Storm World Ch. 06

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RipperFish
RipperFish
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"Test complete," translated Liat `del Qha. "System normal. Service required in 2,342 hours, 56 minutes, 37 seconds from mark. Mark."

"I would say that it is functioning," M`peth qHo said. She sounded pleased. "Pilot, I want the two of you to continue working on this. Learn what these satellites were designed for. Determine whether or not we can use them to find the mutineers' ship. I also want to know if they could be used to contact possible survivors aboard the Char`Noth. If so, make that a priority. If more of the crew is alive we must do all we can to rescue them."

"I agree, Commander, but as I said before, even if they can hear our message their suit transmitters are not powerful enough to reply," Liat `del Qha said.

"If any marines survived, Pilot, they will be able to reply," Tem l`eth tong pointed out. "Their suits are designed to function outside of the ship and their transmitters are far more powerful than those in standard shipboard suits."

"In any event," M`peth qHo said. "If we can send them messages, we can let them know we are working towards their rescue. It will give them some hope. A message may be the difference between life and death for any who may remain trapped aboard your ship."

"I understand, Commander," said Liat `del Qha.

"Carry on," M`peth qHo ordered. "I must see how our gunner is feeling and have a word with him."

"What do you think she will say to Chep `Urt vEss?" Liat `del Qha asked softly when the commander was far enough away.

"It is not my place to speculate, Pilot," Tem l`eth tong replied, just as softly.

The small Pah'Tht twitched her whiskers in amusement, saying, "You are a veteran. Who has better place to say in this matter?"

"The commander," Tem l`eth tong said evenly. "I have survived to be a veteran by avoiding involvement in the dealings of officers until I have no other choice."

"And if Chep `Urt vEss were to attempt to take command?" the pilot asked.

"As things stand now, I would support you in whatever course you chose, Pilot." Tem l`eth tong looked Liat `del Qha in the eye and continued, "Until the commander proves other than competent, I will support the chain of command as it stands. You are first officer of the Char`Noth. If anyone chooses to wrest command from M`peth qHo, you are next in line. I will oppose Chep `Urt vEss should he attempt to push you aside. In this situation I deem his judgement faulty and potentially dangerous. I do not wish to die because an inexperienced officer thinks he knows better than an officer of greater experience simply because he is male. Is that answer enough, Pilot?"

Liat `del Qha considered the veteran for a heartbeat and then gave a brief nod.

"Let us see what we can learn," she said and reached past Tem l`eth tong to bring up another menu.

*****

Uncertainty gnawed at M'peth qHo's guts as she crossed the chamber back to where Chep `Urt vEss lay on the floor. Benjamin had humbled the gunner in front of all of the survivors. The gunner was likely in no mood to speak to her and was certain to resent being dressed down for taking what she saw as unsupportable action. It was her fault things had gone the way they had. She should not have allowed herself to become openly irritated with the Human.

Movement drew her attention. Ima` Nef`Tn and Benjamin were crossing behind the stone enclosures, headed for the water purification unit against the wall. Thankfully, that unit had received no damage during the quake. No apparent damage, at least. Perhaps the two of them were going to check its status.

Benjamin seemed to be acting sane again. He was speaking to Ima` Nef`Tn, but it did not appear he was making his spastic hand gestures. That, she thought, was a good sign, but she did not know. She was no psychologist. It must have been the excitement of the quake and the injuries he had sustained that had set him off. It could also have been the pain medication Ima` Nef`Tn had administered. Who knew?

M`peth qHo returned her attention to the two male jZav`Etch. Chep `Urt vEss was sitting up now. His eyes looked glassy from this distance and his mouth was open as if he were disoriented. Hopefully, Benjamin had not given him a concussion.

TaH `Kiy mTh was fussing like a mother over a child. That male was odd. Her first impression had been that he was a steady hand, but he seemed to have been unduly unsettled by the quake. Perhaps it was simply a Thahn `Den's natural claustrophobia surfacing. She, herself, felt the strain of being underground, though, it was not so bad here in the main chamber with its vaulted ceiling and wide floor. Still, TaH `Kiy mTh was young and not experienced in planetary operations.

