area.
However, it did show Nova’s fighter limping toward the fifth planet at reduced
speed. Shawn had been right: the jump had wounded him.
Requesting all available
power, Shawn pivoted to once again intercept the fighter, his thoughts about
being permanently stranded in the backwater system all but forgotten. A small
light on his console informed him that he was well within communications range.
Pressing the call button, Shawn tried once again to open the channel. “Jerry,
this is Shawn. Come in, please.”
He was greeted with static.
Either Shawn’s transceiver was damaged, or Santorum was still giving him the
silent treatment. Quickly looking over his diagnostic terminal, he leaned
toward the latter. “Jerry, I know your fighter’s damaged,” he began, hoping to
lure the lieutenant into conversation. “You’re stuck out here, and there’s
nowhere to run. The gate isn’t going to do you any good, and it’s only a matter
of time before Sector Command figures out where we are.”
More static. Santorum
continued on course for the icy Mardron-Five without a single fluctuation in
his heading.
Fixing his scanners on the
planet, Shawn was greeted with a reading of no humanoid life, and only spare
life sign readings from indigenous creatures. No vegetation, except for the
equator, which contained large patches of a blue-green algae that was toxic to
humans.
“There’s nothing out here,
Jer,” Shawn said, as much to Santorum as to himself. “I’m getting cold just
looking at that oversized snow cone out there. What do you say we find a nice
bar with some warm drinks and talk this over? Whatever it is, it can’t possibly
be worth dying over. And by the looks of the damage to your fighter, you’re
going to need all the help you can get.”
More static, but Shawn got
the distinct impression he heard a faint sigh over the comm channel. Did I
just imagine that, or am I finally getting through to him?
After another tense moment,
Shawn’s computer informed him that not only was Nova now in weapons range, but
that he should also fire at his earliest convenience. Disregarding the machine,
Shawn gripped the control stick, his finger hovering over the particle
accelerator trigger when he heard Nova’s voice.
“I can’t go back, nor do I
want to.”
Surprised, Shawn wanted to
try and keep the man talking. “Aw, come on, Jer. The food isn’t all that bad.”
If he could just get a little closer, Shawn was sure he could disable the
fighter with a single, well-placed shot to the drive module.
“This … this isn’t right.
Can’t you see? Don’t you understand?” Jerry said, sounding both bewildered and
terrified.
“Help me understand, Jerry.
I want to help.”
“No,” the lieutenant
replied, then repeated himself thrice more, each one louder than the previous.
“You don’t understand, and I’m not going to try and convince you. It’d be
pointless.” There was a pause before he spoke again. “Raven … she was my
friend. I didn’t … I didn’t … but I did. I had to.” This was followed by what
sounded like a grunt of pain.
“Jerry? Are you okay. You
sound hurt.” But Jerry seemed more than just hurt. It was almost as if he were … confused . “You’ve only got a few minutes of fuel reserves left. We need
to—”
“In a few minutes, one of
us is going to be dead, and I’m willing to bet that it isn’t going to be me.”
Jerry’s tone was no longer labored, replaced now with ominous inflection.
Shawn nudged his fighter a
little closer, slowing to one-quarter power. “You seem awfully confident there,
buddy. What’s your plan?” Shawn switched on the computer-controlled targeting
computer. He hated the thing, but it was the only way to make sure the first
shot was the only one fired in this altercation.
“First I’m going to kill
you,” Jerry said with a maniacal chuckle. “Just like I did to
However, it did show Nova’s fighter limping toward the fifth planet at reduced
speed. Shawn had been right: the jump had wounded him.
Requesting all available
power, Shawn pivoted to once again intercept the fighter, his thoughts about
being permanently stranded in the backwater system all but forgotten. A small
light on his console informed him that he was well within communications range.
Pressing the call button, Shawn tried once again to open the channel. “Jerry,
this is Shawn. Come in, please.”
He was greeted with static.
Either Shawn’s transceiver was damaged, or Santorum was still giving him the
silent treatment. Quickly looking over his diagnostic terminal, he leaned
toward the latter. “Jerry, I know your fighter’s damaged,” he began, hoping to
lure the lieutenant into conversation. “You’re stuck out here, and there’s
nowhere to run. The gate isn’t going to do you any good, and it’s only a matter
of time before Sector Command figures out where we are.”
More static. Santorum
continued on course for the icy Mardron-Five without a single fluctuation in
his heading.
Fixing his scanners on the
planet, Shawn was greeted with a reading of no humanoid life, and only spare
life sign readings from indigenous creatures. No vegetation, except for the
equator, which contained large patches of a blue-green algae that was toxic to
humans.
“There’s nothing out here,
Jer,” Shawn said, as much to Santorum as to himself. “I’m getting cold just
looking at that oversized snow cone out there. What do you say we find a nice
bar with some warm drinks and talk this over? Whatever it is, it can’t possibly
be worth dying over. And by the looks of the damage to your fighter, you’re
going to need all the help you can get.”
More static, but Shawn got
the distinct impression he heard a faint sigh over the comm channel. Did I
just imagine that, or am I finally getting through to him?
After another tense moment,
Shawn’s computer informed him that not only was Nova now in weapons range, but
that he should also fire at his earliest convenience. Disregarding the machine,
Shawn gripped the control stick, his finger hovering over the particle
accelerator trigger when he heard Nova’s voice.
“I can’t go back, nor do I
want to.”
Surprised, Shawn wanted to
try and keep the man talking. “Aw, come on, Jer. The food isn’t all that bad.”
If he could just get a little closer, Shawn was sure he could disable the
fighter with a single, well-placed shot to the drive module.
“This … this isn’t right.
Can’t you see? Don’t you understand?” Jerry said, sounding both bewildered and
terrified.
“Help me understand, Jerry.
I want to help.”
“No,” the lieutenant
replied, then repeated himself thrice more, each one louder than the previous.
“You don’t understand, and I’m not going to try and convince you. It’d be
pointless.” There was a pause before he spoke again. “Raven … she was my
friend. I didn’t … I didn’t … but I did. I had to.” This was followed by what
sounded like a grunt of pain.
“Jerry? Are you okay. You
sound hurt.” But Jerry seemed more than just hurt. It was almost as if he were … confused . “You’ve only got a few minutes of fuel reserves left. We need
to—”
“In a few minutes, one of
us is going to be dead, and I’m willing to bet that it isn’t going to be me.”
Jerry’s tone was no longer labored, replaced now with ominous inflection.
Shawn nudged his fighter a
little closer, slowing to one-quarter power. “You seem awfully confident there,
buddy. What’s your plan?” Shawn switched on the computer-controlled targeting
computer. He hated the thing, but it was the only way to make sure the first
shot was the only one fired in this altercation.
“First I’m going to kill
you,” Jerry said with a maniacal chuckle. “Just like I did to
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