miles beneath the Nightingale, but his voice sounded even more distant. The grave reality of his words was carried in his tone of voice.
"What about Doctor Kizmet and Ensign Singer?" Marion asked. "We still don't know where they are, if they need help."
"Nightingale's safety should be our chief concern, and that safety can't be assured until the ship is back in Federation space." Hudson replied.
Rosh turned off the comm. and turned to Marion. "He's right, sir." Marion looked at the Andorian for a moment, then nodded. Rosh opened the channel again. "Mr. Hudson, carryout your plan. We have not yet given up on recovering your team ourselves, but repairing the Nightingale is priority number one." Before closing the channel the XO added, "If we must leave you here, I trust you will make the best decisions for your team."
"I understand. Thank you, sir. Hudson out."
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"Did I hear you right?" A cold voice came from behind Hudson, causing him to jump. He looked back and forth. The sun was getting low in sky. The shadow of the Assault Ship was growing longer on the plain. Part of the shadow began to move, and Hudson realized it was not a shadow at all.
"Esco, you scared me. How long have you been standing behind me?" Hudson asked.
"Long enough to hear that Nightingale is going to leave us here."
"I'm sorry, but there really isn't anyway to get back to the ship."
"I cannot stay on this planet Ensign. It is imperative that I am not left here."
"None of us want to stay here, but we have no choice at the moment."
Esco face grew bright red. He grabbed the engineer by the shirt. "You have no idea what is at stake! I cannot stay on this planet! I will be found before my task is done!"
Hudson pushed him away. "There isn't anything I can do!"
Esco took a deep breath and allowed his complexion to turn the same flesh tone as Hudson's. "I apologize."
"It's alright, just calm down. I want to get off this planet as much as you do, but can't see anyway to do that right now."
Esco sat down on a large rock. He seemed tired, deflated. "My mission has endangered your ship and claimed the life of one of its crew."
"Why is the Dominion chasing you? What is your mission?"
"To right a wrong. To do no more harm. I thought I was finally outrunning my enemies, that I would at last be able to complete my task."
"The Dominion doesn't know we're here. You won't be found."
"He will find me." The Nevlian muttered. He then looked Hudson in the eye. "Perhaps I was being too much like a human, incredibly optimistic, and wholly unrealistic. I am walking the road to Hell."
"Then at least your intentions are good." Hudson said.
"Do you really believe that?" Esco asked.
"Something has been eating at you since we met. I don't think doing the wrong thing is ever that hard on a person."
Half a smile crossed Esco's face. "I'll have to tell that to the Devil next time I see him."
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The sun touched the horizon and looked as if it was sinking into the sea. Its orange reflection stretched out, touching the raft. Jordan put his black uniform over shirt back on. "It's cooling down." He said.
"Yeah." Kizzy replied. That was about all she had said since she told Jordan about Jacob. Her fiancé's death was like a disease for conversations, once it was mentioned the talking just died out. She had only told two people about Jacob, Jordan and Sovek. At least with Sovek she could leave the room. But here in the raft she couldn't runaway and hide.
Jordan grunted and shifted the position of his shirt.
"Your sunburn?" Kizzy asked.
"It's not bad. I should have listened to you." He replied. After a moment he added. "I'm sorry Kizmet."
"You don't need to apologize to me. You just have to live with your sunburn." Kizzy said forcing a brief smile.
"I meant about the other day, when I hollered at you for pushing by me. With all that you were going through, I shouldn't have gotten angry."
"You didn't know."
"I should have known something was wrong. I should have treated like a friend, like you treated me."
"What are you talking about? Every time I see you, I end up asking you for something."
"Not every time." Jordan said. "The day we left the Badlands, just before I went to the shuttlebay to face the Jem'Hadar with Esco, you didn't ask me for anything then. You wished me luck, and that meant more to me than you can know. I was scared that day, but knowing there was someone counting on me… Knowing you were rooting for me, I wasn't so scared after that."
