dangers of the planet.”
“I don’t think we’ll need to worry about anyone voluntarily leaving the ship at this point,” Gallagher remarked.
Stepping around Salib, the captain hovered over the Crown Representative with a look of naked disdain. “I’m not worried about what’s outside of the ship, Representative. I’m worried about what might have found its way in when we opened the airlock. Something could have crawled in through the vents, or any one of the dozens of hull breaches Rosie’s conjectured.” His eyes were squinted with fury but his voice was remarkably reserved.
It was interesting to watch him draw back into himself in the silence that followed. Like watching prey recoil after a defensive strike to intimidate a predator, only I couldn’t imagine someone as battle-hardened as Gibbons saw a Crownie—even Gallagher—as anything but a nuisance. A harmless fly.
Towards the end of the diffusing silence, Gibbons caught my stare from across the table, and when he spoke again, it was like he spoke directly to me. The words and his intense gaze sent chills up and down my spine.
“Something bad might have infiltrated the ship. Something that can kill all of us. An alien, a pathogen. Maybe not. Who knows? Either way, we need to gather everyone together to make sure it won’t happen if it hasn’t already. I don’t give a damn if anyone on this crew decides they want to leave the ship, but I sure as hell won’t be picking up any hitchhikers.” He paused thoughtfully, then turned for the door. “I’ve been down that road before.”
I wasn’t sure which mission he was referring to, but I didn’t want to ask. I was afraid the specifics would stray a little too close to our current situation.
Have I told you I’ve always known I would die at the hands (or tentacles or stingers or teeth) of some hideous, alien monster on a planet far away from home?
No?
Well, maybe I’ll get there eventually. I guess Gibbons and I had more in common than I ever realized.
ASSIGNMENT
An hour later, an hour which I spent nervously pacing the gym and trying to look busy while carefully avoiding all matters of consequence, the captain changed his mind.
“Teemo. Chalmers,” he called into the all-purpose gymnasium through the open doorway. His voice echoed across the court to me yet somehow had a small quality to it that made my stomach clench. If even his voice was trivialized within our ship, I reasoned, what did that say about our place in the universe? “My quarters. Now.”
I glanced around the room as I followed Gibbons, trying to spot Teemo and get a read on his reaction to the summons. I couldn’t find him anywhere, though. Probably he’d already followed the captain out, I thought, or else he’d returned to his seat on the bridge after getting his arm patched up. I’ve learned over the years that fleet pilots are practically incapable of relinquishing control of anything once they believe they’re responsible for handling it, and nothing about my previous interactions with Teemo made me think he was an exception.
Halfway to the door, I felt a firm tug on my arm and whirled around reflexively, ready to lash out for no good reason. Like I said, I was on edge.
It was Gallagher. Her blue eyes were wide with something that wasn’t quite terror. Maybe suspicion with a touch of hopelessness. Maybe I’m confusing her emotions with my own.
“What is it, ma’am?” I asked once I realized she was looking past me through the open door. Probably making sure Gibbons wasn’t standing in the shadows, watching.
“Chalmers, right?” she asked when she was sure the captain had moved on.
“Yes, ma’am,” I answered, only slightly offended that she hadn’t known my name well enough not to ask.
“Nice to meet you,” she said stiffly. We’d met about a half-dozen times before that, but I let the comment slide with a little more understanding than the name thing, which I guess is counterintuitive.
“I don’t think we’ll need to worry about anyone voluntarily leaving the ship at this point,” Gallagher remarked.
Stepping around Salib, the captain hovered over the Crown Representative with a look of naked disdain. “I’m not worried about what’s outside of the ship, Representative. I’m worried about what might have found its way in when we opened the airlock. Something could have crawled in through the vents, or any one of the dozens of hull breaches Rosie’s conjectured.” His eyes were squinted with fury but his voice was remarkably reserved.
It was interesting to watch him draw back into himself in the silence that followed. Like watching prey recoil after a defensive strike to intimidate a predator, only I couldn’t imagine someone as battle-hardened as Gibbons saw a Crownie—even Gallagher—as anything but a nuisance. A harmless fly.
Towards the end of the diffusing silence, Gibbons caught my stare from across the table, and when he spoke again, it was like he spoke directly to me. The words and his intense gaze sent chills up and down my spine.
“Something bad might have infiltrated the ship. Something that can kill all of us. An alien, a pathogen. Maybe not. Who knows? Either way, we need to gather everyone together to make sure it won’t happen if it hasn’t already. I don’t give a damn if anyone on this crew decides they want to leave the ship, but I sure as hell won’t be picking up any hitchhikers.” He paused thoughtfully, then turned for the door. “I’ve been down that road before.”
I wasn’t sure which mission he was referring to, but I didn’t want to ask. I was afraid the specifics would stray a little too close to our current situation.
Have I told you I’ve always known I would die at the hands (or tentacles or stingers or teeth) of some hideous, alien monster on a planet far away from home?
No?
Well, maybe I’ll get there eventually. I guess Gibbons and I had more in common than I ever realized.
ASSIGNMENT
An hour later, an hour which I spent nervously pacing the gym and trying to look busy while carefully avoiding all matters of consequence, the captain changed his mind.
“Teemo. Chalmers,” he called into the all-purpose gymnasium through the open doorway. His voice echoed across the court to me yet somehow had a small quality to it that made my stomach clench. If even his voice was trivialized within our ship, I reasoned, what did that say about our place in the universe? “My quarters. Now.”
I glanced around the room as I followed Gibbons, trying to spot Teemo and get a read on his reaction to the summons. I couldn’t find him anywhere, though. Probably he’d already followed the captain out, I thought, or else he’d returned to his seat on the bridge after getting his arm patched up. I’ve learned over the years that fleet pilots are practically incapable of relinquishing control of anything once they believe they’re responsible for handling it, and nothing about my previous interactions with Teemo made me think he was an exception.
Halfway to the door, I felt a firm tug on my arm and whirled around reflexively, ready to lash out for no good reason. Like I said, I was on edge.
It was Gallagher. Her blue eyes were wide with something that wasn’t quite terror. Maybe suspicion with a touch of hopelessness. Maybe I’m confusing her emotions with my own.
“What is it, ma’am?” I asked once I realized she was looking past me through the open door. Probably making sure Gibbons wasn’t standing in the shadows, watching.
“Chalmers, right?” she asked when she was sure the captain had moved on.
“Yes, ma’am,” I answered, only slightly offended that she hadn’t known my name well enough not to ask.
“Nice to meet you,” she said stiffly. We’d met about a half-dozen times before that, but I let the comment slide with a little more understanding than the name thing, which I guess is counterintuitive.
Similar Books
