Chapter Eight
Orville Falls
The darkness is absolute, the kind where even passing fingers an inch before the eye changes nothing, and the instrumental background music vanished into the void. But worse than that is the feeling that all internal organs are released from their steady downward pressure. The pull, ignored since minutes after birth, is gone and boots leave the deck.
There is little noise, just quiet sounds of distress from those unfamiliar with the sensations of absolute freedom.
Crystal McGee's panicked bleat, high in her throat, is the only sound she hears. She can feel nothing around her, can see nothing, only knows - remembers - enough to freeze, for if she flails as her body wants to do, she will get hurt.
But before she can try to orient herself, she does feel something - a hand - close in a firm grip around her left ankle and she realizes that, with the exception of her gasps and the thudding of her heart in her ears, the room had been silent for but a moment.
As if panic has released her ears when she felt that grip and the awareness that she's being slowly drawn downward seeps through the terror, she hears a single calm male voice.
"–one hurt?"
A broken chorus of scattered 'nos' reminds her that she should say "no" too. She does get it out between panting gasps, but her heart pounds so hard she can barely hear anything else as her feet touch the deck. On her left six lights rise, two sets of blue, green and red blink in an irregular non-sequence and curve in a near V to illuminate a bare neck and she sees this isn't the only light in the black room.
A hand touches her bare arm, runs down to her hand and guides it to a cool wooden bar top which she clutches tightly, clings to it with both hands.
Panic giving way with her tight grip, her racing breath and pounding heart allowing her enough space to let thoughts intrude, she realizes several things at once. People are speaking, calmly voicing instructions rather than questions; she can see pinpoints of light at the large view port where she'd earlier stared in fascination at the rainbow streaks flashing by from left to right and an industrial strength blender is churning the snacks and drinks that had lain settled in her stomach.
She clamps her left hand to her mouth barely in time and clamps her teeth and lips together behind her palm. This is a battle she must win, for though she won't see the result of failure until gravity is restored and the lights come on, she's determined not to lose.
Best to stand - float - quietly and endure it while she listens, locks on to, the calm voices around her.
x
"–ohn, can you get to the door?" that initial voice, Captain Mercer's she recognizes now far to her right, is answered by one as far to her left.
"Pretty near it, Captain. Engineering and Damage Control teams, drift over to me." A little mechanical noise and "I have the emergency manual control but what really bothers me is what we're hearing, as in nothing."
"No kidding." A moment. "Mercer to all department heads, report."
"Captain, most of us are here," another voice speaks for the group. No one needs to say 'getting acquainted'.
"Mercer to Isaac."
He's the one least likely to socialize and is often known to spend double shifts on the bridge, but this time the only answer is silence.
x
But while this was happening the sounds of what tools have been employed in opening the door has formed an undertone to the drama until, with the suddenness of their extinguishing the lights blast dark-accustomed eyes as they come back on to the rest of the aborted note and the musical background resumes.
At the same instant gravity snaps on and distinguishes those accustomed to space travel from their less experienced fellows, the latter of whom encounter the deck with varying degrees of dignity.
Alara, still beside her, lands on her feet saying 'no gradual conversion?' while Crystal dashes for the Ladies' refresher with both hands clasped over her mouth.
x
Through the long window those who choose to look can see that the stars had resumed their right to left motion, but this momentarily before they halt again, this action certainly directed from the bridge.
"John."
"No need to say it, Captain," LaMarr says from the now open door. Down the corridor the lights are on and two crewmen are righting themselves. He touches a button on the panel beside him. "All Engineering and Damage Control personnel to your stations!"
Mercer taps his communicator on his left sleeve, gratified to hear the answering chirrup. "General Quarters. All Personnel to General Quarters."
Within seconds all non-civilians exit en masse, leaving nine people other than himself and the First Officer who awaits his direction. "That gravity should have come on over fifteen seconds," he says.
"It did back in May."
"Let's see what Isaac has for us." Together they head for the portal. "Nice dress, by the way."
Her answer is a whispered "You just wanted to see it while the gravity was off."
x
Two minutes later the bathroom door slides aside and Crystal steps out into the quiet. Someone had turned off the mood soothing music and even the civilians have departed, most to their quarters where they'll be out of the way, and presumably safe unless called upon.
"Where'd everybody go?"
"G.Q." Mooksa says from where he cleans one of the tables. Being stable, some pieces had not moved unless the tables had been nudged. "General Quarters."
"Well, thank God I'm not completely alone."
"These are my General Quarters."