Kizzy wiped a tear from her eye. She wasn't sure if it was one of joy or sorrow. She looked out across the water, only a small part of the sun peaked out above the horizon. "I've never seen a sunset like this, it's beautiful."
"You never watched a sunset back home?" Jordan asked.
"Never like this, on the water. Zosonpgang doesn't have any large bodies of water on the surface. We have plenty of underground lakes, but I've never seen the sunlight dancing on the water."
"I've never seen a more stunning sunset." Jordan agreed, but it was not because of the reflections of light off the water.
Kizzy turned back to Jordan. "It's been a long time. Do you think they'll find us?"
"The sensors are a little out of whack because of the Kelvanite. Give them time." Jordan assured her, but he was not nearly as confident as he sounded.
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"We have little time to find the lost crewmembers." Sovek said as he approached Marion.
"Excuse me?" Marion said, not prepared for the statement.
Sovek held out a PADD. "I have done a climate study on the planet. If Doctor Kizmet and Ensign Singer did land in the search area Lieutenant Rosh determined, the temperature will drop below human tolerances. It is nearly night in the search area. With the clothing we know them to have been wearing; I estimate both of them will be dead approximately six hours after sunset."
Marion looked over the over the PADD. "Six hours? I'm not sure if that will be enough time."
"There is a related matter I would also like to address, sir. With Doctor Kizmet lost, no one is attending to her patients. With the help you have given me, I am certain I can control my emotions. I am prepared to resume my regular duties."
Marion nodded. "Yes, please attend to Doctor Kizmet's patients, except for Chief Reilly. I will attend to him myself."
Sovek bowed his head slightly. "As you wish."
------------------------------------------------------------
Reilly heard steps near his bed. "Doctor Kizmet?" He asked.
"No, it's Lieutenant Commander Marion, Chief."
"Did the away team find the White? Are we going to start this treatment soon?"
Marion sighed. "I'm afraid I have some bad news, Chief. Doctor Kizmet was in a runabout accident along with the only vial of Ketracel White the Away team found."
"What happened?"
"We're not sure. We received a distress call and we located the stardrive section of the runabout, so we know the command module was successfully ejected but we don't know where it is." Marion leaned against the Chief's bed and stared at the deck. "We can't send the other runabout down to look for them because it's missing a pod or something."
"Probably the antimatter pod."
"That was it. We can't even recover the engineering team, and we know right where they are."
"Then I guess I'm stuck this way." Reilly sighed. The two men were quiet for a moment. Then the Chief suddenly straightened up, he looked more alert, concentrated. "Who was piloting the Runabout?"
"Ensign Singer, terrible loss."
"Flying is the only thing the kid takes seriously. He wouldn't panic in a bind, he would remember his procedures, isolate the antimatter." Reilly said, thinking out loud. "Sir, did the stardrive section explode?"
"I don't know, we're not sure what caused the crash."
"No, I mean when it impacted the ground. Is it pretty much intact, or is there a massive crater where it hit?" For the first time since the Chief found out he was blind, he was seeing things clearly.
"I saw a visual scan. It crashed in a wooded area, knocked over some trees, but there wasn't any crater I could see. Why?"
"Skipper, I think we just found a spare antimatter pod."
------------------------------------------------------------
"Chief Reilly thinks we can use the antimatter pod from the crashed Runabout to power our good one." Marion said. He was standing on the bridge with Rosh and Franks.
"How are we supposed to get the McCoy's pod?" Franks asked.
"We land the Phlox next to the crash site." Rosh said, guessing the rest of the plan. Marion nodded.
"The Phlox's main reactor is offline. We can't land it on a planet, that's completely against procedure." Franks protested. "Regulations clearly state: planet landings without main power are only to be attempted in emergencies."
"Our people need our help. This is an emergency Mr. Franks." Marion said.
"Your concerns will be noted in my log, Lieutenant. Start prepping the Phlox, we will leave as soon as possible." Rosh commanded.
"Mr. Rosh, I only want one of you to go. We are running short on Starfleet personnel. If for some reason the other runabout can't get off the planet, I cannot run this ship alone." Marion interjected.