"He has probably never been in a cave before," she muttered to herself.

Chep `Urt vEss closed his mouth and blinked up at her as she came to a stop a pace away from the males. His eyes were still glassy and a little unfocussed, but he seemed more aware. TaH `Kiy mTh jerked away from her, startled. Had he not heard her approach?

"What is the gunner's condition?" she asked evenly, her gaze tracing speculatively over the engineer before drifting to Chep `Urt vEss.

"Bruises only, Commander," TaH `Kiy mTh said. He ran a thumb over the med kit's sensor before handing it to her so she could read the data on its screen.

"I am well enough to continue with my duties, Commander," Chep `Urt vEss said thickly. He struggled to his feet, but swayed and had to steady himself with a hand on TaH `Kiy mTh's shoulder.

M`peth qHo's whiskers vibrated as she considered the big dTel`Qohar. He saw the expression on her face and drew himself up to his full height, taking his hand from the smaller male's shoulder. In his eyes a spark of defiance glimmered and he lifted his chin ever so slightly. She flicked her ears speculatively and then looked at the sensor's screen. All was as she had anticipated except for one drug.

"What is this sedative for?" she asked, looking at TaH `Kiy mTh.

"It was recommended by the kit," the young Thahn `Den said. His tail flicked and his ears twitched as if he were nervous about something. "It might be to relax the gunner's muscles."

"Did you administer it?" she asked.

"I was about to, Commander," he said and held out his hand for the sensor.

"It is unnecessary. Leave us, Engineer," she said, handing the scanner back to TaH `Kiy mTh. "Bring Ty`em P`tral back into the main chamber. See that she is comfortable."

"Yes, Commander," the engineer said with an abbreviated bow. He took his scanner, shoved it hurriedly into his med kit and walked quickly away.

"You are fortunate, Gunner," she said as soon as the smaller male was out of earshot. Her tone was as hard and cool as the stone beneath their feet. "If the Human had had a knife he might have killed you. If your blow had struck home you would certainly have killed him. I would not have been gentle with you had that happened."

"He was being aggressive, Commander," Chep `Urt vEss replied, sounding steadier than he looked. "I felt he was a danger to our safety."

"I would not call you a liar, Gunner, but in my opinion you allowed your natural prejudice to get the better of you."

Chep `Urt vEss's eyes cracked into hard focus and his lips drew back from his teeth as if he were readying to defend his honor.

"Enough of your posturing!" M`peth qHo snapped before he could speak. "You have been a disrespectful, insubordinate clod since we crashed. You are allowing your preconceived notions to cloud your view of what is happening around you."

"I can see clearly enough that we are in a life and death situation, Commander," he snarled. "I would speak frankly if you would permit, Commander."

She glowered up at him, but gave a nod.

"It is my opinion that you are not the right member of this group to lead," Chep `Urt vEss grated. "It is in my mind to challenge you for position. You have seen no combat. You have led no soldiers. Intelligence branch does not train its personnel for situations like we are in."

"If you believe that, you know nothing of the Intelligence Branch," she snarled, angered in spite of her effort to control her emotions. "Do you believe we spend all of our time sitting on our tails, reviewing documents and filing reports? I personally have chased down spies like the one who leads the mutineers. Our own people and dissident protectorates both."

"Chasing spies is not battle!" he snapped and took a step closer to her, his bulk looming large.

"How many enemies have you faced and sunk your claws into?" she demanded, not backing down. Her ears lay back and the fur down her spine rose. With her lips peeled away from her teeth in contempt she demanded, "How often have you been spattered with the blood of your foes? Where are your battle scars?"

"The Char`Noth has accounted for twelve interlopers since I was brought aboard as Chief Weapons Officer," he grated, sounding no less aggressive than a moment before.

"With my own hands, Gunner, I have executed four traitors to the Hegemony," she said. "Do not force me to make it five."

Chep `Urt vEss stiffened when he realized the much smaller female's hand was a whisper from the pistol on her hip. He saw the steel in her eyes and smelt the scent of her battle musk. She was serious.

