CHAPTER SIX

Tony's commlock chimed softly a little after 0700, announcing that there was a visitor outside his door. Tony groaned softly at the thought of encountering another human being this early in the morning, especially since he hadn't even had his first cup of coffee yet. Thankfully, he had already been awake, just long enough to take a quick shower and partially dress in his uniform pants and socks.

He lifted his commlock, holding a finger up to his lips to signal silence to the caller.

The miniature of Alan Carter's face appeared on the tiny screen. Carter nodded his understanding, his expression sympathetic.

Tony crept quietly across the room, careful not to make any noise that might disturb Maya while slipping his jacket on in an effort to appear at least somewhat dressed. He opened his door and was greeted by both Alan and Sandra waiting for him in the hallway, their concern already evident in their eyes. Tony positioned himself in his doorway, leaning up against the entrance, preventing it from automatically closing and perhaps needing the support to remain standing.

"We spoke with Helena and John just a bit ago. Heard it was a rough night," Alan said sympathetically, intentionally keeping his voice low.

Tony, still drowsy, managed a tired nod. "Yeah," he replied, his voice reflecting his fatigue as he yawned.

Alan's face brightened with a comforting smile. "Well, we come bearing gifts," he said cheerfully, holding out a tray laden with breakfast food and clean mugs that Tony hadn't even noticed until now.

"And hot coffee," Sandra added, as she indicated an entire thermos of hot coffee that she was holding.

The gesture of his friends brought a small spark of life back into Tony's tired eyes.

He smiled; his appreciation genuine. "Oh, thank you," he said, his voice filled with gratitude.

Sandra smiled warmly. "We figured that you would need a little pick-me-up," understanding evident in her soft tone.

"She still sleeping?" Alan whispered.

Tony nodded. "According to Helena's estimate, maybe till close to lunchtime. The sedative really helped."

"That is why we stopped by on our way to the meeting," Sandra explained gently. "Is there is anything that we can do?"

Tony let out a weary groan. "That's right, the meeting" he muttered, rubbing his temples. The thought of enduring the upcoming meeting in his current state of exhaustion was daunting.

"Do not worry, Tony," Sandra reassured him with a comforting smile. "Commander Koenig knows where you are needed most, right now." As always, Sandra's voice was soothing, filled with a gentle confidence that eased Tony's tension.

"Petrov's on the list," Alan began. "John selected several other good guys from security and weapons," Alan offered in hopes of easing some of Tony's tension.

They all knew that Verdeschi felt that it was his duty to attend as well, but there were others who were capable in his absence this morning. The chosen ones would be quite capable of disseminating the information from the meeting to the rest of their staff members and soon everyone on Alpha would know that they had a new member and why.

"Tony, your duty is to be with Maya right now," Sandra pointed out.

Tony sighed, shaking his head as he imagined a meeting discussing the gruesome details of Mentor and his twisted dream, the loss of more good personnel and the sudden arrival of daughter of said demented lunatic alien. He hadn't even been on Psychon and the vague dreams that had come and gone throughout the night for him had been rough.

Tony suddenly looked at Alan. "Just how much did you tell Sandra?"

Alan shrugged. "Yeah, well, needed a friend to talk to last night. Couldn't sleep."

He smiled at the pretty little brunette standing beside him. "Besides Tony, she was going to hear everything this morning anyhow."

Tony nodded. "True. By lunchtime, all of Alpha will know we've gained a resident alien."

"So, what's your impression of our newest member," Alan asked Tony.

Tony turned to look back into his room. There was no doubt that their newest member was sound asleep. He turned back to look at Alan and Sandra.

"Well, she's definitely not her father," Tony admitted. His mind still harbored a cautious skepticism, a lingering concern that she might pose a future threat to Alpha. Yet, there was a growing part of him that craved more time to unravel the enigma that was Maya. He needed to understand her, to see past his initial apprehensions.

On a personal level, the idea of getting to know her better was one that he was beginning to find both exhilarating and intimidating. Why, he was not certain but the prospect of getting to know her hung in front of him like a dangling enticement. One that he might not be able to walk away from.

"Well, I won't keep you any longer. Coffee's waiting," Tony said with an appreciative smile. "But keep your eyes and ears alert, let me know if you see anything that might need addressed later on."

"You bet," Carter acknowledged with a knowing nod, understanding Tony's concerns all too well.

Sandra placed a reassuring hand on Tony's arm, her touch maternal. "Try to get some rest," she advised softly.

"Yeah," Tony nodded as he took the much-needed coffee and breakfast items from his friends, thanked them again and then went back inside his quarters.

After the door had closed, Alan and Sandra exchanged worried looks. Exhaustion was clearly written on Verdeschi's face, his eyes revealing a lot of thoughts and concerns troubling him.

Commander Koenig had chosen the Recital Room for this morning's meeting, a decision that added an air of formality and significance. As Alan and Sandra made their way down the corridor, they noticed other familiar faces walking ahead of them.

