"You're crazy." Madison said flatly. "You are out of your
tiny fucking mind. I've shown you the engines. There is
no way in hell this bird will fly in sixty hours with a
handful of Starfleet teenagers and my skeleton crew
working on her."
"If that's your opinion, you'd better get down to the dock
and tell Command how many of you need evac berths."
Larssen said, still studying the readout. "They'll find
you places."
"I've already sent the others." he said.
"Then you'd better get moving." Larssen said, although
that was a blow. Even if there were only a handful of Lady
Grace engineers left aboard, their help would have been
invaluable. She dismissed the regret as something she
couldn't do anything about, and keyed for the next display.
"Lady, I am not leaving my ship. Starfleet can wet their
pants all they like, I'll take my chances."
"Well, we're not leaving either. So hadn't we better work
together to get us all off?"
Larssen's comm. beeped.
"Larssen here."
"I have the report on bridge systems you wanted, ma'am."
Rand said. "There was no-one up here, we had no
trouble."
"Hold that report for a minute. Chief Engineer Madison
is going to give you a list of parts we need. Put in a
requisition, but get their location and available transport
as soon as you've done that. We may have to pick them
up." Larssen held the comm. out to Madison, who
hesitated just long enough before taking it to be insulting,
but not quite long enough for Larssen to make a legitimate
issue of it. ~Insubordination as an art form,~ she thought.
"This is Chief Madison." he drawled. "Who do I have the
pleasure of addressing?"
Larssen listened long enough to know he was giving Rand
a list that made sense, as the things a merchant ship would
need. It was long. It was terrifyingly long. John Lim and
Brand came back in and she moved to speak to them,
noting down the parts they'd need for life support, and sent
them back to get started.
"Yeah, I remember." Madison was saying. "What say
when we get this out of the way you and I meet up for a
drink?"
"Give me the comm., please." Larssen said.
"Oops, I gotta go. Your boss is pissed with me." he said,
and then handed back the comm., smiling.
"Rand, I have some other parts to add to that list. Life
support parts. One conduit modulation board. A box of
filters, size 31-Beta." Larssen read through the list, let
Rand confirm it. "What's the status on bridge systems?"
"Communications is still out. Sensors, helm, navigation
read adequate at basic diagnostic level. That's the full
extent of our facilities here."
"All right. Get that parts requisition in, source the stuff
we need and then get back to me."
"Yes'm."
Larssen pocketed her comm. "Aside from getting the
engines on line and the ship into space, I need to house five
hundred people somewhere on here."
"Can't be done. Quarters are tiny - we only run to a crew
of thirty fully manned, and then they're sharing rooms."
"What about your cargo holds?"
"You can't put people in the cargo holds!" he said. "Jesus,
lady, they're just fucking big pits for the ore!"
"We can rig scaffolding through them, divide them into
floors. That'll give us what we need."
"You can't rig that much scaffolding in this much time!
Lady, you are off your head. I thought so before and
now I'm sure. What the fuck were they thinking, putting
you in charge of this?"
"What's your better idea, Madison?" Larssen said mildly.
She took out her comm. again. "Rand, this is Larssen. I
need you to add two thousand units of standard plus
engineering units. Yes, I said two thousand. We'll work
that out when we know where they are. Yes, get back to
me."
"They think you're crazy too." Madison said. "Starfleet
must be a lot of fun, having to put your life on the line
for a madwoman."
The crew she had sent on various errands around
engineering were drifting back now, and Larssen could
tell Madison liked having the audience. "They're not
doing it for me." she said evenly. "They're doing it for
the five hundred people who'll have to be left behind if
we don't get the ship functional."
"They're doing it because they're scared you'll court-
martial them if they disobey a fucking order, lady, don't
fool yourself. That's all your precious Starfleet discipline
is, fear. Fear and loathing, if you only knew."
There was an audible gasp from behind Larssen. Madison
was smiling at her now, leaning against the warp drive
housing. Any battle of words, she'd lose, and they both
knew it. The merchant fleet gave you a lot more practice
at invective than Starfleet did, and Madison didn't have to
worry about how he looked in front of the others the way
Larssen did. She considered trying to hit him, but she
wasn't confident enough that she'd succeed, and it wouldn't
do her much good to have her crew see her knocked
down and probably out by a cocky, insolent civilian.
"Shall we discuss this in your office?" she said.
"No, let's discuss it here." he said. 'Let's discuss how I
want you off my fucking ship with your eager little helpers
here." He came forward and lowered his voice, for which
Larssen was grateful. "Let's discuss that big-titted girly
you've given the conn to, who'll stop ship's business to
chat up a bit of rough trade. Let's discuss -" and he moved
so fast Larssen's block and twist hit only empty air. He
had her by the arm, spun her with humiliating ease. Her
back kick hit him and she heard him gasp in pain but the
next second there was something cold pressed against her
temple. "Let's discuss this blaster I have in my hand,
'shall we'?"