"This is not a tale of adventure as told around a campfire," M`peth qHo said evenly, her tone quiet yet hard as flint. "This is real life, Gunner. jZav`Etch have already died and it is likely the rest of us will before this is done. There is a mission yet to be completed. I need all of you to pull together. Enemies of the Hegemony are trying to destroy our people and your foolishness is aiding them. Do you understand?

He jerked his head back as if her words were a physical blow and his tail lashed uncertainly for a Taq`. He steadied himself and asked, "What mission, Commander?"

"You already know the mutineers were in possession of a large amount of data and I was tasked to recover or destroy it," she said. "That data was collected over a long period of time before the Intelligence Branch was able to interdict the traitors. It contained details of our ships, installations, troop dispositions, command structure, vehicle specifications and just about everything else. In the hands of any enemy it could be fatal for our people, Gunner."

"The Humans will be defeated," he said stoutly, his former surly confidence beginning to show again.

"How old are you, Gunner?" she asked in a pensive tone.

"Nineteen summers," he said, narrowing his eyes.

"How many jZav`Etch your age do you think have become second officers aboard any ship?" she asked. Before he could answer she pressed on, "How many males are serving aboard second line vessels such as the Char`Noth? How many reservists have been called up? How many wounded veterans have been recalled to support services? How many recovering casualties have been retained near the front? You likely do not know, but tell me what the ratio of male to female crew was aboard the Char`Noth?"

"One male to every seven females," he said and then blinked at her, realization sinking in.

"Under normal operations the ratio would never exceed one male to three females," she told him. Her tail lashed hard. "As big as you are, Chep `Urt vEss, I am surprised you were not transferred to the Marines or the Army. Doubtless it is your skill at gunnery that kept you aboard the Char`Noth."

He narrowed his eyes at her again, but detected no sarcasm so took no offense.

"I need you, Gunner," she went on in an insistent tone. "I cannot afford to have this crew divided. I can spare no time to be looking over my shoulder or guarding my back trail."

Chep `Urt vEss glowered down on her, his posture rebellious, but M`peth qHo did not avert her eyes. Finally, he took half a step back and his ears turned forward, giving her his full attention.

"My orders prevent me from telling you everything, Gunner," she said softly, her posture relaxing. "However, I will tell you this: An enemy other than the Conglomerated Planets is pressing the Hegemony's flank. I will not demand an oath of secrecy from you. There may be a time when it is necessary for you tell the others what I have said."

"The mutineers were not delivering their stolen data to the Conglomerated Planets, then?" he asked in a lower tone than was his norm.

It was something of a surprise to M`peth qHo how quickly the gunner caught on. His wits were not addled, at least.

"They were not," she confirmed. "The CP would be unlikely to risk meeting a contact this far from their territory. I believe it is only chance that brought the Free World expedition this far. Frankly, I am surprised they ventured so close to Hegemony territory. Given how long Ben `Jamin has been stranded, I believe the expedition set out before the Free Worlds knew where our border lay which might explain why a rescue ship never arrived."

"You still contend the Human is not a danger to us?" Chep `Urt vEss asked, casting a malevolent look at Benjamin and Ima` Nef`Tn as they retraced their course behind the enclosures.

"I do not believe he is our enemy," she said, also looking at the pair. "His madness is genuine, though. I think he can be controlled. Ima` Nef`Tn has made much progress since he woke. What is more, I believe he is our greatest asset. He may be the best chance we have for recovering or destroying the stolen data."

"And what of the mutineers, Commander?" the gunner asked, returning his attention to her.

"Dusig are tough and resilient," she said. "The female leading them was known to be charismatic and resourceful. Our goal is not to eliminate them, though we will do so if necessary, you understand. Our goal is the recovery or destruction of the data. Everything else, including our own survival, is secondary. Is that clear, Gunner?"

Chep `Urt vEss cast another look at Benjamin. His tail lashed hard twice and his hands clinched into fists, but he let his breath out slowly and returned his attention to M`peth qHo.

"I understand, Commander."

*****

"Now pull that green cable," Benjamin said, holding the small power cell in his uninjured hand.