"I guess I'd best go to my office?" She looks around the disordered room. "Unless you could use a hand?"
"Naah, I've got it, thanks. But you move carefully, in case this happens again. And again, 'welcome aboard'."
"Thanks." She heads toward the door, then stops as it opens and looks back. "Mooska, is it always like this?"
"Naah. Sometimes this ship gets crazy."
xxx
On the Bridge Mercer, Grayson and the Alpha Shift crew join with their Beta counterparts to address this latest crazy. Beta officers had moved to backup stations when the primaries arrived.
"Sensors recorded zero data," Isaac responds to the Ship-master's question begun before he'd crossed the threshold. "All ship functions were deactivated for a period of 93 seconds."
"Except for you," Kelly notes.
"And Alara's talmed," Gordon says, glancing from his board to his beloved at her station.
"Yes, I noticed. Very nice by the way."
"Thank you," she says, trying to hide her reluctance to discuss it and wishing she'd thought to take it off.
Then again, she wishes she'd had the seconds in which to stop at her quarters, to throw off her decorative cobalt blue gown and yank on her uniform.
Except for the Captain and the Beta crew no one is in uniform, yet she feels underdressed. But a GQ call is always 'Come As You Are', but this damned talmed –
The Captain's saying something - to her - in a tone with a definite edge. "I'm sorry, sir?"
"I asked you, twice, 'how is it powered?'"
"Er, bioelectric circuit, sir. It lights when worn in contact with bare skin."
"My power system is self-contained," Isaac reports something they already knew.
"So, is it only shipboard power that was affected?"
"Ensign Clayborne has an artificial heart," Kelly points out. "If that had been affected, we'd know it by now."
"Right. Gordon, any change in Heading or Speed?"
"We're on a bee line for Catonis II, just as you ordered. ETA remains steady plus the time we drifted while the Quantum Drive was out."
x
And thus it goes for twenty seven minutes of analysis, testing, evaluation and determination. The final conclusions are no damage, no failures, no problems and no answers.
"Only thing I can think of," Gordon ventures, "is there something weird about that spot in space we went through. If so, inertia may have carried us beyond its range. We could turn around and see if we can get a better look."
Mercer considers this with an Explorer's sensitivity and the appeal of Mystery but with the knowledge that his ship and crew had suffered… what..? with no ill effects. "No. We'll continue on to Catonis, drop off those seeds and so forth and then, if it's still there, we'll take a closer look on the way back." He looks to his left. "Alara, secure from General Quarters. Isaac, keep a close watch on the sensors. If they even blink wrong, call me."
"There is no blinking readou–"
"Never mind." He looks to the chronometer on the bulkhead, 2214, six hours since change of shift. "Alpha shift to bed. I'm going to want you bright tailed and bushy eyed in the morning."
"No problem there," Kelly announces as she surrenders her Station, "I'm bushed already."
xxx
Lt. Crystal McGee left her office when the loudspeaker above her head had announced in Alara Kitan's voice that the alert had ended. It has been too long a week - two days - one day? Impossible.
Her quarters are six doors down the corridor to her left, seconds away, but she passes no one on the short trek.
She sits down at her desk, remembers that last time she hadn't been able to relax her knees well enough to do so.
She would pull the gown down her right shoulder but if she does so she'll take it to her otherwise empty closet, not come back again but prepare for bed. After a short debate with herself which grows more intense as she wonders what, if anything, she should do; should she call Dr. Fi – Claire – and ask for instructions? she sits down at the desk. She would rather not record anything, but like so many other things it's a useful discipline – should she ever want to review anything.
The chip is still in the Reader. 'I really have to find a safe place to hide this.' She stares at the thing; wishes she'd never seen it. 'I don't even know what's on it anymore, what with recording, chickening out and deleting. Should I try rerecording some things, just so I'll have a record of my probably very short career here?
'No.'
x
"Chaplain's Log, December 22, 2420, double supplemental. Okay, that's not a legitimate phrase but what can I do?
"If things go as fast every day as they have today, I'm going to have to find some way of telling the parts of the day apart. Anyway, it's 2238 and when I get done recording this I am going to bed.
"The Reception is behind me, and it was nowhere nearly as horrible as I thought it might be. I met so many people I can't keep names and faces straight but at least now this ship doesn't feel like a ship of strangers. I may actually be able to enjoy being here – until I really mess things up and get kicked off.