All around them sidearms were out, safeties off. Larssen
dismissed an instant's hopeless yearning for Shimona, who
she had sent to the bridge. "Madison, you're making a
mistake."
"No, lady, I don't think I am." He laughed. His arm was
around her neck and she could feel the strength in it, the
strength of hard labour that could never be mistaken for
the kind of muscle gained by a sedentary person working
out in a gym. Whatever he wore on that string around his
neck dug painfully into the spot between her shoulder-blades.
Larssen shifted her weight, probing for a weakness in his
hold, and he shifted with her, wise to the trick. "Tell
your kiddies to put their weapons down. This has no
stun setting, and if they fire at me you know I'll have
time to pull the trigger before they knock me out."
"Wrenth." Larssen said, and then changed her mind.
"Drysden. Have you got a target?"
He raised his weapon, and Larssen saw that his hands
were steady. "Yes'm."
"Set to kill, Drysden."
"Yes'm." he said coolly, and adjusted his phaser setting.
"He won't shoot." Madison said in Larssen's ear. "He
won't kill his officer. Starfleet crews *die* for their
officers."
"Ask him." Larssen said. She met Drysden's eyes, making
herself calm, letting peace run through her like cool water
until there was nothing in her mind but a patient waiting
for whatever the outcome would be. She could feel Madison's
pulse where she still held his wrist, and she betted he
could feel hers where his arm pressed against the big veins of
her neck. His pulse was steady, barely faster than it would
have been at rest. Hers was slower. ~Notice that, Madison.
Wonder about it.~
"Are you going to shoot, kid?" Madison asked Drysden.
"Gonna kill your boss?"
"If you don't put the gun down, sir," Drysden said, "I'll
have to."
"You wouldn't do it." Madison said.
"On three, Drysden." Larssen said.
"Yes'm." said Drysden steadily.
"One." Larssen said. "Two."
The blaster clattered to the floor, and Madison stepped
away from her, his hands raised. "Jesus fucking wept!"
he said. "You're all as crazy as each other!"
"Thank you, sir." Drysden said as if he'd just been paid a
compliment, still holding a steady bead on the chief
engineer.
"Weapons away, people." Larssen said, stooping to pick
up the blaster. It was bigger and heavier than a phaser
and it felt wrong in her hand. She shifted it awkwardly,
used it to gesture towards the engineering office. "You
and I have to talk, Madison. The rest of you, report in to
Janice Rand. Give her your reports. She'll give you your
schedule."
Following Madison into the engineering office, some
remnant of the security procedures Shimona had drilled her
in on the way to Starbase 18 kicked in, and she flipped the
blaster up to check the power charge.
Empty. The only way to use it as a weapon was to hit
someone over the head with it. Sticking it in her belt, she
drew her phaser instead, and kept Madison covered while
the door shut behind them.
"I bet you're good at poker." Larssen said.
He slumped into the chair, put his feet on the desk. "You
gonna shoot me?'
"I need your help."
"Lady, you oughta realise by now I'm not co-operative."
"Listen to me." Larssen said. "If I have to knock you out
and truss you up like a chicken for the roast I'll do it.
And then you can ride out of here in the cargo bay with
the refugees we're going to load. I'm not going to kill
you unless I have to. But I am going to take the Lady
Grace out of here in sixty hours with five hundred people
on board, and if you hinder me I will do anything I have
to do to get you out of my way. My job is going to be a
lot easier with your co-operation, but not if it means I
have to have someone standing over you with a phaser and
somebody else checking everything you do to make sure
you haven't deliberately fouled us up. I don't know what your
problem is, Madison, but this is not the time for therapy.
Understand?"
"You walk in here, you tell me you're taking over the
ship, and then you expect me to help you do it. You have
brass balls, lady." he said. He was still smiling faintly
and Larssen wondered if anything could get rid of that
smirk.
"They issue them with the uniform." Larssen said. "I want
your word you'll help us."
"You think a merchant spacer's word counts for anything?
Jesus, where have you been?"
Larssen leaned over the desk and jerked at the thong
around his neck, flipping the decoration out to lie on his
stained tunic. She kept the hand holding the phaser out
of his reach, and turned the little pendant over with her
finger. "Space makes some men religious." she said in a
conversational tone. Madison didn't flinch as she took
hold of the trinket and pretended to study it, but kept
his gaze fixed on her face. He wasn't smiling now. His
eyes were flat. Cold danger burned off him like the
inside of the observation deck windows.
"What's this, Madison?" she asked, still holding it,
looking straight at him.
"None of your fucking business."
"It looks like the sign of the Triple God at the top." she
said. "You wear these ornaments in memory of someone
who's dead, don't you? Who was it you wear this for?"
"None of your fucking business."
"It's not a cheap piece of work, not the sort of thing a
man on a limited income would buy out of duty. Not very
clear though, is it? Not much detail. A parent? No? A
wife? A child?" Larssen felt faintly sick. "None of
those?"