Ima` Nef`Tn looked into the opening in the side of the water purifier's case. It took her a moment to locate the green cable in question, but when she did it seemed perfectly simple. She took hold of the cable and pulled. It did not move. She frowned a question at Benjamin and he squinted into the opening.

"You are pulling the wrong end," he said with an amused smirk. "Pull the plug out of the power cell."

She huffed mildly and changed her grip. This time the plug slid free with little resistance. The power cell came away from the machine easily. Benjamin grinned and bounced it lightly in his palm.

"Let's get this installed and see if we can get the doc running," he said, turning to go back to the storage enclosure.

"Are you sure this will be compatible with the medical machine?" she asked, following him.

"They are manufactured by the same company," he explained. "We are... um..." Benjamin searched for the right word. Telling her that Free Worlders are big into interchangeable parts might be more confusing than not and he felt his Japanese was not up to the translation, anyway. Finally, he said, "Interchangeable parts are critical for expeditions like mine."

"I understand," she said. Across the chamber she saw M`peth qHo speaking to Chep `Urt vEss and wondered if they were talking about Benjamin and what would happen to the Human for defending himself. Chep `Urt vEss had been in the wrong, clearly, but he was jZav`Etch and no alien ever raised a hand against the jZav`Etch without consequences. In jZav she murmured to herself, "I will not allow it."

"What?" asked Benjamin, glancing at her. He saw where she was looking and turned his eyes that way, too. "Do not worry about him, sweetheart."

Ima` Nef`Tn blinked and smiled secretly at Benjamin. In the romances the male Human always used such names of endearment with those females they became involved with. The hunted feeling of apprehension left her, replaced by a warmth in her belly.

It took only a short time to reassemble the medical unit and once done they had to wait while the machine ran through a self-diagnostic routine. The result was a long list of damaged components and compromised software. Ima` Nef`Tn frowned at the scrolling red text. Benjamin had initiated the machine in Japanese so she could read the data easily enough, but she felt somewhat overwhelmed. So many files had been lost it seemed impossible the machine would operate.

"Emergency file scrub," Benjamin said under his breath and pressed a virtual button on the screen. The screen flashed yellow and green several times and then displayed a menu. "There you go!"

Ima` Nef`Tn shot an uncertain look at him. Had he fixed whatever was wrong? He looked at her and grinned.

"It is not perfect," he said. "Most of the diagnostic and drug generating programing is gone. The liquid ware is scrambled beyond recovery. A lot of that dripped out ages ago. But these files for basic procedures are intact. They were put on honest to god circuit boards. Not nearly as efficient as crystals suspended in colloid, but they can still take a shot and keep functioning."

"Could we upload programs to replace the missing ones?" Ima` Nef`Tn asked.

"I do not think so," Benjamin said with a thoughtful frown. "We had a full library aboard the Jenny, but we did not have any external backup. Besides, the diagnostic software was stored in the liquid ware. With that gone, there really is no room for intricate programs. Intuitive artificial intelligence takes up a lot of virtual space."

"Could we reprogram one of the... uh... nonessential... I think they are called... chips?" she asked, unwilling to simply give up on the idea.

"I do not know enough about that kind of thing," he said. "I am not an engineer. Carla would know... Hmm..." Benjamin paused, his expression sad or contemplative. He swallowed hard and then went on, "Carla would have known. She... She got killed when the spinner crashed. Her and Dr. Troi. I do not miss Troi, but Carla was good people and a really good engineer."

Ima` Nef`Tn saw the pain in Benjamin's eyes. She wished to know what a spinner was and would have liked to know more about the accident that killed his friend, but rather than risk another relapse she asked, "Can this machine still heal your fingers?"

Benjamin brightened, his eyes coming back into focus from years away. With the press of a button the machine hummed and a panel opened on the top which allowed an arm to rise out of the case. A few jerky motions and the arm oriented a plate twice as broad as her hand horizontally over the lid of the crate on which sat the machine.

"Looks like it is ready," he told her and hesitantly placed his hand under the plate. "Here goes nothing."

RipperFish
RipperFish
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