Homeworld, page 4
“This is an abomination,” the second NSA agent said quietly. “Leaving our homeworld, looking for life on worlds that might not know God.”
“Let’s hope they have the same open mind we’re supposed to have. Freedom of speech, religion, etc.” Darian raised her eyebrows at the solemn man. “I suppose coming with us was out of the question for you.”
“You’re right. They’re going to need all the help they can get down there,” he said, pointing at the deck of the speeder. “You’re revealing truths that we’re not prepared for.”
“Not going to discuss it with you again. My captain has already—”
“Captain,” the CSI agent said, huffing. “A teacher.”
“A famous scholar who is our best chance to return with new knowledge and ideas to make life better on Earth.” Darian was annoyed that she let the man goad her. “I suggest you enjoy the ride to Earth in silence. You’ll find barf bags in the small compartment in the backrest in front of you. Not everyone’s cut out for space travel.”
When one of the men later threw up several times, Darian knew it was petty of her to grin, but she couldn’t help it. He had it coming.
* * *
Dennamore lay quiet and embedded in a few inches of new snow. The lights were on in some houses, but many were completely dark, as if waiting for their owners to return. About fifty people stood along the perimeter around the square in front of Town Hall. Police cars had their flickering blue lights on. Some of Darian’s former peers had their guns out, although directed toward the ground.
Opening the hatch while Samantha hovered two feet above ground, Darian guided the agents toward the ramp.
“We’re still in midair,” one of the men said, stopping short of the hatch.
“It’s two feet. You can jump. It’s that or be harnessed down, which I personally would find embarrassing—in front of your fellow law-enforcement people on the streets.” Darian grinned. She was enjoying this situation a bit too much. Samantha was going to notice her pleasure, for sure.
“I suggest you hurry up. We’re leaving in four minutes.” Samantha joined Darian as her copilot held the ship in place.
“Why don’t you set it down?” The NSA agent glared at Samantha.
“Because we don’t want to tempt anyone to approach us and risk getting hurt.”
The CIA agent acted fast, but Darian was quicker. As he threw himself toward her, she slammed her hip against Samantha, pushing her out of the way, and then fired at the man. He went down as if he’d died on the spot. The fact that he looked quite peaceful where he slumped on the floor reassured Darian that her weapon had worked as intended. To her other side, her subordinate trained his weapon on the shocked men.
“You killed him?” The NSA agent and the others who were returning crouched over the man.
“He’s out cold but unharmed,” Darian said, not daring to check on Samantha. When she felt Samantha return to her side, Darian willed her shoulders to relax. “I suggest two of you jump off, retrieve him from the ramp, and then the rest of you join them. Now. We’re running out of time. If anyone’s still on the ramp in two minutes, you’re coming with us.”
This threat seemed to get through to the agents. Two jumped off, and then the rest unceremoniously rolled the CIA agent off the ramp before they too landed in the snow.
“Close the ramp. Taking off in twenty seconds.” Samantha jumped back into her seat. “Damn it. We have incoming. They were expecting us, of course.”
Incoming? Darian took her seat to the right of Samantha and pulled up the tactical screen. “I see five of them. Four fast ones and one slower. Military aircraft and a helicopter of unknown origin.”
“We’re climbing. Not ideal with the hatch not locked into place, but we have to go. How long before we can floor it, Rhian?” Samantha’s hands flew across the controls.
“Hatch will secure in twelve seconds.” Rhian sounded remarkably calm.
“If they’re foolish enough to fire on us, fly out over the meadows,” Darian called out. “We can’t risk any civilians getting caught in the crossfire.”
Samantha pushed the controls, and Speeder Two obediently banked as they raced across the houses and out over the large meadows that stretched north of Dennamore. “They’re right there behind us.”
“Hatch is locked in place!” Rhian tightened her belt, thus reminding Darian to do the same.