"None of your -"
"A sibling, then?" He had himself under control, and only
the faintest flicker of reaction cross his face. A flare
of his nostrils, a breath taken slightly too soon. The
pupils of his eyes contracting as if he had looked at too
bright a light. "A sister? No? A brother, then. What was
his name, Madison?"
"None. Of. Your. Fucking. Business."
Larssen swallowed bile. "Swear by his memory." she
said. If Madison *did* believe in the tenets of the Triple
Faith, that was the surest hold she could have on him.
Breaking that oath would condemn his brother to hell.
And if he didn't believe, he would swear without
compunction and then do what he liked. Larssen doubted
that an unbeliever would have such murder in his look at
that moment, though.
"Fuck off."
"Swear it, Madison. I need to be sure of you."
"I said, fuck off."
With one jerk, she snapped the thong and stepped back,
the little icon in her fist. Madison cried out involuntarily.
Larssen saw that the thong had cut his neck before
breaking, and a trickle of blood was making its way down
to form a fresh stain on his tunic. He didn't seem to
notice: all his attention was on the hand she held aloft.
"Swear to me on your brother's memory." she said. "Or
I'll vaporise it."
"You - fucking - bitch." Madison said, his voice so low
and so shaken by rage Larssen could barely understand
him. "You fucking *bitch*."
"I will do it." Larssen said. "Make the oath."
He glared at her a moment longer, and then drew his lips
back in a snarl. "I swear on my brother's memory that I
will do as you ask." he said.
Larssen thought of tossing the icon back to him across
the desk - her flesh crawled at the idea of going within
arm's length of him now - but she couldn't bear the
contemptuous nature of the gesture. Carefully, she set
it down on the desk and stepped back. Madison
snatched it, clutched it in his hand, and growled at her
- there was no other way to describe the sound he
made.
She holstered her phaser, opened the door. "Come on."
she said.
Madison stood up, his icon still clutched in his hand, and
walked past her through the door. No saunter now. He
stopped in front of her, so close she could feel the heat
of his body.
"You're all the fucking same." he whispered. "You'll use
anything and anyone to get what you want. Is there no
decency left anywhere in your soul?"
Larssen thought he might hit her, and braced herself, but
instead he spat in her face and walked out.
She wiped her face with her sleeve and followed him.
Back in main engineering, she picked out the three
nearest crew, introduced them to Madison, and said,
"Chief Madison has the rank of Chief Petty Officer
for the duration of the emergency, on this ship only,
by the authority I have under section 75 subsection
39 a paragraph 4. He is now in charge of
engineering."
Madison stuffed his necklace in his pocket, glared at
Larssen and then deliberately turned his back to her.
"You there - Wrenth. The main distribution gird is
pulled out and waiting for a new coupling housing.
You'll find parts on the small mechanical bench over
there. Fix it. You, what's your name? Klein? Get the
engine housing open and ready for the replacement
mixer installation. You - "
Larssen left them to it. Walking quickly, she found
the nearest 'fresher, locked the door behind her and
bent over the sink.
"Stinking, rotting garbage on a plate." she said in
measured, even Romulan, and then threw up everything
in her stomach.
Her comm. went.
"Larssen." she managed to say.
"I have the sourcing on those parts, ma'am. They're all
in dock storage 3 and 4. I have the access codes." Rand
said. "They can't spare anyone to deliver them."
"Send Tarn and N'o. Are there antigrav lifters available?"
"Yes'm."
"Alright. They can bring them across..." she closed her
eyes to the sight of her pale face in the mirror, brought
up the station specs. "Across dry-dock from the cargo lifts
at grey section."
"Yes'm. Ma'am, I have the repair schedule drawn up, with
the cargo bay modifications factored in."
'What time do you have on it?"
"Ninety eight hours, ma'am, if nobody takes a break."
"Cut each task down to eighty percent. What does that
give us?"
"Seventy eight hours."
"Get it down to fifty eight however you can, Janice, and
if anyone complains at the times tell them you've set them
off Enterprise standards."
"Yes'm."
"I'm going down to the cargo bays to set up for the
scaffolding. Send Tarn to me when she gets back from
supply."
"I have Tarn down to assist in life-support, ma'am."
Larssen opened her eyes, looked squarely at herself in
the mirror. "Can you spare me anyone for the cargo
bays?"
"No'm."
Handling those heavy struts by herself would be a bitch of
a job, even with the antigrav lifters to take the weight
off them. ~Well, a bitch of a job for a bitch of an
officer,~ she thought, remembering how it had felt to snap
the pendant off Madison's neck, the tension of the thong
before it broke, the look in his eyes when she'd held it
up. Hate. Anger. Terror. She'd held his brother's soul in
her hand and threatened to turn it to ash.
"That's where I'll be if you need me."
"Yes'm. I can send you Farley when he gets
communications on-line."
"Do that. Larssen out." She closed the channel, put the
comm. back in her pocket, rinsed out her mouth. Looked
at herself in the mirror again and tucked a stray strand of hair
behind her ear.
"My first command." she whispered to herself, straightened her
shoulders, and went out.