Bill Fraser and his wife Annie had been joined by Kate and several members of the security team, their footsteps echoing in the otherwise quiet corridor. Some were carrying their morning coffee, all conversing in hushed whispers, the murmur of their voices underscored by an unspoken sense of anticipation and unease. Nobody knew the meeting's agenda, and the uncertainty hung heavy in the air given the all-too recent encounter with no-more planet Psychon.

Upon entering the room, Alan saw that Commander Koenig, Doctor Russell, and Bob Mathias had already set up the front area. A table with five chairs stood in front of the lighted panels, now set to a soft white. A side table on the left held a coffee maker, cups, and a few trays with breakfast items. Despite the thoughtful amenities, Alan sensed this wouldn't be an easy meeting to sit through. He appreciated the effort, as he was sure others would too, but the tension was palpable.

Alan's mind wandered back to the last time he had been in this room. It was the night Jim Sullivan had finally agreed to share his music with the Alphans, his haunting melodies resonating throughout the room. Ironically, Jim's final piece had coincided with the beginning of what Alan would forever refer to as the haunting of Moonbase Alpha, particularly the unsettling events surrounding Dan Mateo. It was the first time—and, hopefully, the last time that Alan would ever witness something akin to a séance or see the walking dead.

Despite wearing his jacket, Alan shivered at the memory.

Alan looked up and saw John motioning for him to come join him at the table. Carter discreetly nodded for Sandra to sit in the front row, knowing that having a friendly face to focus on would be comforting if things took a turn for the worse.

John then caught the attention of Bill Fraser, so Annie took the seat next to Sandra as Bill made his way to join Alan to get coffee. Then, both men joined the Commander, Doctor Russell and Doctor Mathias at the table.

The atmosphere in the room remained tense, everyone speaking in hushed tones.

After a few more minutes had passed, with those still in need of coffee helping themselves, everyone had finally taken a seat.

When it seemed as though everyone was present, the doors to the room were closed and all eyes turned towards the front as Commander Koenig stopped speaking quietly with Helena and Bob. He rose from his chair and moved to stand in front of the table.

"Good morning, everyone," Koenig somberly greeted the assembled group. "I know you're all wondering why you were chosen to be here this morning, so I'll get right to it."

He sighed as he looked down at the clipboard in his hands, using the time to focus his thoughts. When he looked back up, he began speaking.

"As you all know, Moonbase Alpha suffered both damages and casualties from the attack by Psychon."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"While on the planet, we encountered one of the inhabitants, Mentor, who attempted to sway me into turning over everyone on Alpha so that he could use your minds to fuel his biological computer. The end result would have been loss of most functioning mental abilities and being enslaved into a living hell of mining minerals in the catacombs beneath Psychon's surface."

He paused, noting the expressions of the faces of those in attendance. As he'd expected, that was enough to fill their minds with unwanted and very unpleasant images.

"Mentor was a scientist, and he called this machine, this obscenity, Psyche. His twisted vision was to restore the planet, using all of us. If he had succeeded, none of us would be here this morning."

The finality of those words added to the grim reality of just how bad the situation had been.

"That is why I ordered a robot Eagle to be launched to destroy the planet. Our only hope was that Mentor either would not detect the explosive capability or that we could at least buy some time to convince his daughter to help us stop him."

John looked, again, back down at the clipboard in his hands. He wanted to choose his next words carefully and regain his composure before speaking.

"Alpha suffered damages, we lost three Eagles, and we lost three good men: Lew Picard and Ray Torens on Psychon, and Tom Jefferson, who was onboard Eagle Six, ready to participate with an attack on the planet when his Eagle was destroyed. I want the log to show that I commend all three men for their devotion to duty, fortitude and bravery since we left Earth orbit and for giving the ultimate sacrifice as we attempted to fight off this vicious alien attack."

Petrov, who was sitting in the second row, hesitantly raised his hand to ask a question.

Koenig saw him and knew that he had to acknowledge him.

John had chosen not to discuss the exact details of how Torens had lost first his mind, then his life with most of the Alphans. The few that did know had agreed that everyone else should believe that Torens had the opportunity to fight bravely for his fellow Alphans, for their continued existence. Other than that, the rest of Alpha deserved to know the remaining honest details and John fully intended to honor any and all questions.

"Yes Petrov?"

"Commander, with the robot Eagle a failed attempt, how did you overcome Mentor? We knew our defenses would not stop him."

Koenig knew this was the perfect segue to bring Maya into the picture. He also knew that he had to begin presenting her not as the daughter of an evil madman but as a young woman who was courageous and unwilling to allow further atrocities.

"His daughter, Maya."

As John looked around the room, he saw many wide eyes and surprised expressions. Everyone knew it was no small feat to convince a daughter to turn on her own father, especially for the lives of complete strangers stranded on a wandering moon.

"Despite Mentor's horrendous insanity, he had kept his daughter shielded from his evil truth. It took a lot of convincing and pleading with her to not only listen to us but to seek out the truth. When she did so, she helped us escape confinement so that we could stop him and destroy Mentor's evil machine. We didn't know that by doing so, the whole planet would be destroyed."