"I was talking for a while with Alara Kitan, the Chief of Security; we've chatted several times, familiar face and all and she helped me choose this gown…"
"I am never wearing this again. Ever. First day on the ship, I'm wearing this elegant, elegant gown but there's no way I can wear a bra, and I caught sight of myself in the mirror, over and again and I could see my nipples – thank you God that they weren't hard, just soft bumps and I wanted to die! I hate, hate, hate it when no one is noticing except me and yet sometimes I look and someone's gaze flickers off me so fast he could get ocular whiplash.
"Well, anyway I didn't run out to the Synthesizer Room but I prayed so much I was sure God was going to tell me to shut up and stop pestering Him. He told me He had my back and when I finally stopped freaking, I realized that He did.
"And then the lights went out."
x
"It's like when someone comes up behind you and clamps their hands over your eyes and whispers 'Guess Who!' You're not afraid but you're working very hard to identify feel and voice and it's fun.
"This was not.
"With the lights the gravity went out. Then I don't want to know what but all I could think about was not losing my snacks.
"And then I suddenly realized I was scared to death and then I wasn't afraid - for a bit. Alara kind of came to my rescue, and in that moment, we weren't Security Chief and Chaplain, but we were just two people at a party. Floating.
"She's like me, maybe a year older and is a settled officer, far from her planet so maybe I...
x
"I got to meet all the main Officers and a lot of the crew. It – the reception – was in Mooska's so people could spread out and relax and even I could relax. Mostly.
"It's kind of a Lounge / Night Club. Wow, who has a Night Club? The Tesla, despite its size, didn't have a Night Club and I have trouble picturing Captain Vasnic, who I met with a grand total of three times; once on boarding, once at Orientation and once on disembarking, having a Night Club aboard.
"I forced myself to stay away from George, Kevin and Bill, probably more than I should have but there were so many to meet that it'd have been rude to cluster with those I know - knew - but maybe it was rude to keep my distance. I'm not sure.
"I remet Yaphit; I saw him coming this time so it was a lot better, I didn't step on - into - him at all so that was better. He's an interesting … whatever, I forgot to ask … but we talked for a while and he didn't try to come on to me, maybe George talked to him, I don't know and don't really want to. And coming on to me, I wouldn't even know how that could be physically possible and it's another thing I really don't want to know.
"I also re-met Bortus and no, I didn't almost scream again, I think I'm getting used to … well, I met him and his mate. They're both nice, well, polite. I have to check if standoffishness is a cultural thing, I have no idea, but Klyden was, well, I don't know. It was like he talked to me but didn't, like he was 'acting' polite rather than being polite. I guess with Klyden that's from not being an Officer and not having to be 'on' all the time. Like me he's a civilian, except unlike me he's not ranked.
"God, I could wish I weren't.
"Oh, and he's a man. On Mocla - Moclus? - I must find out, I knew but I forget; anyway they're all men. No women on their planet, none at all, never have been, never can be. How they have a son I really must look up. I didn't meet the son, he was with a sitter, but I will in time. But boy, family counseling is going to be a challenge with them. Maybe.
"I think of Paul Russen; he was in my class at Trinity but dropped out. He tried for a long time but could not handle homosexuality, and you get no choice at all on the matter of helping everyone no matter who they are, how they are or where you find them.
But I have to admit I'm not much better; the thought of having a girlfriend - and being intimate with her - gives me the willies.
"But I prayed with and for Paul, because it's something he couldn't seem to get over or around. I wonder, if he had made it, if he would have gone - come? - into the Union Space Program. Can I imagine him being assigned to serve on Moclus?
"No."
x
She stops, considers, considers more. "Could I consider a… relationship… with a woman?" She shudders. "Friendship is one thing…. But do I have the right to … whatever … Paul, when the thought of….
"No. No, I don't.
"'You cannot deal with what you will not know,' Father Seamus said, oh, a couple hundred times. Okay, he wasn't talking about this, but if called on I'm going to have to pray a mini-Novena and go in there and do couples' counseling.
"Note to self: save this so that if I am kicked off for failing in my duty, I can look back and kick myself."
She takes a deep breath and lets it out hard. 'Does this get recorded somewhere else?' She really wants to get off this subject and remembers this is her Log, and decides she really does need that kick. And sleep.
x
"I met Alara's boyfriend – no, that's not right. I met Helmsman Gordon … Gordon … darn. Anyway – Malloy, that's it. At first, I wasn't hearing properly with the music, soft as it was, I thought he'd said 'Mallory' and my heart almost flipped but it's Malloy. O'Mallory, well, it's family history and would only be a coincidence, we're not related, but the original Reverend McGee, the one who married Timothy McGee back in the 21st Century, was O'Mallory before she became McGee and had Craig, Harry and Erin – so that makes Siobhan the original Mother McGee which made Erin the second and me the –
"Stop Blathering!"
x
"Oh yeah, the blackout. Anyway, I wasn't scared, per se. When my eyes adjusted, I could see the stars through the huge window, except they were standing still where they were flashing backward to our tails.