"Very well, sir." Rosh said. "Mr. Franks, you will go alone."
"But sir…" Franks said meekly. He looked down at his feet. "Sir, the landing zone is in a wooded area on uneven ground. Without main power, there is little room for error. I'm not sure I can do this."
Rosh gave Franks a piercing stare. "You are the best pilot left on this ship, but if you have no confidence in yourself, I will not put the confidence of this ship in you." The XO turned to Marion. "I've been meaning to knock some of the rust off my helmsman skills. I will pilot the runabout."
Franks straightened his poster, and inhaled deeply as if summoning some internal strength. "That will not be necessary. I am the ship's lead helmsman, I can pilot the Phlox."
Rosh grasped Frank's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "Yes you can."
------------------------------------------------------------
"The sky looks so empty." Kizzy's voice shook when she spoke. The temperature had dropped quite quickly after nightfall.
"Half of it is because of the moons. The light they reflect from the sun drowns out the dimmer stars." Jordan said, extending one arm and pointing towards two white globes hanging in the sky above them. As soon as Kizzy looked Jordan quickly pulled his arm back to his body, hugging himself for warmth. "And half of it is because of the planet's atmosphere. The gasses bend the light; it makes some stars harder to see."
Kizzy shook her head. "I've become spoiled. The Nightingale is the first ship I've ever been on, besides the shuttle that took me there. I had never been in space before. I remember how incredible the stars looked when I first came onboard. And now I've grown used to it, the stars from anywhere else will never be so brilliant."
"At the Academy we had these training shuttles. I used to love flying them, I'd try and get scheduled for flight time every chance I got. Then, on a training cruise the summer after my third year, I got to sit at the helm of the USS Crazy Horse. It was incredible, being at the controls of something that big. And that was it, that's when I knew what I wanted to do. When I got back to the Academy the training shuttles were never as fun, nothing but the helm of a starship would do." Jordan found himself thinking about the Noble. "You can't go home, isn't that what they say?"
The words hit Kismet like a sack of bricks. "I suppose so."
"Hey, Kizzy." Jordan's voice took on a tone of concern. "Do people even hallucinate when they get too cold?"
"Why? What are you seeing?" Kizzy asked.
"It's the water. I thought it was just reflected moon light, but I don't know. It looks like the tops of the waves are glowing themselves."
Kizzy looked at the sea, Jordan was right. The surface was moving in small waves, and every crest produced a dim blue glow. She reached over the edge of the raft and ran her fore finger through the water. The small wake it produces glowed blue for a moment, then subsided. "It's algae." She said. "It's phosphorescent algae. It gives off light when it's disturbed."
"Ah!" Jordan yelped. Kizzy reeled around to see what was wrong. Jordan had dipped his own fingers into the water to make the algae glow. "That water is really cold." He said, rubbing his hands together and smiling sheepishly.
"It's been a long time Jordan, are they ever going to come for us?"
"I don't know." He admitted. "But I'm sure they are trying everything they can."
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"That's the last of it, sir." Crewman Doral reported after the last transport of equipment and parts was complete.
"Good job Doral." Hudson said.
"There is one more transport left." Esco said, walking up to Hudson. "I want you to transport me to the Nightingale."
"What?" Hudson said in disbelief. "No, Esco. I won't allow it. There is only a one in ten chance that you would materialize alive."
"I'm willing to take that chance. My mission never had a high probability of success, but if I stop moving I will be found."
"Esco you don't need to do this…"
Esco cut Hudson off. "Yes I do, the very soul of the Federation is at stake."
"No, you don't understand. We're going back to the ship and we don't need to use the transporter."
Hudson and the members of the engineering team standing nearby then witnessed a very rare occurrence; a confused look came over Esco's face. "How?" He asked.
