A New Beginning Ch. 09

***

Jennifer Lawson tapped out her command code.

The computer bleeped once in acceptance.

"Hands free." Alexander York said as he released the piloting sticks.

"Take a break Alex... we are going to wait here for Admiral Jensen or those ships that I sent a message to." Jennifer ordered as the old Corvette took up a position between Kellos and the debris of what had once been her home.

Bill Newson stepped onto the bridge. A bridge that was now run by a mixture of young cadets and old volunteers.

"what are you doing?" Bill asked Jennifer as he observed their static position.

"Protecting my mother's home." She replied without looking him in the eye.

"Take us to Kellos... everyone here needs some ... Some space to grieve and grow." Bill said gently.

Jennifer Lawson, daughter of a commander, shook her head firmly.

"I don't know if you knew... I really don't and I won't ask... But MY MOTHER died to keep this place safe." She said. Her teenage face set with a stubborn and absolute certainty.

Bill saluted.

"Captain... yes Captain."

Jennifer looked him in the eyes and slowly accepted his salute.

"Dismissed Marine." She uttered sadly.

Bill turned on his heel smartly and clicked his heels in the proper fashion before marching away.

Jenny waved her hand and most of the bridge crew left.

"I Hate you... I LOVE you." She muttered under her breath once she was alone.

***

Jenny had seen what Bill was capable of. Watched as they launched a diversionary Hornet that had no Gunner/Nav.

Young as she herself. Gar had piloted one of the out dated Hornets and taken fire while her mother's crew had bravely but suicidally tried to distract the modern Niles' Destroyer. They had loaded the old Hornet into a launch tube and prayed it would be enough to buy the time for the Reachers to get far enough away.

Bill had run down and fired upon a boarding patrol and made them respond. Forcing them upwards to where a second Hornet waited with its guns trained on the doors.

They had not dared to open the bay doors while the area was heavily patrolled.

She understood that Bill had waited until the last moment to run for the Corvette. She understood that he hadn't expected to survive.

Just as he had asked the others, Bill hadn't asked for anything he wasn't willing to give himself. Bill had been the one to slam in the self-destruct codes and then run for the Corvette.

She could have launched earlier but didn't. leaving him behind despite everything was unthinkable and she admitted to herself she would have risked and did risk them all as she waited.

The ramp had been down.

Dawes and his trained team had advanced with withering fire as Bill made his run.

Lucy Mays. A gunnery cadet had sat in the last old style Hornet. She had known she probably wouldn't have time to fire and then get out. Yet she stayed and fired. The guns had chattered away as Bill reached the ramp. He crouched low and emptied his mag while screaming at Lucy to get out.

"I'm Stuck." She had screamed as smoke roiled from the overheated barrels of the Hornets guns.

Bill didn't hesitate for one second. He drew his side arm and ran across the scorched decking. Spent casings littered his way as he hammered on Lucy's cockpit in desperation.

"No.. no.. go, leave me." Lucy had screamed as she saw more men moving around the door frame.

Bill grabbed the release leaver and strained to ram it upwards. His face set doggedly as he grunted in pain.

"Come ON... COME ON... You and me Cadet..." He had grunted out as the next wave started to fire sporadically. Switching fire between the Open Corvette ramp and the struggling Sgt.

Jenny had screamed in despair as she watched. Her pilot was unexperienced but inventive.

The Corvette had lifted off and turned. It's super-heated engines fired and immolated the men who were firing at Bill and Lucy.

Bill had grabbed Lucy and bodily lifted her free.

*****

Jenny rubbed her temples in distress.

She knew she loved Bill. She felt it in her core.

She just couldn't bring herself to say it or do anything about it... He had probably lied, he had done it all to protect her but she had lost her mother. She had never known her mother and he and Helena had taken that chance away.

"How long can we stand vigil?" she asked to distract herself.

"hydroponics' are pretty good, Core crystals are fully charged... if we stay static we could sit here for years." replied Melody as she tapped into the old system.

Jenny nodded and was glad she had one more competent person on board.

"Hold us steady... Admiral Jensen should respond within a few weeks...that or someone closer. Until then.. scan for any more of those Niles' ship signatures."

"Aye, Aye Captain Lawson." Melody responded with efficiency. Her bedraggled reddish hair and gaunt face intense.

Jenny sat back in the Captains chair. She had a sense of things not being right but put it down to the tension and complex emotional play she had with Bill Newson. Melody was good at her job and seemed differential, the niggling recollection of her face managed to allude Jenny as she had hardly glimpsed more than a shock of red hair when her father was killed.

Jenny logged into the ships mainframe and was again accepted. She wasn't her father but she had spent so much time in the ship that her DNA was recorded. The ship accepted her as a Holy Company Commander even though she had never been to fleet academy.

"Ping any HC ships that comes close." Jenny ordered the ships auto systems as she yawned tiredly.

The ship answered her with an affirmative as Jenny started to fall asleep in her chair.

"Yes Commander Lawson." The ship had said as her eyes closed.

********

Melody Smith looked over at Jennifer as the young girl drifted off to sleep. She felt a pang of guilt for what she had done but shook free of it as she tried to forget more than just killing Jennifer's father.

She was logged in as her old Cadet name. Melody Hawes. The nav system and comms open to her command.

Kathrine had vouched for her when she had joined the group of fleeing people with her own band of upper level people and Pleasure Girls. Melody stole another glance at the now sleeping Jenifer and wondered if she would ever have to admit who and what she had been.

"I lost everything too." She whispered softly in justification.

The words felt hollow even as she said them.

**********************

Author's note...

Hi All...

So, this was written at the same time as chapter 8... mostly.

I wanted to get a few new characters in and also explain their backgrounds while I move things forward to Kellos and the Reachers.

I hope you like it and I really hope you will give me some feedback and comments on how I'm doing.

Thanks a lot.

Flic.