"The gravity went off and –
"Come on, who am I kidding? I was scared out of my freaping gord. And sick like someone had taken my stomach and shook it. When the gravity came on, I made it to the ladies' room before – Never Mind."
x
"Anyway, I didn't betray Alara's secret, not that I ever would, but he was not the kind to give someone a 'gift' that would hurt her, particularly someone he loves. While we were talking, he was telling me about nightmares he was having about the time he and Captain Mercer were on the Krill ship - how we even got on the Krill I don't know, probably a carryover from my Intake Interview - Did I pass? They haven't fired me yet. And he told me something I had absolutely not been Cleared for in my time in the Academy, how they celebrated their religion by plunging a dagger over and over into some man's head.
Right, I'd have nightmares too and I don't particularly trust tonight – except I have to get this out of my head and really want to get to bed.
"But I helped him as much as I could. I think I helped; I never really know but I tried. I'm always trying, at least that's what Mary Anne says. Sisters can be so….
x
"I've been up since four, preparing for the transfer, saying Advent Mass because their Chaplain is a Delmarkian - that's fine - but Christmas is a distinctly human thing.
"But I've yet to celebrate a Eucharist here. There I was a fill-in, here I'm the real thing. Official. Idiot.
"Other cultures have different things; all cultures have something but I expect God did them one at a time when it was the right time for them."
She slumps down in the seat, declares to the overhead "Oh God, that's a Course in itself and if I start on it I'll never get to bed this month."
x
"But anyway, while we were talking, he caught sight of Alara across the room and his love washed over me like... well, they're a couple, that much is clear, and his gift does look very nice on her. Between those six and his eyes it was like there were eight lights on her.
"Well, anyway, the blackout and the gravity and the weightlessness. Well, I was hovering there in midair and I freeze, trying to keep quiet because if I didn't it was really going to humiliate me because no one else was freaking out, when I felt Alara's hand grab my ankle and ease me down. When she stood up and I saw her neck thingy over the panic, panting and all until I could clench hold of the bar with all my might and pray it wouldn't move and… oh heck."
x
She drops her head into her propped up hands on the desk, more a crash, looking down at the desktop, not wanting to see or get lost in the rushing stars. "Computer."
No, she doesn't like the sound, there's a reverb. 'What am I going to do? I am useless here.' She pulls at the right shoulder of her gown before remembering to undo the back. 'Maybe a shower. I am so tired –'
**BEEP**
'Oh yes, you're waiting for me to have something intelligent to say. Do I really want anyone hearing all that; maybe if someone's assigned to do my eulogy by the time this mission is over...?'
She sits up straight. "Computer, delete that last entry."
**Last entry deleted.**
x
She touches the off button and steps toward the bedroom, reaching back to undo the gown.
xxx
It's end of second shift, 1600 to 0, Beta to Gamma, when Kelly Grayson finally gets onto her bed. She's switched to silken pajamas so smooth it's like wearing a cloud and the indulgence guarantees a restful sleep.
Perhaps that is why as soon as she pulls the blanket up and closes her eyes the door annunciator downstairs chirps. She clenches her fist, then forces herself to open her hand.
"Someone wants to be busted, in either way."
As she shoves the blanket aside and stands up, the sound repeats from down the spiral stairs and she catches sight of the chronometer on her dresser; 0003.
She leaves off her robe, hoping to say by this that she has no intention of inviting the visitor to feel welcome and descends the spiral staircase upon bare feet. She's naked under the silk but it provides enough coverage, and she makes it down six steps when the chime sounds again. "I'm Coming!"
'And it had better be super urgent'. Crossing the main room, she reflects that there is only one person aboard that she cannot snap at.
She touches the button on the panel beside the door and discovers her luck has run true to form. "Ed."
"Hi, Kelly." He's still in uniform but looks down and back up her ununiformed figure in the way that only an ex-husband could dare – though she's standing in the doorway in an active corridor. She backs in, he follows and the door hisses shut. "I didn't wake you, did I?"
"Haven't been to bed yet." She hopes he gets the message, though technically he doesn't have to. He's her C.O. but more than that she has nothing he hasn't seen, touched… fondled… played w–
Enough of this is a great plenty. She's the one who's been saying 'no'. She backs away two short steps. This is to be a brief encounter.
x
"I came to tell you the result of Isaac's research," he tells her, which puts her mind back on business. No.