Koenig could tell from some of the faces that people were beginning to suspect what might be coming next. Might as well inform them that their suspicions were valid.

"Maya's decision to help us, despite the enormous personal cost to her, allowed us to defeat Mentor. In doing so, she watched her father die in front of her. In those final moments, we managed to get not only her but ourselves out and safely back to Alpha."

Petrov spoke up again. "You mean you brought her back here, to Alpha?"

John nodded. "Yes, yes, we did. Like so many of you, she showed tremendous courage. She chose to stand alongside us. She possesses a deep commitment to doing what is right and that meant stopping her own father. In exchange for doing the right thing, she lost her home, her father, her entire life."

John purposefully looked around the room, at everyone sitting there.

"We brought her back with us because we couldn't leave her there to die, not after what she did for us on Psychon but also because of what she did for each and every one of you sitting here this morning."

He allowed that to sink in for just a few moments.

"Now I ask you all to give her a chance, to see her not as an outsider, but as someone who made an unimaginable sacrifice for our survival. We are all that she has now, and she could become a vital part of our community, if we welcome her. Psychon's science was very far ahead of ours. She may be able to help us in ways that were previously impossible."

Hushed voices began to ripple through the crowd as attendees exchanged thoughts. From some of the faces, it was obvious they were beginning to realize the depth of Maya's sacrifice and the importance of extending their trust and support to her.

For others, John acknowledged that it might take time.

Petrov, obviously not the shy one this morning, spoke again.

"Where is she now Commander?"

Another voice at the back of the room chimed in, "What does she look like?"

"Tell us about her," another voice demanded curiously.

"How can she help us?"

John raised his hands slightly, in a conductor-like movement but instead of asking for music, he requested silence.

"She's being kept safe and away from prying eyes for the moment," John replied. "We needed time to prepare quarters for her and to allow her privacy, to grieve her loss. As for what she looks like," John paused, uncertain how to respond. This was a question that he certainly hadn't prepared for.

Alan quickly interjected, his all too familiar grin softening his handsome features.

"You could say she's a cute alien. You won't run away screaming in horror, right Bill?"

Fraser nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, she is a cute alien."

Then he looked at his wife with a shy grin, raising his hands as if to beg her forgiveness. "Sorry, Annie. But you are beautiful."

Annie locked eyes with her husband and smiled at his endearing, embarrassed expression. She blew him a quick kiss to let him know everything was okay.

A chorus of "awws" echoed from those in attendance. The moment of levity helped melt away some of the tension, even though their laughter was at Bill's expense. For once, Koenig was grateful for Carter and Fraser's ability to lighten the mood with their timely silliness, especially when it was needed most.

"As for meeting her," John turned to look at her. "Helena?"

Helena shook her head. "Not quite yet," she informed them. "She's in shock. We can all understand how traumatic this has been for her. And she suffered a slight ankle sprain that needs time to heal."

There were actually some who expressed, in small phrases, their dismay at not being able to meet this cute alien girl.

"In a few days," Helena stated. "She's already expressed an interest in learning about our different cultures and the wish to help us where she can."

Helena's face took on a softer look of empathy for the whole situation. "She befriended us, barely knowing anything about us. I'd like to think we can befriend her now."

There were quite a few people nodding their heads in agreement with Doctor Russell.

After a small pause, Kate quietly spoke up and added her question. "Commander, what about Elizabeth? Has anyone told her about Ray?"

Everyone's faces took on a new look of concern for the young technician that Torens had only recently begun dating.

It wasn't John that answered this question though.

"Ed's with her now," Helena said. "She won't be alone. Which brings me to something else that I'd like to add. Medical Center, all of us," she said as she waved her hand to indicate all of the Alphans sitting at the front table, "we're available if anyone needs to talk."

Helena's voice had turned very soft, and she closed her eyes as she sadly remembered her last image of young Torens as the rocks of Psychon had cascaded down upon him.

"If anyone needs anything," she added. "Even a small chat over a cup of coffee."

John had walked behind her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. He knew that she was taking the losses hard.

Then, he looked back out at the group, knowing it was time to move on with the meeting.

"I'd like each of you to speak to everyone in your section today, explain what's happened and that our medical staff is ready for anyone who needs to talk. I know this has been hard, the past few months have been hard, and we have work to do to get Alpha repaired. But, if anyone has any questions or concerns, you can come to any of us," he waved his arm around the table indicating that Helena, Bob, Alan and Bill were all able to assist as needed.

"Anything that they can't help with, please, come see me. That is all. You can return to duty now."

While many of the men began heading for one of the doors, most of the women in attendance began making their way to the front, to speak with Helena. John was encouraged as he heard many of them asking if Maya needed anything and offering to donate what they could.

Seeing that Helena would now be busy for a while, he looked towards the guys in the group and smiled thankfully at each of them.

"I think that went fairly well Commander," Mathias said.

"Yeah," Alan said, the look on his face still a little worried. "There's a few I think we still might need to keep an eye on John."

"I guess that's to be expected," John replied as he began walking towards the door. "Come on, we've got work to do."