“Hold on.” Samantha clenched her jaw enough for a vein to become visible on her temple. Darian clung to her armrests as Samantha pushed her entire palm to a red circular light on the console.
Speeder Two seemed to hold its breath before it pushed upward at a ninety-degree angle to the ground. The immense force behind the ship made it howl against the atmosphere, reminding Darian of what fingers on an old-fashioned chalkboard would sound like.
After they reached the exosphere in less than two minutes, Samantha adjusted the controls, and Darian watched her allow the computer to take over.
“Needless to say, we lost them immediately. I can’t believe you flew like that on manual. Shit, Samantha.” Darian ran an adrenaline-trembling hand across her forehead.
“I can’t take the entire credit, Dar.” Samantha grinned at Rhian. “If my copilot hadn’t performed all the routine procedures at record speed, I would have overshot high orbit by hundreds of miles. A clear team effort.”
“Great job, Rhian. Thank you.” Darian nodded to Rhian, who seemed as if she might cry and cheer at the same time. Looking over her shoulder, Darian saw her subordinate unbuckle his belt and join them. “And good job on having my back when that guy lost it.”
“All in a day’s work,” he said, patting his rifle. “I’ll keep training with this one, Chief, but even so, I’m thankful there’s very little risk that I accidentally kill anyone.”
“Got it.” Darian sighed and leaned back. “I know we’re due to break orbit in a couple of hours, but I’d give anything for a pizza.”
Samantha chuckled. “Now I know you’re okay.” She shook her head. “Not sure we can scare up pizza, but I heard in passing that our cooks are really starting to get the hang of the food-prep stations.”
“Any chance we might get something other than alien porridge?” Darian straightened. “Nutritious as all hell, and not too bad, taste-wise, but it’s been all we’ve had for days.”
“Talk to Brandon when we get back. After all, he’s in charge.” Samantha refocused on her computer console. “ETA shuttle bay in less than ten minutes.”
Darian was relieved. She wasn’t sure what to think about the remaining agents and the NASA employees, but she trusted Holly’s genius, especially when paired with Walker’s common sense. Hopefully they’d become the perfect radar pair that they had the potential to be.
Turning in her chair as well, Darian watched Samantha discreetly. Yes, the woman she loved was tired, but she still performed amazingly amid chaos. Darian thought back to how they’d met in the last moments of summer last year. Literally colliding in the corridor outside the library in Dennamore’s Town Hall, Darian had been struck, also literally, by Samantha’s poise and beauty. When she also turned out to be brilliant, intelligent, and sexy as hell, falling for her was almost too easy—and not something Darian had wanted, as she’d planned to return to Los Angeles, to her life as a LAPD detective. And then they found all the alien artifacts and proof that they were descended from aliens that landed on Earth, in the Adirondacks, during the late 1700s. Nothing had been the same after that. They risked everything, including their hearts, to discover the truth, and even if they now knew how they felt about each other, they were still risking everything—their lives—their hearts.
Yet Darian wouldn’t have it any other way. The point of no return had come and gone a long time ago, both regarding their ancestry and the space journey—and the truth about her love for Samantha.
Chapter Three
Chief Engineer Claire Gordon stood at the center console of her new domain. She had briefly made a ridiculous comparison between this space of advanced technology and her father’s garage, where she’d worked as a car mechanic since high school. After being able to say good-bye to her father only over a communication link, she now refused to dwell on the familiarity of her home and how she would miss everything she held dear. She had to file away images of her tall, strong father, the garage, and the natural world around Dennamore that she loved so much. Instead, she had to focus solely on keeping everything tech working on a spaceship that hadn’t been used in more than two centuries. It had sat hidden under the famous lake in Dennamore all this time, and nobody had known that it had caused the lake to light up so beautifully every summer at the exact same time. It could have something to do with an automated maintenance cycle, but Claire had yet to confirm that theory.