"Yes?"
"Pretty mild. We passed an ancient satellite some species forgot a few thousand years ago, their radioactive shield seems to have failed and it was putting out a wash that could light up Luna or Mars. No risk to the crew, we were in and out of range in seconds, but you know the rest. Isaac's still analyzing the field; he says it's nothing like he's ever seen."
"That must stick in his claw."
"You know it. He's doing a quadruple to get it all done but we were in and out of its range so quickly that even after we fell out of Quantum space and drifted the equipment felt it more than we did and then the resets engaged."
"Well, that's good," she says, hoping he's done and ready to leave. "We already knew there was no damage. At least none we can find. They'll stay vigilant for as long as needed for any delayed problems to manifest." That's enough to tell him she knows all this from the reviews, so if he's done they can pick this up at 08.
"True, but I'm happier with anssssss…. What's that?" He's looking past her left shoulder toward the spiral staircase, she turns around but can see nothing unusual.
"What did you see?" she asks as she turns back to him.
x
His hands move so fast that surprise catapults into shock and holds her in place as much as the agony in her breasts. She screams, too hurt to do more as his hands clench as though to crush them.
She starts to move to break his twin grips but he yanks, shifts aside and she's thrown with horrific force against steel door.
She slams full body into it, stunned in too many senses by his viciousness. Her released breasts top the pain in her body at the full impact and she still can't move fast enough as the powerful hand reaches past under her arm and crushes her breast, spins her around. She's shoved back with frightful force into the door.
She struggles to keep upright. ED is hurting her! Disbelief prevents her from seeing the hard fist that slams into her face, crashes the back of her head into the steel.
Her right breast is released, the instant gives her no relief as his fist crashes into her face, pounds her head back so it bounces off the door. Left, right, left, right, left, right… when it stops she can only hold on to the last thread of consciousness. Her knees give way, she senses herself slide downward and the sudden renewed agony in her breasts makes them feel as though they're being crushed like grapes!
She can't think, her scream rockets to a shrill shriek as she's torn from the wall, spun about and thrown!
She never feels herself crash to the deck.
x
Mercer stands over the unconscious woman, panting from the thrill of her defeat. Blood flows from her nose and mouth and incipient bruises are already visible. He bends, grabs both sides of the silken garment and yanks. Buttons fly through the room and for a time he stares at her lovely breasts, high and reddening, the marks of his fingers standing out in sharp relief.
Her pajama top torn apart, her arms flung outward, only her hips and legs are obscured.
He moves down to her waist, grabs the elastic of the smooth garment and as the door slides open behind him he yanks hard, tears the bottom from hips to knees.
x
"If you're going to rape her," the woman's voice makes him look back to two blue and red uniformed women, Grayson and Kitan standing framed in the open portal, "don't let us stop you."
"I won't," Mercer growls, yanks the pajama pants so hard they fly off her feet and the follow through flings them across the room. "What about the others?" He kicks Kelly's legs hard apart. Her shaven labia display a delicious treat.
"We had drinks in his quarters," Grayson says as they enter the room and the door reestablishes privacy. "Mercer wanted to talk about the blackout," she says with a laugh. "He's such a lush he never tasted the sinabarthal. He'll be out for a day."
"The Security bitch was so surprised," Kiran declares, "she never knew what hit her. Her head dented the bulkhead."
"She alive?"
"Who f°ckin cares?"
x
Mercer, standing between Kelly's spread legs, staring at the unobstructed view, had never taken his eyes from the naked woman beyond that glance and now kicks her thighs hard enough to bruise to get her open far enough. He starts opening his pants.
"Want us to hold her?" Grayson offers.
"Do what you want. I haven needed help fillin a twat in years." He'd been hard since his first grip of those sweet tits.
He kneels down, frees himself. She's starting to move her head, coming out of the fugue as he grabs her wrists, positions them on either side of her head, puts his weight hard on them to trap her and to use the added pain to wake her faster. He aims for his target by touch.
He feels Grayson and Kitan grip the blonde beauty's ankles, raise her legs and spread her wider.
The woman forces her eyes open. Her face is blood lined in all directions from mouth and nose.
She looks so shocked to be laying on the deck, to see him above her holding her wrists down by her head, to feel her ankles held up and legs wide apart and to realize what he's going to do as he positions himself, presses hard at her soft lips.
He likes it when they're conscious.
She shrieks so beautifully.