------------------------------------------------------------
Franks felt slightly nauseated. It might have been from how nervous he was, or it might have been because the inertial dampers were operating on partial power, allowing him to feel the some of the g-forces the runabout was experiencing. The rate of descent was critical in the maneuver he was attempting. Without main power the repulser lifts could only tie the planet's gravity, not overcome it. That meant he could not regain any lost altitude. Another major consideration was the Runabout's glide slope, the angle with the ground at which the craft approached the landing zone. Having the slope off several degrees could put him miles away from the McCoy's stardrive section.
The landing zone itself was less than ideal. There were no clearings nearby. He and Lieutenant Rosh had discussed trying to cut a hole in the foliage with the runabout's phasers, but the risk of starting a fire and landing the Phlox in the middle of it was too great. Instead Franks would use the mass of the runabout to level the trees as he landed.
Franks checked his descent rate again, then his glide slope, then he looked out the forward window. He saw the crash sight, and he saw the trees where he wanted to put the Phlox down. He kept scanning in that order, decent rate, glide slop, trees. His heart started pounding fast and his nausea increased as the trees became larger in the window. Descent rate, glide slope, trees. He was coming down a little fast, he slowed his descent. Descent rate, glide slope, trees. The Runabout was coming above the glide slope due to the slower descent. He tried to compensate. Decent rate, glide slope, trees. Trees!
Franks braced himself as the Phlox plowed into the tree tops. Trunks splintered as the weight of the craft crushed the obstacles. The cockpit shuttered and rocked, then everything was still. The Phlox was on the ground, more or less. The cockpit listed to the left. The runabout had come to rest on the slope of a small hill, as well as a good portion of knocked over forest.
"Franks to Nightingale, I'm on the ground." He scanned his instruments. "Phlox is intact and operational. I'm about half a mile from the crash site."
"Good job Mr. Franks. Contact Ensign Hudson once you've reached the McCoy, he'll talk you through recovering the antimatter pod."
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Kizzy looked at Jordan. Even though it was slightly sunburned, his skin was looking noticeably pale. Both of them were shivering, it was obvious hypothermia would set in soon. "I never thought it would end up like this." Kizzy said.
"You have to hang on Kizmet. If there is a way, they'll come for us." Jordan hoped he was right.
"I don't just mean being here, in this raft. Being on the Nightingale, I thought it would be different. I thought it would be more like a regular hospital. I never thought we'd get so close to the war."
"I never thought I'd be so far from it. I didn't think I'd end up on a hospital ship, I always thought I'd be assigned to a ship on the frontlines, on a ship where my piloting skills would make a difference in battle. I was so jealous of all those convoys we took on patients from. I hated watching them warp away, leaving me behind."
"The last convoy that we met, that was the last time I saw Jacob."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up any painful memories."
"It's alright. I like thinking about that day, but he had to leave, go off and fight. I volunteered to serve on the Nightingale because I knew I would have to leave home eventually to be with him. And I thought that it would some how keep us closer to each other. I'm so glad I got to see Jacob one last time, but it was so hard watching him leave. It was like the best day and the worst day at the same time. Does that make any sense?"
"I know exactly how you feel. That day I had never felt more close to the only good thing about Nightingale, but that's also the day I lost it."
"That same day? What did you loose?"
Jordan shifted uncomfortably, wishing he hadn't said anything.
"What is it Jordan?" Kizzy asked.
"You." He said. "I thought you wanted to ride on the Runabout that day because of me. When I met Jacob, I… I don't know, I knew it wasn't to be. So I guess I started pushing you away."
"I'm sorry Jordan. I didn't mean to lead you on. I should have told you I was engaged."
"You didn't know."
"I suspected." She said quietly. It was then quiet again save for the lapping sound of the water against the raft.
Although they only sat on opposite sides of the raft, Jordan felt as if they were light years apart. He feared he had just thrown away the friendship he and Kizmet had just repaired.
"You know." Kizzy said after a long silence. "Its pretty cold, we should probably huddle together. Conserve our body heat."
"OK." Jordan replied. They moved towards each other. Kizzy put her arms around Jordan's waist and pressed her body against his. Jordan hesitantly put his arms around Kizmet. He had wanted to embrace her so many times, but he never pictured it like this.