She glimpsed herself in a glass-covered computer panel as she passed. To respect the uniform and her new position among the senior crew, she had pulled her curly hair back into a low, tight bun. Her eyes were narrow slits, and she probably wore that frown constantly, as she was trying to keep up with the information her NIEC was providing, as well as lead her brand-new group of engineers. She had twelve at her disposal, which meant four were on duty during each of the three shifts.
“Chief?” Trainer, a man in his forties, approached her rapidly. “The converters that will send the signals when we go to ISD all need new fuses.”
Claire flinched inwardly. This was very last-minute information. They were breaking orbit in one hour, and once they were on the correct trajectory through this solar system, Holly planned to order the ship to Inter Stellar Drive mode. “How many?”
“Eighty, Chief.” Trainer looked pained. “I found backups, but we have only fifty.”
Claire lengthened her stride as she tapped her speaker. “Gordon to bridge.”
“Walker here.”
“All the fuses to the ISD converters need replacing. We may not have enough, Commander,” Claire said as she knelt and peered under the console where Trainer had been working. “My staff says we have two-thirds of what we need.”
“This is not good news, Chief,” Walker said. “Any chance we’ll find more in the storage units on deck eleven?”
“I’ll let Trainer finish removing the burned ones and go look.”
“Report when you have a solution. Bridge out.”
Not if, but when. Claire turned to Trainer, who was already pulling out the four-inch-sized, narrow pipes containing the fuses. “I’ll page you once I find something we can use. You have engineering until I return.”
“Aye, Chief,” Trainer said from the floor, as he was elbow deep into the opening.
“Hand me one of the toasted ones for comparison, please.” Claire held out her hand, and Trainer gave her the fuse he had just pried free.
Hurrying out the door, barking at two junior crewmen to ask Trainer if he needed help, Claire bypassed the elevator and instead grabbed the pole next to the ladder that they could slide down. Using the crease of her arm that was covered by her uniform sleeve so she wouldn’t burn her skin against the metal, Claire reached the belly of the Velocity in seconds. A computer panel sat next to the ladder, and she entered the information via her trackpad.
Browsing through the once-so-enigmatic alien lettering, she scanned for spare parts. They needed only thirty fuses to start their journey, but she’d prefer to find a decent stash so they wouldn’t run out halfway to Dwynna Major—or back. She had quickly browsed what the ship had in storage several times, in awe at how much the two cargo-bay compartments could hold. Now when she needed something specific, she tried to get her NIEC to find the correct term for it so she could search the database more efficiently. All the many subcategories would keep a person busy for months.
“I heard,” an alto voice said from behind, and Claire snapped her head up. “Captain.” Claire sighed at the sight of her commanding officer. “I’m sorry for not noticing this shortage earlier. I incorrectly assumed that just because we reached high orbit so easily, no important system on the ship had deteriorated over time.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. We all made that assumption, I think. How can I help?” Holly moved closer and regarded the long lists of components and their location. “Oh, my.”
“Exactly. I’ve narrowed it down to propulsion system and interstellar drive. This entry lists everything down to the smallest nut and bolt. Not that they used nuts or bolts, though.”
“I’ve noticed that as well. Everything is attached by some heavy-duty rivets, and I have yet to figure out what they used to weld metal together. Or fuse it, rather.” Bending, Holly ran her finger down the list. “Here, maybe?” She slid her finger over the controls, opening a new menu. “ISD, propulsion, electronic…what do you think?”
“Great!” Claire leaned in as well. “Yes. This section narrows down the area where they store the fuses we need. Now we just have to pray they stocked up properly. I have it from here, Captain.” Pulling out her trackpad again, Claire backed up.
“I’d rather see it through and help you look.” Holly smiled. “I need to work off some of my pent-up annoyance with those agents before I return to the bridge.”
Claire snorted. “I heard they were charming and that we got to keep some of them.”
“Don’t get me started.” Holly glanced at Claire’s trackpad over her shoulder. “Looks like we need to start aft.” They weaved in and out among people placing things into storage or browsing for items just like they were.
