chimed.
"What is it, Chief?" Argentine had asked.
"Get back to the ship. Right now!"
"Why? What's up?" Argentine asked, sitting
straight up in his chair.
"A Haven ship has just entered the system. Barry says
it's from their Enforcer’s sect. We need to leave, now. While we still
can."
"But… That's Barry's problem! I mean… Chief, we can
find crew here…"
"I know; I know… But Barry says it'll be our problem
too if they figure out we brought him here, and I believe him. We've got to go,
Frank."
The café was only half-full and he leaned back in his chair
at his now empty table. Staring at his half-empty coffee cup he drummed his
fingers on the small table's edge.
He'd never imagined life could be so damned difficult...
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
You’re A Peach
Climbing
the Gravity Well
For the next
couple of days Barry made sure to stay out of Argentine's way.
He didn't blame Barry, at least not much… Maybe. He did understand what it was like dealing with some of the radical theocracies, and
it had been his decision to hire Barry, but still…
He didn't have to like the way this had ended up.
So he wasn't really in the mood for surprises…
"First, we need to talk," came the voice of
Lieutenant Stark over Argentine's personal comm device.
"Okay, I'm on the bridge," he replied.
"Ah, do you think you could come to my cabin?"
Raising his eyebrows in surprise Argentine responded,
"I'll be there in five."
ΔΔΔ
"What is it
Lieutenant?"
Like for all of the officers, the lieutenant’s cabin served
double duty as an office. You entered from the corridor into the office area, and
then needed to pass through another doorway to reach the personal quarters.
He had been at his desk when Argentine walked in.
"Take a look at this," the lieutenant said while
motioning him to his computer's screen.
"It looks like a power consumption chart."
"It is, but scroll through the daily readings…"
"Explain it to me. What am I looking for?"
"Since we’re so shorthanded I've been taking those
readings three times a day instead of the standard once a day. I'm just a
little paranoid since we don't have enough people to monitor all our systems in
real time. I wanted to make sure that if something started going haywire we’d
have a chance to shut it down before it caused any damage."
"Okay, that makes sense."
"Take a look at the shuttle bay. The first report I run
every morning shows that the shuttle's systems are off, that it’s not drawing any
power. But look at these other reports… They show that the shuttle's
life-support systems are constantly on."
"Is it a glitch in our readings… Or, have you checked
the shuttle? Did we somehow leave the systems on?"
"I haven't checked it yet, but I did check our food
supply. Best I can tell we’re going through the supply faster than we
should."
Argentine and the lieutenant locked eyes.
"Chief, report to Lieutenant Stark’s office,"
Argentine said into his comm.
ΔΔΔ
The shuttle bay
on the Pelican wasn't very large, but it was always pressurized.
The three men entered the bay as quietly as possible. They
each carried an energy rifle.
As they neared the shuttle the chief pulled out a piece of
equipment and studied it for a moment. He then looked at Argentine and nodded.
The shuttle's systems were active.
They gathered by the hatch and Argentine used his fingers to
silently count down from three. He had quietly typed in his override code and
when his countdown reached zero he hit the hatch's emergency access control.
As it flew open, he rushed inside and pointed his rifle down
the length of the shuttle.
He heard the other two following behind him, but after just
a few steps he stopped in his tracks.
Sitting at a table not five paces in front of him was a
redheaded green-eyed woman
"What is it, Chief?" Argentine had asked.
"Get back to the ship. Right now!"
"Why? What's up?" Argentine asked, sitting
straight up in his chair.
"A Haven ship has just entered the system. Barry says
it's from their Enforcer’s sect. We need to leave, now. While we still
can."
"But… That's Barry's problem! I mean… Chief, we can
find crew here…"
"I know; I know… But Barry says it'll be our problem
too if they figure out we brought him here, and I believe him. We've got to go,
Frank."
The café was only half-full and he leaned back in his chair
at his now empty table. Staring at his half-empty coffee cup he drummed his
fingers on the small table's edge.
He'd never imagined life could be so damned difficult...
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
You’re A Peach
Climbing
the Gravity Well
For the next
couple of days Barry made sure to stay out of Argentine's way.
He didn't blame Barry, at least not much… Maybe. He did understand what it was like dealing with some of the radical theocracies, and
it had been his decision to hire Barry, but still…
He didn't have to like the way this had ended up.
So he wasn't really in the mood for surprises…
"First, we need to talk," came the voice of
Lieutenant Stark over Argentine's personal comm device.
"Okay, I'm on the bridge," he replied.
"Ah, do you think you could come to my cabin?"
Raising his eyebrows in surprise Argentine responded,
"I'll be there in five."
ΔΔΔ
"What is it
Lieutenant?"
Like for all of the officers, the lieutenant’s cabin served
double duty as an office. You entered from the corridor into the office area, and
then needed to pass through another doorway to reach the personal quarters.
He had been at his desk when Argentine walked in.
"Take a look at this," the lieutenant said while
motioning him to his computer's screen.
"It looks like a power consumption chart."
"It is, but scroll through the daily readings…"
"Explain it to me. What am I looking for?"
"Since we’re so shorthanded I've been taking those
readings three times a day instead of the standard once a day. I'm just a
little paranoid since we don't have enough people to monitor all our systems in
real time. I wanted to make sure that if something started going haywire we’d
have a chance to shut it down before it caused any damage."
"Okay, that makes sense."
"Take a look at the shuttle bay. The first report I run
every morning shows that the shuttle's systems are off, that it’s not drawing any
power. But look at these other reports… They show that the shuttle's
life-support systems are constantly on."
"Is it a glitch in our readings… Or, have you checked
the shuttle? Did we somehow leave the systems on?"
"I haven't checked it yet, but I did check our food
supply. Best I can tell we’re going through the supply faster than we
should."
Argentine and the lieutenant locked eyes.
"Chief, report to Lieutenant Stark’s office,"
Argentine said into his comm.
ΔΔΔ
The shuttle bay
on the Pelican wasn't very large, but it was always pressurized.
The three men entered the bay as quietly as possible. They
each carried an energy rifle.
As they neared the shuttle the chief pulled out a piece of
equipment and studied it for a moment. He then looked at Argentine and nodded.
The shuttle's systems were active.
They gathered by the hatch and Argentine used his fingers to
silently count down from three. He had quietly typed in his override code and
when his countdown reached zero he hit the hatch's emergency access control.
As it flew open, he rushed inside and pointed his rifle down
the length of the shuttle.
He heard the other two following behind him, but after just
a few steps he stopped in his tracks.
Sitting at a table not five paces in front of him was a
redheaded green-eyed woman
Similar Books