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"Any news?" Marion asked entering the bridge.
"Mr. Franks has installed the antimatter pod and he is currently picking up the engineering team. Mr. Hudson says the Phlox will need a new coat of paint." Rosh reported.
"How long will it take them to search the crash area?" Marion asked.
"Approximately ten hours."
"Our most hopeful medical estimates give Doctor Kizmet and Ensign Singer three hours."
------------------------------------------------------------
Kizzy felt Jordan shift in her arms. "Is your sunburn bothering you?"
"It's really not that bad." He said. "But I do wish I had a tan like yours. I wouldn't have to worry about getting burned."
"Maybe." Kizzy said softly.
"If they find us, and we make it back to the Federation, are you going to stay onboard Nightingale, or will you go home?"
"It's been months since I left. I can't go home."
"What's keeping you?" Jordan asked.
"On Zosonpgang it's illegal to go out into the sun unsupervised until you're sixteen."
"Why not?"
"Because it takes sixteen years of controlled exposure to our sun to build up a natural resistance to its effects. It only takes a few months to loose that resistance. My tan has faded too much, skin won't protect me anymore. I gave that up for Jacob. I lost everything. I'm alone."
Jordan pulled Kizzy as close to him as he could. "You're not alone."
Kizzy held on to Jordan as if he was the only thing keep her afloat. They had shared their secrets with a recklessness that only those uncertain of their survival possess. Though she never had been in so much danger, she felt safe as that night, the night stranded at sea, the night swimming with the things they had always left unsaid, the night she shared her burden.
Jordan grimiest slight shifted in her arms again. "Sorry, it feels like something is poking me, I think. I'm pretty numb."
Kizzy reached into her cold, damp pocket and pulled out a vial. "It's the Ketracel White."
"It's glowing." Jordan said. There were splotches of bright blue light on the capped end of the vial.
"It's the algae." Kizzy said. "Ketracel enhances most bio-functions. That's why the algae is glowing so brightly."
"Kizzy, I have an idea. Give me the vial."
She thought of Chief Reilly, the white in the vial was his only hope for regaining his natural sight. She put the vial in Jordan's hand with some reluctance. Jordan took the vial and pulled of the cap. He braced himself for the shock of the cold and then dunked the vial into the water. He shook it around to get as much of the drug out as possible. It diffuse into the water quickly, soon a brilliant, blue, glowing cloud was growing off one side of the raft. Jordan pulled his hand out of the water. It was completely numb and glowing as bright as the water.
"Sorry Chief." Kizzy said.
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"It's been hours and there is still no sign of them." Franks said as he flew the Phlox in a search pattern over the crash area.
"Then we'll keep searching." Hudson replied from the copilot seat.
"I don't think were going to find them." Franks said. "Not alive anyway."
"Then we'll search until we find their bodies." Hudson said. "Damnit!" He cursed, hitting his console. "The sensors are nearly useless, there must be kelvanite dissolved in the water."
"What's that?" Franks asked, pointing out the forward window.
Hudson looked up. "It's a light." He said. "It's a light on an uninhabited planet, it has to be them!"
The Phlox arrived at the light quickly. Franks brought the runabout into a hover a hundred feet above the raft. Close enough to trust Jordan and Kizzy's lives to the transporters. The two materialized on the deck of the cockpit, unconscious and embracing each other. Hudson covered them in a large blanket and began rubbing them, trying to warm them up.
"Franks to Nightingale, we found them. Have a medical team standing by." The helmsman called over the comm. as he turned the runabout spaceward.
Jordan opened his eyes, looked around and smiled. "Hey JG." He said weakly. "I thought flying Runabouts was my job, you need me to take over the helm?'
"Don't worry about it Ensign, you can take my next bridge watch." Franks replied with an uncharacteristic good humor.
"Aye, aye, sir." Jordan said to his superior, with a respectful tone for the first time.
Kizzy stirred a little before raising her head. "Where am I?" She asked.
"With friends." Jordan answered.