As they reached the far-aft section, they found themselves alone. Claire called out to the computer to increase the light. Looking up, she gasped at the sheer volume of crates of all sizes. “Damn,” she murmured.
“There’s no way we can even reach the top shelves. This part has to be thirty feet straight up.” Holly sighed and rubbed the back of her neck.
“Wait.” Claire closed her eyes as information flooded her mind. She was just about to let Holly know what her NIEC had shared when she became dizzy and staggered into the nearest shelf.
“Claire?” Holly gripped her arm, steadying her. “Are you all right?”
No, she wasn’t. A fizzing sound vibrated inside her, and an instant headache made her fumble for support. She felt Holly lower her until she sat on the floor with her back against the shelf behind her.
Holly placed a cool hand on her forehead. “What’s happening?”
“I—I don’t…” Before she could say she didn’t know, the buzzing sensation stopped, and the dizzy spell ended as fast as it had begun. “Whoa. I’m okay, Captain. Seems I just got dizzy for a moment. My NIEC showed me how to do this.”
“Huh. Not to hover, but have you eaten today? Or taken a break at all?” Holly rose from where she’d crouched next to Claire and extended her hand, pulling her up.
“The alien porridge. Sure. Twice. I’ve heard that Brandon and his team will expand the menu later, which I look forward to.” Smiling broadly to reassure Holly that she was fine, Claire walked over to a small computer console. “Let’s pray this works, or one of us will have to climb, and that’d take ages.” She had only to touch the console to make it come to life. Sliding her fingers along turquoise lines and yellow dots, she maneuvered the text on the screen until she found the category Holly had located on the larger computer by the ladder. “We have four possibilities, but I hope we can use this method to determine which fuses we should retrieve. According to this computer, we have two hundred and fifty of each.”
“Sounds reassuring,” Holly said. “Let’s hope it’s correct.”
Claire tapped the lines of text and then the yellow dots. Above them, a distinct whirring sound echoed down the shelves. Stepping back, Claire gazed up as an arm that resembled gigantic tweezers gripped boxes and seemed to play a game of Jenga with itself as it pulled, pushed, shoved, and slid. Within half a minute, it placed four small crates on a shelf that began to descend toward them.
“I’ll be damned. My NIEC clearly doesn’t think I need to know this,” Holly said. “Perhaps the former captain was less hands-on than I intend to be.”
“I think our NIECs will pick up on what we insist on doing that might not be commonplace and teach us regardless.” Claire watched the crates that came toward them. As they stopped three feet off the deck, she pushed the lids of the first one open without hesitation. “No. Not these. Too short.” She pulled the burned one from her pocket, along with a measuring tape. “It’s the same diameter, but it needs to be exactly…eight and a quarter inches long.”
Holly blinked. “Really? You brought a metal tape measure from home?”
Claire grinned. “Until the NIEC has showed me every nut and bolt of this bucket, I plan to add tools I’m used to when I need to work fast.” She stopped herself, realizing how irreverent she must sound, something that had gotten her into trouble in the past.
“You’re calling this marvel of a vessel a bucket?” Holly opened another of the crates. “As long as you’re on top of how this bucket performs, I don’t mind. May I borrow the tape measure?” She extended her hand, palm up.
Claire gaped for a good two seconds before closing her mouth and handing it over. “Sure.”
“Let’s see. Ah, damn. Close, but no cigar.” Holly handed the tool back. “Let’s measure this one.” She scanned the fuse. “It’s more like the metric system as far as I can see. I think it’ll take some getting used to, but we’ll get there.”
“The way the NIEC crams knowledge into our brains, it’ll probably be sooner than we think.” Claire opened another crate and pulled out a fuse. When it measured exactly the right length and diameter, she examined it for markings and found microscopic ones that were readable only with the trackpad. No wonder they hadn’t located them before. “Fuse-canister. Initiation Propulsion ISD.”
